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Accessibility Services
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General accessibility

OAS promotes equal access for WVU students by authorizing reasonable and effective accommodations. We do not assess, diagnose, or treat disabilities, nor do we investigate or adjudicate complaints for noncompliance with accessibility law.

Please see the Accommodation Comparison Chart on our Future Students page.

There are no costs associated with receiving accommodations at WVU.

Absolutely! Please call our office at 304.293.6700 to arrange to meet with a member of our team.

If you are attending a University event or program and you would like to request disability accommodations as a visitor to campus, please contact the host of the event or program that you will be attending and make them aware of your needs. We recommend reaching out at least one week in advance of the event to ensure that there is time to arrange for accommodation. OAS is happy to consult with departments and units on campus to help ensure that accommodations are properly arranged.

The accommodation process / confidentiality

Accessibility is a shared responsibility. Under the ADA, the “interactive process” is the method used to determine if a student has a Disability that qualifies them to receive reasonable academic accommodations. If so, the process also works to determine how those academic accommodations will be implemented in the classroom. This process requires communication between the student, OAS, and faculty.

Accessibility Services Responsibilities

  • Meeting with students and authorizing appropriate accommodations based on documentation
  • Communicating rights and responsibilities to students during intake
  • Communicating a student’s eligibility for accommodations to faculty
  • Maintaining records that verify Disability
  • Collaborating with students, faculty, and staff to provide guidance regarding the implementation of accommodations
  • Maintaining student privacy and confidentiality

Student Responsibilities

  • Renewing accommodations in the OAS online system at the start of each semester
  • Discussing the specific implementation of accommodations with each instructor, and digitally signing the Notification of Authorized Accommodations email during/after the initial meeting with the instructor
  • Promptly notifying OAS of any barriers encountered during implementation of accommodations
  • Informing faculty and OAS staff if they wish to discontinue the use of authorized accommodations
  • Maintaining academic standards
  • Abiding by the WVU Campus Student Code

Faculty Responsibilities

  • Confirming that OAS has officially authorized the requested accommodations when uncertain
  • Confirming that accommodations do not compromise the technical standards of the course and the learning objectives. Please ask your department chair for additional information about technical standards and/or contact OAS before declining to provide an accommodation
  • Working with the student to implement accommodations, and digitally signing the Notification of Authorized Accommodation email during/after the initial meeting with the student
  • Implementing authorized accommodations within one week, once requested by the student, and adjusting as necessary to ensure effectiveness
  • Notifying OAS of any questions, issues, or concerns related to accommodations, especially accommodation requests that are unusual or complex
  • Maintaining student privacy and confidentiality

If a student wishes to have family members involved in the accommodation process, they are welcome to complete a Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) release of information and provide a copy of their photo ID to their Accessibility Specialist. The student must complete the release and include the name(s) of the individuals to whom we may speak, that individual’s contact information and what information their Accessibility Specialist can discuss.

Under FERPA, parents have certain rights with respect to their children’s educational records. However, once a student reaches the age of 18, or once they attend a school beyond high school level, those rights transfer to the student. Therefore, students must first complete a FERPA release before OAS can transmit any information about their accommodations to parents. See our Confidentiality page for more details.

All students who are registering for services with our office must complete their own application. At the time they apply, they are giving us permission to review their documentation for accommodation considerations.

Please see our Licensed Professional Questionnaire for more information about documentation standards.

To maintain the privacy of protected health information, OAS does not accept student documentation provided by email. Documentation can be faxed to our office at 304.293.3861, or the student may upload documentation through their SAMM (Student Accessibility Management for Mountaineers) student portal, during or after registration.

Students may register with OAS and request accommodations at any point, but accommodations cannot apply retroactively to past course work.

All OAS students must be present for their intake and accommodation meetings, as they must engage in the interactive process to receive accommodations.

Make sure your student has had a conversation with the instructor about the implementation of accommodations. Requesting accommodations from OAS alone is not sufficient. Accommodations will be fully implemented once the student has discussed the specific plan for implementing accommodations with the instructor. If this step has been taken and the student is still not being accommodated appropriately, have the student reach out to their Accessibility Specialist as soon as possible to discuss the situation.

Parking and Housing

For information about parking permits on campus, please ask your student to reach out to WVU Transportation.

OAS does not handle parking permit requests for WVU apartments. Parking is not guaranteed and is available on a first-come-first-served basis. If a student has questions about a specific apartment complex, they should contact the leasing office directly. They may also speak to WVU Transportation staff to see if any student permits are available for purchase on campus.

Please direct financial questions to the Housing Department. To reach them by phone, please call 304.293.5840.

Academics

Grade information is available through the parent/guest portal if your student has provided proxy access. Our office cannot share that information with you.

Emergencies

Please reach out to the Office of Campus and Community Life at 304.293.6511. They can provide official notification to faculty.

Students experiencing a life-threatening emergency or an acute crisis that warrants immediate medical attention should always call 911.

The WVU Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services offers services in time of an urgent need or crisis, including the Urgent/Crisis Clinic for students who are experiencing a psychological emergency or are in immediate need of a same-day intervention.

The CCCPS Urgent/Crisis Clinic provides same-day in-person visits Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. During these hours if a student is experiencing a crisis, having trouble maintaining their emotional state, or are in need of a same day urgent appointment, they can come to the CCCPS office and check-in at the Crisis/Urgent Clinic with the front desk (second floor of the Health and Education Building above Student Health). A crisis counselor will meet with you to help problem solve, give you tips to help manage your emotional response, and develop a safety plan. 

Students experiencing an after-hours crisis or emergency can access an on-call counselor by calling (304) 293-4431 and selecting option 1 or by texting “WVU” to 741741.

The Carruth Center also provides short-term counseling, group counseling, and outreach programs.

Autism Support Program

The Autism Support Program at WVU provides support, strategies, and programming individualized to the strengths, abilities, and needs of each student served. The program includes academic, vocational, social, and executive functioning support designed to help students complete a WVU degree program. For more information, please see the OAS Autism Support Program homepage.

The Autism Support Program accepts students who are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder  (Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) who have at least average intellectual ability, and who can understand and successfully interact with college-level information and material. Participating students must have mastered basic independent living skills and be motivated to contribute as full partners in their support programming. Additionally, participants in the ASP must be admitted as a student to West Virginia University. 

Yes. An interview with the Autism Support Program staff is required of all applicants. Eligible applicants will be contacted, and an interview date and time will be scheduled.

No. The ASP and WVU have application processes that are separate and distinct, along with separate fees. (The Autism Support Program fee is $5,000 per semester.) Potential students are responsible for completing both application processes. 

A positive behavioral support approach is used to assess each student’s needs and develop appropriate (a) academic, (b) social, and (c) independent living skills supports. Services are designed to meet individual needs and evolve from semester to semester. Generally, organizational support and skill building strategies form the foundation of support for each student.

While we wish that the individualized support offered through the Autism Support Program were free for all students, there are many costs associated with the operation of this self-sustaining program. The fees assessed to offer this program are comparable to those assessed by similar programs at other universities.

Students may be eligible to receive funding through the WV Department of Rehabilitation Services (WV DRS) or their home state office of vocational rehabilitation. For additional information, please contact us.

No, the Autism Support Program is not an accommodation.

Accommodations are modifications or adjustments to the tasks within a classroom, housing, or transportation environment. This ensures that individuals with Disabilities can participate equally within those environments. Accommodations are required by law and are free to eligible students at no charge.

In the case of the Autism Support Program, we are not leveling the playing field within the classroom but rather helping train students to become more successful personally and academically.

For additional information regarding the Autism Support Program at WVU, please email us or call (304) 293-6700.

MindFit

MindFit is a fee-based advanced cognitive enhancement program that is separate from OAS and open to all students at WVU. It is not a disability accommodation, though many students with Disabilities participate in the neurofeedback and academic coaching interventions available through MindFit. For more information, please see the MindFit homepage.

Please also check out our article in Inside Higher Education.

While we wish that the individualized support offered through MindFit were free for all students, there are many costs associated with the operation of this self-sustaining program, including but not limited to paying MindFit's team of trained academic coaches. The fees assessed to offer this program are, in most cases, significantly lower than those assessed by similar programs at other universities.

Students may be eligible to receive funding through the WV Department of Rehabilitation Services (WV DRS) or their home state office of vocational rehabilitation. For additional information, please contact us.

No, MindFit is not an accommodation. However, many students with Disabilities do choose to participate in MindFit's interventions and find it beneficial.

Accommodations are modifications or adjustments to the tasks within a classroom, housing, or transportation environment. This ensures that individuals with Disabilities can participate equally within those environments. Accommodations are required by law and are free to eligible students at no charge.

In the case of MindFit, we are not leveling the playing field within the classroom but rather helping train students to become more successful academically.