Holly,
It's great to hear that things worked out well, but sad to hear that your friend had to struggle for so long because of a procedural issue. The field of disability services has been undergoing some major internal changes in the past year (due to new guidance from the Feds and so on). I would hope that under the changes now in place at many institutions, the next student would be more readily recognized and assisted than was your friend.
Dr. Jane Jarrow