Academic Services Special Needs Support
Learning Support Services - Disability Services Support
Learning Support Services (LSS) at the University of Charleston works to ensure that enrolled students receive reasonable accommodations for documented disabilities in compliance with provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Whom Do I Contact If I Need Accommodations?
A Disability Coordinator acts as a liaison between students and faculty, identifying appropriate accommodations for students with documented disabilities. The goal of all concerned is to help each student achieve their full academic potential. To make an appointment with the Coordinator, contact the Learning Support Office at (304) 357-4931 or visit the office, located in Riggleman Hall room 129.
The University, recognizing that disclosure of a disability is a personal and private decision, relies on students with disabilites to self-identify and makes no pre-admission inquiries about disabilities. All documentation is held in the strictest confidence. It is not shared with other University offices without the consent of the student.
Students requesting accommodations should submit documentation to:
Learning Support Office
University of Charleston
2300 MacCorkle Ave., SE
Charleston, WV 25304-1099
Examples of Accommodations
Reasonable accommodation of a disability will vary with each student's needs. Some examples of accommodations include the following:
- Extended time for tests
- Administration of oral tests
- Use of assistive devices such as calculators or computers
- Note takers
- Recorded textbooks
- Use of tape recorders in class
- Use of a microphone by faculty
- Special seating locations
Students should consult with the Disability Coordinator as early as possible in the semester to ensure their needs are met. Students with special needs may also derive benefit from the tutoring and review services provided by the Learning Support Office for all students at the University of Charleston.
Guidelines for Documentation
Students requesting accommodations must submit documentation of their disabilities from an appropriate, licensed professional qualified in the appropriate specialty area . Some examples of such persons are physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists. Often this documentation can be forwarded from the student's high school. Students are responsible for the cost of diagnosis and for any costs associated with copying or supplying the information for submission to the University of Charleston.
The University of Charleston uses the Guidelines for Documentation of Learning Disability in Adolescents and Adults developed by the Association on Higher Education and Disability as a standard for documentation requirements. For more information please consult this document, which appears in the Publications section of the organization's web page.
In general, documentation should include a specific diagnosis and a rationale for each accommodation requested. In cases of LD or ADD/ADHD raw test score data should be submitted in case the University of Charleston chooses to seek a second opinion. To ensure that the accommodations supplied are appropriate for the student's current level of functioning the documentation submitted must be less than three years old. Exceptions can be made for conditions that are permanent and which are not developmentally related. Hearing or vision loss would be examples of such conditions.
No accommodations will provided without documentation. In addition, the University will be unable to provide accommodations in the classroom if the student does not give permission to notify faculty that accommodations are needed. This notification can be accomplished without disclosing the exact nature of a disability.
Special Information for Faculty
The Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 require that reasonable accommodations be made in the delivery or assessment of educational experiences when a documented disability exists. This does not mean a faculty member must make the class "easier." The goal is to provide an equal opportunity for success, not to provide special advantages for some students.
Some accommodations may be as simple as wearing a microphone when lecturing. Others may include allowing extended time for completion of assignments or tests. See additional examples above. Please keep in mind that some disabilities are "invisible." Be assured that requests from LSS for accommodation are forwarded to you only after the University receives verification of need from an appropriate professional. The student has the right to withhold from a faculty member the specific nature of a disability and still receive reasonable accommodations.
It is extremely important that faculty provide accommodations ONLY when requested through the Special Needs Coordinator of Learning Support Services. Only when requests are channeled through Learning Support Services can the faculty member be assured that proper documentation of a disability exists. Extending accommodations when there is no documentation of disability can open the faculty member and the University to accusations of unequal treatment of able students.
It is recommended that your syllabus contain a statement such as the following;
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Learning Support Services in Riggleman Hall room 129 each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations will be forwarded to me from the Special Needs Coordinator. Please contact LSS as early in the semester as possible.