National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD)
Summary of Public Comments on
Proposed Changes to the Database of Disability Services and Activities in Higher Education
Following 60 Day Review Period
On May 28, 2024, the Department of Education (Department) published a Notice of Proposed Information Collection Request (Notice) in the Federal Register inviting comments by July 29, 2024, on the proposed National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD) Database of Disability Services and Activities in Higher Education. Two respondents submitted comments but only one set of comments was relevant to the information collection. A summary of those comments and our responses are below.
RESPONSES TO COMMENTS
COMMENT: One commenter recommended we track and collect data on students transitioning into college and university.
RESPONSE: No change made. The statute states that the National Center is responsible for “building, maintaining, and updating a database of disability support services information with respect to institutions of higher education.” Since the information is reported by institutions of higher education, the data that is available is for students once they are already at the institutions.
COMMENT: One commenter recommended we ask about information on assistive technology.
COMMENT: No change made. Question 9 on the survey currently asks how common it has been for the institution and/or disability services provider to provide assistive technology.
COMMENT: One commenter recommended we ask about how integrated students with disabilities are in campus life and the community.
RESPONSE: No change made. Question 13 addresses this by asking about the accessibility of key aspects of campus life including, for example, residence halls, the student union and other buildings designated for students to socialize.
COMMENT: One commenter recommended that we include information on how campuses are responding to civil rights complaints.
RESPONSE: No change made. Students with disabilities who experience discrimination can file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Education. OCR publishes a list of postsecondary institutions that currently are under investigation and will release certain information about a complaint to the press or general public, subject to the restrictions imposed by the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act. OCR also will release redacted resolution letters and agreements to the public, consistent with its responsibility to protect from disclosure personally identifiable information about a complainant.
COMMENT: One commenter recommended we collect data on employment and internship opportunities for this population.
RESPONSE: No change made. The statute states that the National Center is responsible for “building, maintaining, and updating a database of disability support services information with respect to institutions of higher education” so the information is limited to the services provided by the institutions of higher education. Question 13 does collect information on the accessibility of the career counseling at the institutions so does provide information on the supports provided by the institutions on this topic.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Miller, Amanda |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2024-09-11 |