Department of Social Justice

Documentation Requirements

In order to be eligible to receive disability based accommodations within your academic program all WVU Tech or the C&T at WVU Tech students must provide appropriate documentation prior to receiving accommodations based upon the particular disability. A diagnosis of a disorder/condition/syndrome in and of itself does not automatically qualify an individual for accommodations. In addition to the appropriate documentation of a disability, diagnostic data must be provided that substantiates a significant impairment to academic functioning upon which accommodations will be based.

WVU Tech and the C&T at WVU Tech have specific criteria that documentation must meet before accommodations are authorized. Specific documentation criteria are available for Housing Accommodations, Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Psychological/Psychiatric Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury, Physical/Medical Conditions, Vision Impairments and Hearing Impairment/Deafness, and for the use of service animals. Click here for the documentation criteria.

Before disability related accommodations can be provided, a student requesting accommodations must be registered with the Office of Disability Services, have on file approved documentation and be registered for classes. Instructors are not obliged to provide accommodations within a class without written authorization from the Office of Disability Services. A reasonable amount of time is needed to complete the documentation process. The time it takes for you to obtain documentation, schedule appointments, submit it to the Office of Disability Services, develop accommodations with your Disability Counselor, and then meet with each professor to discuss your need for authorized accommodations can take a semester to accomplish.

Documentation must describe the degree of impact the diagnosed disorder creates on the functioning of the student. A link must be established among any requested accommodation, the substantial functional limitations of the individual and the academic demands for which the request for accommodations are requested. If a condition, disorder or diagnosis interferes with cognitive performance evidence must be provided of this interference beyond poor grades.

The term "disability" as it relates to accommodations in higher education is a legal term rather than a medical or psychological term for a condition or particular diagnosis. The definition of what is a disability varies between agencies and organizations. A student may have a diagnosed disorder that is not considered disabling according to a particular agency definition. To qualify as a person with a disability within WVU Tech and the C&T at WVU Tech policies, in addition to being appropriately diagnosed with a particular condition, you must provide appropriate documentation that clearly substantiates, through diagnostic test data, that the functional limitations affecting your ability to perform at a particular task are below average compared to other persons your age. Current legal precedence indicated that if the area of functioning you consider weaknesses are within the average range of functioning, you are not considered disabled and not eligible to receive disability related accommodations.