S. 3589: RISE Act

If your IEP was used in high school, the RISE Act would require your college to accept it as proof that you have a disability. The same would apply to a 504 plan, certain records of past services, an evaluation from a relevant licensed professional, another college’s disability record, or documentation connected to uniformed service.

Those records would establish disability status, but they would not automatically guarantee every requested accommodation. Colleges would still determine which accommodations or modifications apply, and they would have to publish transparent eligibility policies in an accessible format during orientation and on a public website.

Students, parents, and faculty would be able to see the college’s accommodation process before a student needs to navigate it. Colleges could also use documentation standards that are easier than the six options required by the bill.

The federal government would begin collecting four measures covering undergraduate and graduate students: how many are registered with disability services, how many voluntarily report receiving or accessing accommodations, what share of enrollment registered students represent, and how many certificates or degrees they earn. A college could withhold a small count if reporting it would identify a student.

The bill would authorize $10 million over five fiscal years for a national center that provides information and technical support to college students with disabilities. It would also fix an outdated cross-reference in the federal definition of disability without changing existing disability rights or remedies.