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Counselors or Clinical Providers

High School Guidance Counselors

We Appreciate High School Counselors!

As the professional responsible for ensuring a smooth transition to college for high school students, we want you to know we’re here for you! If you don’t find answers or resources on our website please use the contact information on our website and reach out.

The Accessible Education Center is committed to ensuring equal access for all qualifying individuals to Tennessee Tech's academic and physical environments, and further dedicated to providing quality services to students and faculty, through a variety of resources including academic adjustments, assistive technology and software, as well as other support programs that promote awareness of the law and other disability-related topics.

With that said, college services for students with disabilities and the approach to accommodations and the law are very different from the K-12 experience. All students must meet the same entrance and admission requirements, there are no special classes (we get asked that a lot) and nothing is ever disclosed on a transcript (that's another myth we've heard too).  Currently, over 400 college students are registered with the office.  Many professional high school counselors are surprised to the many resources colleges and universities have to offer students with disabilities in terms of accommodations and that includes access to all sorts of technology or software.

  • Who Qualifies?

    Chances are, if a student qualifies for services in high school, then the student will likely qualify in college. Students with a variety of conditions and disabilities may request accommodations at any time. Some students consider not using their accommodations in college but we strongly encourage students to use their accommodations.  The environment and the process is different, and the students who use them are typically very happy they did. One important thing to remember is that if the student plans to enter a program that will require a standardized exam for licensure, certification etc., then it is much easier for the student to receive accommodations on those exams if they’ve been registered with the Accessible Education Center (example: teacher exams, nursing exams, etc.).

  • Documentation

    Documents and forms generated by the school system (IEP, 504 plans etc.) may be used in determining accommodations but they are not used to determine whether the student qualifies for services. Typically, for that, we need copies of the actual testing or evaluations that were originally used to develop the IEP or the 504.

    If the diagnosis is psychological or emotional we will need documentation from a clinical psychologist, if the diagnosis is medical, we will need documentation from a medical professional. The AEC team reserves the right to request documentation from a specialist if needed.  The key to documentation is ensuring that it is current (within the last three years typically, but it depends on the disability). It is best for students to be retested before the leave high school to avoid having to pay for outside documentation. They may also get updated documentation from other providers, doctors, or psychologists etc.

    An important note for School Counselors:  Annual re-certification, modified reevaluations and such are not sufficient to meet the requirement for current documentation. The student must provide documentation of having been fully evaluated by the appropriate professional within the last three years.  (For example, we are unable to use documentation for specific learning disability or dyslexia from the third grade. The student must be retested.)  

    Please review our documentation guidelines below for more specific information.

  • What Sort of Condition or Disability Qualifies for        Accommodations in College?

    If a student has a diagnosis, chances are the student qualifies for some sort of reasonable accommodation(s). 

    Here are just a few examples and this is not an exhaustive list: ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, Crohn's, diverticulitis, food allergies, diabetes, sleep disorders, OCD, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, emotional disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, depression, bi-polar disorder, seizure disorders, misophobia and many more.

Documentation Guidelines


If you need additional information please do not hesitate to contact the Accessible Education Center by emailing disability@tntech.edu or calling 931-372-6119. We are here for you!

Connect with Us

Office Information:

Location: Roaden University Center, 112
Phone: (931) 372-6119
Fax: (931) 372-6378
Email: disability@tntech.edu

Mailing Address:

Tennessee Tech University
Accessible Education Center
P.O. Box 5091
Cookeville, TN 38505-0001

Office Hours:

Monday-Friday
8am-12:00pm
1:00pm-4:30pm