Obtaining and Renewing Accommodations

Obtaining Accommodations

Registering for Accommodations

To be eligible to receive accommodations at WVU, a student must be registered with the Office of Accessibility Services and be authorized to receive accommodations following an intake appointment with a Specialist. Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is the student's responsibility to make their need for disability-related accommodations known and to provide documentation that meets the office's standards to support the student's need for requested accommodations.

1. Step 1: Register with OAS

   Students may register with the Office of Accessibility Services at any time by completing an online application. Future students can register with OAS once they are admitted to the University.

2. Step 2: Submit Documentation

   As part of the authorization process, students must provide up-to-date, appropriate, and objective documentation that clearly substantiates a significant functional impairment. The Academic Licensed Professional Questionnaire (LPQ) must be completed by a licensed professional who is credentialed in the area related to the diagnosed condition for which the accommodation is being requested. Documentation must be current and up to date. For example, psychological evaluations should be normed on adult scales. An Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 Plan, outdated documentation, and evaluations normed on child scales may not provide sufficient documentation. These documents do, however, serve as an appropriate starting place for discussions about accommodations with your Accessibility Specialist.

   Documentation Standards / LPQ

   • Students may submit documents to OAS by uploading them while completing the online application
   • Students who need to upload documents later, after submitting their application, can:
   • Fax them to 304-293-3861
   • Log into SAMM with their WVU Login username and password and add them under the "Documents" tab.

3. Step 3: Schedule an Intake Appointment

   Within 1-2 business days of submitting the application, students will receive an email notifying them of their assigned Accessibility Specialist and will be provided a link to schedule an intake meeting. Appointments can be made by phone or Zoom. During the initial meeting, Specialists will discuss with the student:

   • Documentation (submitted, and if any additional documentation is needed)
   • Academic history
   • Reasonable accommodations
   • The interactive process at West Virginia University
   • Any other relevant information

   If students would like their parent(s) or another person to attend the meeting with them, they can submit a Consent for Release of Information with a copy of a photo ID. Reach out for more information.

After the Intake Appointment

Appropriate accommodations will be determined based on the interactive process between specialist and student, the student’s documentation, previous effective accommodations, and the current functional limitations of the student. Temporary accommodations may be authorized to allow time for the student to get updated documentation necessary to ensure that the accommodations being considered are appropriate and reasonable.

Students should then follow the instructions in the section below, under Renewing Accommodations, submitting their request in SAMM and discussing the implementation of their accommodations with their instructors.

Renewing Accommodations

1. Step 1: Submitting Renewals

   Once accommodations have been authorized, students determine when to implement those accommodations and in which classes. Each semester, students must complete a Semester Renewal online, by selecting their courses and their accommodations within SAMM. This authorizes the student’s Accessibility Specialist to release the official accommodation authorization emails to instructors.

2. Step 2: Discussing with Instructors

   After renewing their accommodations, students must schedule an appointment (or attend office hours) with each class instructor to discuss how the accommodations will be specifically implemented in that class. This is an especially important step in the process. If students do not speak to their instructors about their accommodations, then instructors are not obligated to provide accommodation. During this meeting, students and instructors will go over the official accommodation authorization email and discuss how and when the accommodations will be implemented. As confirmation of the meeting, both student and instructors should electronically sign the accommodation letter in their respective SAMM accounts.

For more questions about Obtaining and Renewing Accommodations, please visit our FAQ page.