HR3939-119

What This Bill Does

The RISE Act lowers documentation barriers for students with disabilities after they enroll in college. Institutions participating in federal student aid would have to accept several forms of documentation as sufficient proof of disability: an individualized education program, even if not current unless the student was later found ineligible; a Section 504 plan; a service or accommodation record from a private school, local education agency, state education agency, or college under the ADA; a licensed-professional evaluation; a disability record from another college; or documentation of disability from service in the uniformed services. Institutions must also adopt transparent and explicit policies about how accommodation eligibility is determined, disseminate that information to students, parents, and faculty in accessible formats, include it during orientation, and post it publicly. The bill authorizes $10 million for the national center for information and technical support for postsecondary students with disabilities. It also requires institutions to report data for IPEDS or another federal postsecondary collection on undergraduate students formally registered with disability services: total number enrolled, number receiving accommodations, percentage of undergraduates, and certificates or degrees awarded, unless reporting would reveal personally identifiable information. The bill preserves ADA meanings of reasonable accommodation and record of impairment and leaves ADA rights and remedies intact.

Who Benefits and How

College students with disabilities benefit because common K-12, service, professional, and prior-college records must be accepted as sufficient documentation. Veteran students with disabilities benefit because uniformed-service disability documentation qualifies for accommodation decisions. Campus disability services offices benefit from clearer federal rules about acceptable documentation. Postsecondary disability technical-support providers benefit from a $10 million authorization. Researchers tracking disability access benefit from IPEDS-style data on registered students, accommodations, and degrees.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Colleges participating in federal student aid must revise documentation policies, publish accessible process information, and report disability-services data. Institutional research offices must collect and submit disability-related undergraduate data while suppressing personally identifiable information. Faculty orientation teams must disseminate accommodation-process information in accessible formats. Education Department data staff must incorporate the new disability metrics into federal postsecondary data collection.

Key Provisions

• Requires colleges to accept IEPs, Section 504 plans, service records, professional evaluations, prior college records, and service disability documents as disability documentation.
• Requires transparent accommodation-process policies in accessible formats, orientation materials, and public websites.
• Authorizes $10 million for the national postsecondary disability technical-support center.
• Requires federal data reporting on registered undergraduate students with disabilities, accommodations, percentages, and awards.
• Protects personally identifiable information and preserves ADA meanings, rights, and remedies.