Office of Accessibility Resources

It is your responsibility as a student to disclose your disability and to request academic or physical accommodations.

You should make your request in a timely manner to the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) and every reasonable effort will be made to provide accommodations and ensure accessibility. Requests for accommodations can be made at any time; however, some accommodations may take time to put in place. Therefore, it is best to make your request as early as possible in the semester. Accommodations are not retroactive and cannot be made for events or exams that have happened before the request.

The process for obtaining accommodations is as follows:

1. Make an appointment with the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR).
2. Complete a Registration and Request for Services Form. 
3. Provide current documentation of your disability (see Documentation Guidelines for more information on appropriate and acceptable documentation).
4. Once a Registration and Request for Services Form and documentation are received and reviewed, you will work with OAR to determine necessary accommodations and initiate an Accommodations Plan.
5. OAR staff will write Accommodation Letters for your instructors.
6. OAR staff will sign the letters. You will sign the letters.
7. You are then responsible for delivering the letters to your instructors and discussing your accommodation needs with them.
8. OAR staff will be available to meet and consult with students and faculty about issues of accessibility and/or accommodations upon request.
9. Accommodations must be reviewed and new letters generated each semester in which the student is enrolled.

To ensure the provision of reasonable and appropriate accommodations, a student must submit their current documentation of a disability.

Documentation must validate the presence of a disability under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disability Act. With respect to the individual, the definition of a person with a disability includes:

1. A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual.
2. A record of such an impairment; or
3. Being regarded as having such an impairment.

Documentation helps establish if the student meets the definition of a person with a disability and should describe functional limitations to support the need for, and reasonableness of specific accommodations. All documentation is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  

Documentation Should Include

• The contact information and licenses/credentials of a third-party professional who has relevant experience and expertise in the area for which accommodations are being requested.
• A clearly stated diagnosis or diagnostic statement that identifies the disability with information that describes how the condition was diagnosed, notes the functional impact, and details the typical progression or prognosis.
• Identify the session(s) of the evaluation and the length of time if the individual has been in treatment for the specified disability.
• Contain the full name and birthdate of the person being evaluated.
• Be up to date and not exceed five years.
• Include a description of the person's current functional limitations in an academic and/or environmental setting.
• For some disabilities, include the description of the type(s) of evaluation and diagnostic methods as this may help the student access additional accommodations not directly affiliated with the university.
• Present itself on a letterhead with the date, name, and signature of the licensed professional making the diagnosis.

Other Points Concerning Documentation

• The provision of reasonable accommodations is based upon the current impact of the disability; therefore, it is in the student’s interest to provide the best, most recent documentation.
• Keep in mind that evaluations conducted in childhood may not be sufficient for an adult college student.
• The OAR does not pay for, nor provide testing, evaluations, and/or diagnosis.
• It is helpful when the documentation addresses the student’s ability to function in an academic environment and may include recommendations for accommodations.
• WCU is not obligated to approve every accommodation as recommended by evaluators.
• All accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis and in consideration of that student's unique situation.
• Individualized Education Programs (IEP) or 504 Plans do not alone constitute documentation of disability but is often helpful and may be included in a student's overall assessment.
• A physician's prescription pad note is not acceptable as documentation of disability.
• The OAR does not obtain information regarding a student's disability through the admissions process.

Information regarding a student's disability is not obtained through the admissions process. Disability-related information and records are maintained separately from academic records. Please send documentation of disability directly to OAR.

Accommodations Plans are created collaboratively with the student and OAR. From that plan, Accommodations Letters are generated for each class and specifies appropriate classroom accommodations, which may include (examples):

• alternative testing arrangements,
• extended time,
• reduced-distraction testing rooms,
• readers,
• scribes,
• alternative format materials (such as handouts and textbooks in PDF or Braille),
• use of a word processor,
• recorders,
• SmartPens,
• captioning of videos,
• interpreters, or assistive technology.

Accommodations Letters inform instructors of approved modifications. It is your (the student's) responsibility to deliver the letters to your instructors and to initiate discussion about your accommodations. OAR staff will be available to meet with students and faculty upon request. Accommodations must be reviewed and new letters generated each semester in which you need them.