Disability Services at Wentworth

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Disability Services at Wentworth

• Parent Orientation
• Summer, 2009

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How is college different?

• High School
• Guidance Counselor
• 504 plan, IEP
• No confidentiality
• Parent involvement
• Outside tutoring
• Less independence
• Supervision

• College
• Disability Services
• Accommodations
• Confidentiality
• Student involvement
• Peer tutoring
• More independence
• Freedom

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Confidentiality

• All interactions with students are CONFIDENTIAL
• We do not tell faculty, staff, families, friends,
  or anyone else unless
• The student gives us permission OR we have
  concern that the student may hurt him/herself or
  someone else.

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Accommodation Process

• www.wit.edu/DisabilityServices
• Responsibilities of the Student
• Disclose his/her disability by completing the
  blue Voluntary Statement of Special Learning
  Needs form.
• Provide Disability Services with appropriate
  documentation.Submission of documentation is not
  the same as the request for services or
  accommodations.
• Schedule an initial appointment with Disability
  Services to discuss academic history, strengths,
  previous modifications, and to determine
  reasonable accommodations
• After meeting with Disability Services it is
  the student's responsibility to meet with their
  professor(s) to discuss logistics for any
  accommodations.
• Meet with Disability Services each semester to
  request accommodations.  The student should bring
  a copy of his/her class schedule if it is
  available. 

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Reasonable vs. Preferred

• Reasonable accommodations provide equal access
• Preferred accommodations are modifications that
  might be helpful but are not necessary or
  required to ensure equal access

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Reasonable Accommodation

• A reasonable accommodation is a modification or
• adjustment to a course, program, service, or
  activity
• that enables a qualified student with a
  disability to
• obtain equal access.
• Equal access means an opportunity to attain the
  same level
• of performance or to enjoy equal benefits and
  privileges as
• are available to a similarly situated student
  without a
• disability.
• Essential elements of courses, programs, and
  activities
• must remain intact.

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Student Responsibilities

• Every student with a disability has the
  responsibility to
• Meet the Institutes qualifications and essential
  technical, academic, and institutional standards.
• Identify himself or herself in a timely manner as
  an individual with a disability when seeking an
  accommodation.
• Provide documentation from an appropriate
  professional source that verifies the nature of
  the disability, functional limitations, and the
  need for specific accommodations.
• Follow specific procedures for obtaining
  reasonable and appropriate accommodations,
  academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids.

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Role of Disability Services

• Require current documentation, completed by an
  appropriate professional source to verify the
  student's need for reasonable accommodations,
  academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids.
• Deny a request for accommodations, academic
  adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids for the
  following reasons
• If the documentation does not identify a specific
  disability
• If the documentation fails to verify the need for
  the requested services
• If the accommodation is not reasonable
• If the request for accommodations is not provided
  in a timely manner
• Provide information regarding policies and
  procedures to students with disabilities.

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Role of Disability Services

• Maintain appropriate confidentiality except where
  disclosure is required by law or authorized by
  the student.  
• Assist students with disabilities who
  self-identify and meet the Institute's  criteria
  for eligibility to receive reasonable and
  appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments,
  and/or auxiliary aids determined on a
  case-by-case basis.
• Inform students with disabilities of Institute's
  policies and procedures for filing a formal
  grievance on campus.
• Collaborate with faculty to provide
  accommodations and advise faculty of their rights
  and obligations.

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Role of Faculty

•  Maintain the Institute's academic standards.
•  Evaluate students on their abilities, not their
  disabilities.
• Provide reasonable and appropriate
  accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or
  auxiliary aids for students with disabilities
  upon receiving a letter from Disability
  Services.
• Consult Disability Services to challenge an
  accommodation request if he/she believes the
  student is not qualified, or the accommodation
  would result in a fundamental alteration of the
  program.
• Deny a request for accommodations without
  notification from Disability Services
• Require a written agreement from Disability
  Services before allowing the student to tape
  record a class, if requested by the faculty
  member.
• Refer students with disability or documentation
  questions or concerns to Disability Services.
• Uphold all federal laws and Institute policies.
• Protect the confidentiality of disability related
  information.

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Disability Services Student Orientation

• Thursday, August 27th

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Contact Information

• Watson Hall 003
• Monday Friday, 815 445
• 617-989-4390
• www.wit.edu/DisabilityServices
• Services are FREE and CONFIDENTAL

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Questions

• www.wit.edu/DisabilityServices
• counseling_at_wit.edu
• 617-989-4390