Prospective Disability Services Students

All Westmoreland students who have a documented disability that may impact their ability to take classes or participate at the college are eligible to request reasonable accommodations. The disability services office will review each student on an individual basis to determine their eligibility for accommodations. Approval of accommodations is based on the following gathered information:

• The student’s functional limitations within the academic setting
• The student’s history of receiving accommodations for the disability
• The student’s demonstrated needs in the academic setting
• The documentation that the student submits to verify their disability
• The reasonableness of the accommodation request, as defined by federal law (See Definition of Reasonable Accommodations for more information)

To request academic accommodations, students must schedule an appointment with the Disability Services Office by calling the Information Center at 724-925-4000 or by contacting disability counselor Lauren Eicher at eicherlaFREEWESTMORELAND. 

Every student’s request for accommodations is considered on an individual, case-by-case basis. As part of this interactive process, the Disability Services Office collects information from multiple sources about the student’s disability, their experience, and the barriers that they encounter. Sources of this information include the student’s self-report and documentation from an external provider. This helps the disability services office to fully understand the student’s needs and provide equitable access for them.

Students are encouraged to provide disability documentation to the disability counselor prior to the first appointment. However, if they do not have documentation or have questions prior to providing documentation, students may still schedule an appointment to discuss their disability and accommodations they are seeking.

See Documentation Guidance for more information.

In nearly all cases, students will be required to provide documentation to verify that they have a disability. This documentation assists the disability services office in making decisions about what accommodations would best meet the students’ needs. 

Documentation must include the student’s diagnosed disability and must come from a credible professional that is qualified to diagnose the disability.

Examples of documentation may include but is not limited to:

• Formal assessments or reports (neuropsychological, psychoeducational evaluation, audiogram, etc.)
• Letters from qualified evaluators or health care providers
• High school documentation (IEP, 504 plan, summary of performance, etc.)

All documentation students provide is confidential and is stored separately from their academic records. 

If you are unsure whether your documentation is sufficient, please contact disability counselor Lauren Eicher at eicherlaFREEWESTMORELAND. 

Please note that lack of documentation will not prevent the disability counselor from meeting with a student. Any student can meet with disability services to discuss their situation and explore options for support. During this meeting, the disability counselor can advise on how to move forward with getting documentation, if needed.

When a student meets with disability services for the first time, the disability counselor will encourage them to share information about: 

• Their academic goals and classes
• Their strengths and weaknesses
• What their disability is and how it affects them or could affect them in their classes
• What accommodations they have used in the past
• What accommodations they think would be helpful to them going forward

The disability counselor will talk with the student about the accommodation process and their rights and responsibilities as a student seeking accommodations. The disability counselor will also review any documentation the student has provided. The student and the disability counselor will then review and sign paperwork to finalize the accommodations. The disability counselor may also recommend other campus or community resources for the student to explore. 

The student is welcome to bring a parent or other support person with them to their meeting. However, the student must be the primary sharer of information, since they know their needs the best. Other support persons may help provide input if the student is comfortable with that.

If you require a sign language interpreter to be present for the meeting, please email the disability counselor ahead of time at eicherlaFREEWESTMORELAND. Interpreters may not be available on short notice; please plan accordingly.

Students’ requests for accommodations must be reasonable in order to receive approval for them. There are three kinds of accommodations that are not reasonable and therefore will not be approved: 

• Accommodations that may pose a direct threat to the health and safety of others 
• Accommodations that require modifying an essential element of course curriculum or course objectives, or that require making a substantial change to the way in which the college provides their services
• Accommodations that create an undue financial or administrative burden on the school

More information on reasonable accommodations can be found here.

Approved accommodations do not automatically transfer from college to college. Students who are transferring from another college or are taking courses to transfer to another college must follow the process for requesting accommodations at Westmoreland. See How to Make a Request Accommodations for more information.

High school students who are receiving College in the High School credits (i.e., are getting credits at Westmoreland for courses they are taking in their high school classes) may follow the accommodations that are approved through their high school IEP or 504 plan. 

High school students who are taking Early College credits at Westmoreland (either on campus or online) must follow the accommodation request process at Westmoreland. See How to Make a Request for Accommodations for more information.

Students for whom English is not their first language are not eligible for accommodations on that basis alone. Students who also have a disability will be considered for accommodations.

Most Westmoreland students will be asked to take a math placement assessment prior to starting any math-based courses. Students may be eligible for accommodations for the assessment and will need to go through the accommodation request process. See How to Make a Request for Accommodations for more information.

When students prepare to transition from high school to college, it is important that they understand their rights and responsibilities and how their eligibility for accommodations may change. See Students with Disabilities Preparing for Post-Secondary Education: Know your Rights and Responsibilities for more information.

For more information on becoming a Westmoreland student, click here.