Federal Agencies and Federally-Funded Centers Working on Disability and Higher Education

Federal Agencies and Departments

National Council on Disability is an independent agency that advises the President and Congress on disability issues; has several resources about higher education issues

U.S. Department of Education

• College Scorecard has information about every campus in the United States, in a searchable database
• Student loan resources , including how to get financial aid, manage current loans, or find ways to pay off student loans
• Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) information about privacy and student records
• The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) provides research and statistics related to higher education. They also run College Navigator , where you can compare colleges.
• The Office of Civil Rights , and how to file a complaint about disability discrimination
• The Office of Postsecondary Education administers the grant funding the NCCSD that created this website; they also manage TRiO , a collection of campus and agency-based programs for "disadvantaged" college students, including those with disabilities
• The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has information about transition to college from high school for students with disabilities, and you can read specific parts of special education law on any topic
• The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) manages the Office of Special Education Programs (see link above) and Rehabilitation Services (vocational rehabilitation or "VR"); OSERS also oversees Gallaudet University , the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at RIT , and the American Printing House for the Blind

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

• Medicaid waivers information , often used by students with intellectual and developmental disabilities when they attend college as adults (after high school)
• The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research funds grants and research related to community living, rehabilitation, technology, and independence of/for people with disabilities (including education and higher education)

U.S. Department of Justice

• The Civil Rights Division enforces compliance with the ADA and nondiscrimination statutes based on disability; they would typically investigate campus-wide discrimination or noncompliance issues (not individual complaints)

U.S Department of Labor

Department is responsible for workforce preparation, occupational safety, and other employment issues;

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics has information about employment rates for people with disabilities
• Enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act's employment provisions (Title 1) and other equal opportunity employment laws is the duty of Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs; they work with the EEOC
• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) information is available from the Wage and Hour Division
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) deals with workplace health and safety
• The Office of Disability Employment Policy has numerous resources for people with disabilities looking for work, policymakers, and employers
• The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs administers vocational rehabilitation and workers' comp programs for people who became ill or disabled on the job

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

• Education benefits for children/dependents of service members who became disabled or died on active duty
• GI Bill details , including information about assistance paying for higher education
• Veterans benefits information , including disability compensation
• Vocational rehabilitation and employment assistance for veterans

U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC)

• The EEOC works to eliminate disability discrimination in hiring and recruitment , as well as the workplace, including employees of campuses (scroll to bottom of the page on disability benefits to see numerous resources on the topic)

U.S. Social Security Administration

• Disability Benefits
• Suplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Wounded Warriors/disabled veterans resources

Federally-Funded National Centers

• National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD) is the organization that created this clearinghouse; does research and offers technical assistance on disability and higher education .
• The National Deaf Center is a technical assistance and dissemination center that supports postsecondary outcomes for individuals who are deaf, deafblind, deafdisabled, hard of hearing, or late deafened.
• Think College has four different grant projects from the U.S. Department of Education, with a mission of promoting more inclusive college opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have traditionally been excluded from higher education.
• National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) helps school systems and vocational rehabilitation agencies improve transition outcomes for students with disabilities, including higher education .