Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): National Center for Information and Technical Support for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.116D

For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768), or at www.govinfo.gov/​content/​pkg/​FR-2019-02-13/​pdf/​2019-02206.pdf.

    Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to support a National Center for Information and Technical Support for Postsecondary Students with Disabilities (the Center) to provide technical assistance and information on best and promising practices for students with disabilities as they transition to or attend postsecondary education. Institutions of higher education (IHEs), as well as elementary and secondary schools, have legal obligations under two civil rights laws prohibiting disability discrimination, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Section 504) (29 U.S.C. 794), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA) (42 U.S.C. 12101-12213). The technical assistance and information provided by the Center can help students, parents, and educational officials in determining how to meet these obligations and ensure the rights of students with disabilities. In particular, the Center can assist students with disabilities and their families in understanding that in IHEs, students with disabilities have different rights and protections than they had in secondary school under Section 504 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq. Students with disabilities and their parents need to understand the differences in these rights and responsibilities as students with disabilities enter college and pursue postsecondary education. Specifically, unlike students in secondary school, postsecondary students with disabilities are responsible for requesting the academic adjustments, auxiliary aids and services, and other accommodations they need to have equal educational opportunity and are expected to comply with reasonable procedures that an IHE may have concerning documentation of disability and the need for accommodations under Section 504 and the ADA.

           Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 84.116D.