Prospective Students and Families

Dear prospective students and family members,

At the Office Disability Services, we know that families of students with disabilities may have different concerns than families of typical college students. We also know that you are accustomed to playing a very active role in your student's education. The change in services and responsibility in the college environment can seem frightening, and we are aware that many high schools may not prepare students and their families for the differences they will encounter at college. We hope that the information on this page and others on our website will give you the information you need to become familiar with the post-secondary disability services world so that your student can successfully navigate this new environment.

Since your son or daughter is now an adult, both of your roles will need some adjustments. In college, students with disabilities are responsible for self-identifying to the Office of Disability Services and requesting accommodations. At this point, your role as a parent is to encourage your child to apply for necessary accommodations and empower him or her to become responsible and make his/her own decisions. We will be available to speak with you regarding your son or daughter only upon receiving a written release from him/her.

You can help your student by:

• Looking over the Disability Services website together 
• Going over the student's psycho-educational evaluation together and making sure that your student knows what the diagnosis says and can explain what accommodations could be helpful
• Visiting our documentation guidelines pages (link) for information on specific disability requirements to be sure that your student comes to Yeshiva University with all of the necessary paperwork and understands the procedure for requesting accommodations

We hope that gaining familiarity with the services and procedures at Yeshiva University will reduce anxiety, help students in their decision to pursue accommodations, and assist them in gathering the necessary materials to make the process go smoothly.