Department of Social Justice

Documentation of A Disability for Housing Accommodations

All qualified WVU Tech or the C&T at WVU Tech students requesting housing accommodations must provide appropriate documentation in order to receive housing accommodations based upon that disability.

It is the student’s responsibility to initiate contact with the Office of Disability Services and to provide appropriate documentation of the disability for which they are requesting accommodations. This process follows the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973*, and current case law and is designed to assure that reasonable, effective accommodations are provided to all qualified students in a timely manner. A diagnosis of a disorder/condition/syndrome in and of itself does not automatically qualify an individual for accommodations.

All Housing requests must follow the same timelines and deadlines required of other students. It is important that housing needs are anticipated early in the application process. Requests for accessible housing and appropriate documentation must be communicated prior to housing request deadlines.

All diagnostic reports submitted as documentation of a disability for which Housing Accommodations are being requested must meet all of the following requirements and contain all of the following information in order to receive disability-related accommodations:

The diagnostic report must be recent, typed, signed, dated and on the official stationary of a qualified and credentialed professional;
The report must indicate how the disability impacts and contributes to a significant impairment** requiring accessible housing;
A clear statement of diagnosis;
An explanation of the diagnostic criteria and tests used to make the diagnosis;
A statement of the current limitations based upon test results specified in the evaluation report;
Treatments, medications and dosage, devices, or services prescribed or used;
The duration, stability, or progression of the condition.

Student’s requiring additional academic accommodations should make their needs known to the Office of Disability services and schedule an appointment to meet with a disability counselor. Each student’s academic accommodations will be determined on an individual basis and will be based on appropriate documentation. All new, transfer, or graduate students must provide appropriate documentation in order to receive disability-based accommodations.

*In order to meet the adult criteria of “disability” under these federal laws a person must provide documentation of how their significant impairment “substantially limits” their functioning.
A significant impairment means below average functioning. An IEP or 504 plan from the public school system is not documentation of a disability for the purposes of providing accommodations at the college level.