Center for Dis/Ability & Accommodations

Supporting Documentation: We understand that your journey is unique at Western Colorado University. If you request accommodation, we kindly ask you to share information about your disability and any previous accommodations you have used. This will help us to better understand how your disability may affect your educational experience. We appreciate supporting documentation, but we also understand that you may not have this readily available. If that’s the case, please meet with an Access Coordinator. They will work with you to explore alternative ways to demonstrate the connection between your disability and any potential academic barriers you may face in our university environment. We are here to support you every step of the way.

Types of documentation that may be helpful include:

• Educational, psychological, or medical records
• Reports and assessments from healthcare providers, psychologists, or the educational system (e.g., psychoeducational evaluations)
• Documents reflecting your education and accommodation history, such as an Individual Education Program,
• Summary of Performance,
• 504 Plans,
• And/or teacher observations

Documentation should be current and include the evaluator’s name, title, professional credentials, address, phone number, and signature, as well as the date of the report. The healthcare professional who is listed on the documentation should be licensed either in Colorado or your home state. Unfortunately, we cannot accept handwritten or prescription pad notes as these often lack sufficient information to make an informed determination regarding requested accommodations. Please submit your documentation as early as possible, allowing us time to obtain resources to provide you with necessary support.

Please keep the following in mind:

Disability Services may request additional information if the submitted documentation is incomplete or does not fully support your accommodation requests.

Note that other institutions, agencies, or programs may have different documentation requirements, so please check with them directly.

Note: Disability Services cannot accept documentation from the campus counseling center for the purpose of obtaining an Emotional Support Animal in university housing due to potential conflicts of interest.

Recommended Syllabus Statement: Students with disabilities glean a significant amount of information about a course and their instructor from the access statement. A well-designed statement indicates the faculty member’s level of commitment to designing their course in a way that welcomes all students, including those with a disability and provides guidance to those students who experience barriers.

As a minimum, the statement should include contact information for disability services and be placed prominently (preferably within the first page) of the syllabus. Please contact the Director of Disability Services for any additional questions or resources.

Center for Dis/Ability & Accommodation Recommended Syllabus Statement:

Western Colorado University values diversity and inclusion and is committed to a climate of mutual respect and full participation of all students. Our goal is to create a learning environment that is usable, equitable, inclusive, and welcoming. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or prevent an accurate assessment of your achievement, please meet with the course instructor privately to discuss your needs and concerns. You may also contact the Center for Dis/Ability & Accommodation located in Leslie J. Savage Library Room 121.

Additional Recommendations:

Use person-first language. Terms such as handicapped, special needs and disabled should not be used as many individuals find them offensive.

Avoid wording that communicates the primary reason for providing access is a compliance issue.

Avoid wording that place all of the responsibility for access on the student. Equitable access is a shared responsibility between faculty, staff, the student and the Center for Dis/Ability & Accommodation.

Do not place time restrictions on the student’s right to request accommodation. While it’s preferable for a student to identify their need early in the semester, they have the right to seek accommodations at any point during the academic term if they experience barriers in the course due to their disability.

As your college student begins their journey at our University,  it’s important to understand the evolving role of parents and the significance of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) in protecting their privacy.

FERPA is a federal law that grants certain rights to college students regarding their educational records. As your student transitions to college, they gain greater autonomy in managing their academic and personal affairs. FERPA prohibits the University from sharing information about your student’s educational records without their explicit and written consent.

During the intake meeting with our Access Coordinator, we prioritize open and effective communication. While we value parental involvement and support, it is essential to respect your student’s privacy and foster their independence. We encourage students to attend the intake meeting themselves, enabling them to express their needs and preferences directly.

We understand that the transition to college can be a time of adjustment for both students and parents. We are here to support your student in navigating their educational journey, providing necessary accommodations, and promoting their success. We also offer resources and guidance to parents on how to best support their student’s transition and access available resources.

By understanding the changing role of parents and respecting the guidelines of FERPA, we can collectively create an environment that empowers students to take ownership of their educational experience while offering a supportive network to help them thrive.

Open letter to parents from Dr. Jane Jarrow, a respected disability rights advocate who has expertise in higher education and students with disabilities

Dear Parents,

I have been working in the area of students with disabilities at the college level for more than 30 years, but that is not why I am writing to you today. I am writing as a parent, and thus as someone who shares all your current anxieties. My daughter, who graduated from high school in early June, will be going away to college this fall. She has Cerebral Palsy, uses a wheelchair, and has limited speech capabilities, so you can be assured that I have been very involved in the educational programming and planning she has received during her years in the public school system. I wanted to be involved, but I also needed to be involved since, by law, the school could not do anything for, to, or with my daughter regarding her disability without my permission. I sat through countless IEP meetings over the years, I was insistent on certain issues of academic support when I needed to be, and I agonized over everything from teacher selection to her successful social integration with classmates. And now, as I prepare to pack her up and take her off to college in the fall, I recognize that this role has ended for me – and the word “anxious” doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings.

If you are worried that your child with a disability will have a difficult time making a successful transition to college without your involvement… then you are probably right to be worried. Very few children with disabilities can succeed at the college level. On the other hand, students with disabilities survive and thrive on college campuses across the country. If you still think of your son or daughter as your “child,” and they still are comfortable in accepting that role, it is time to take a careful look at where you have come from and what lies before you. As parents, it is time for us to step back and allow/encourage/gently nudge our SWD’s (Students with Disabilities) to assume significant independent responsibility for their own lives, both academically and personally.

As you and your SWD prepare to visit campus for that initial meeting with a disability service provider at the college, you would do well to think about what can be accomplished at this initial meeting, what needs to be said – and who is going to say it!!! As I approach that same milestone with my daughter, I find myself a little panicky, realizing that there are things about her disability and how it impacts on her functioning that I know and that the disability services provider needs to know, and that I may not have many chances to say. There is no doubt that I can explain those things more fully than my daughter can explain them (or even understands them!). And it doesn’t matter. Much as I hate it, I know that SHE has to be the one to convey all this crucial information (not me!), for a number of reasons.

First, colleges and universities provide services and support to SWD under very different laws than those that governed services in the K-12 system. As a parent, I have no rights under Section 504/ADA in speaking for my SWD who is in college. (If you aren’t sure what “Section 504/ADA” means in this context, perhaps the disability service provider you meet with will have gathered some information that helps explain the differences between settings, both legally and practically. Two of my favorite websites for learning more are at: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html and http://www.heath.gwu.edu/).

The services and support available to SWD are sometimes very different than what was provided in high school, and the college is under no obligation to continue the services given in high school or to adhere to the recommendations of an outside diagnostician. The college will make its own determination of what services and support to offer, based on the documentation of disability and their interview with your SWD. There are no IEP’s in college, there is no place to sign off with my parental approval. Indeed, the college doesn’t legally have to care whether I am satisfied or not. My daughter is responsible for her own destiny now.

More importantly, while this may be your last chance to convey all that important information on to the college, it is your SWD’s first chance to convey that information all by himself/herself. Don’t spoil that opportunity, and don’t interfere. Remember, while you and your SWD are learning more about the campus, the resources, and the people who will be there to help when needed, the disability service provider is learning more about your son/daughter, as well. You want their first impression to be one that is positive and reassuring. The service provider is anxious to find out whether your SWD is mature enough to handle the responsibilities and independence of college life. Here are some specific suggestions for helping your SWD to shine in this newly focused spotlight:

• DON’T be insulted if you are not invited to sit in on the initial meeting between your SWD and the disability services folks. Some institutions have found that it is helpful for them to speak directly (and alone!) to the student in order to get a feel for how knowledgeable and confident s/he is in sharing information about past services, what works and doesn’t work, and what accommodations they hope to have at the college level. You will get a chance to ask your questions, but recognize that it may come later, rather than sooner.
• If you are invited to sit in on the meeting with the disability services folks, DO acknowledge your SWD as the authority on their disability-related needs by making it clear that you believe they have all the answers! Try focusing your visual attention on your son/daughter instead of trying to make eye contact with the interviewer. If you look to your SWD, so will the professional.
• DON’T begin any sentence with “S/He needs to have…” Instead, you can try, “In high school, s/he had…” or “The person who tested him/her suggested…” but it would actually be better if you said nothing at all! Try to talk as little as possible in the meeting. This is not your meeting. Remember, you are there as an observer, not as a participant.
• DO take some time prepping your son/daughter in advance on the issues that you think need to be discussed – the things that you would say if you had the chance. Make a list of the topics you would bring up, explain why you think each is important, and make sure your SWD has the list in hand when s/he goes into the interview. Rehearse with your son/daughter, if they will let you. If they are typical teens and aren’t comfortable sitting through that kind of rehearsal, settle for making them sit and listen while you demonstrate how you would approach certain subjects. For example, “I think you should tell them about how the teachers arranged for extra time for you on tests when you were in high school. I’d probably say, ‘In high school, I was allowed extra time for tests in English because it takes me a long time to put my thoughts in writing, but I never needed it in math.’” Your SWD may not acknowledge the strategies you share, but you may be surprised to hear those words come out of his/her mouth at the interview!
• DON’T interrupt. If you disagree with something the disability service provider says, or if your SWD says something that you know is incorrect, or if you see your SWD agreeing with/to something when you know they have no idea what they are agreeing to – DON’T INTERRUPT! Let the interview play out. Give the disability service provider a chance to draw your SWD out further, give your SWD an opportunity to clarify matters, or simply wait to see if the confusion/disagreement remains. It is important to know just how independent and accurate students are in describing their needs. You will get your chance.
• DO prompt your son/daughter to speak up and share those important points as the interview progresses. Instead of explaining to the disability service provider why Johnny needs a calculator in math classes, turn to Johnny and say, “Why don’t you explain to Ms. ____ why it is important for you to have a calculator for math and science classes. Is it because you have trouble lining up the columns, or because you have trouble remembering basic math facts or ????” Give an open-ended question that encourages your SWD to flesh out the response. At the same time, you are hinting to the interviewer that there is an issue here to be discussed (See? I told you that you would get your chance!)

Why not take notes as the interview progresses? When your son/daughter has exhausted the list of topics to discuss, and the disability service provider has shared all the information they thought was important, it is YOUR turn to talk. Go ahead and ask your questions. The most important thing to remember now is that you do not want to undermine your son/daughter’s credibility. If you have more information to share on a given subject, try starting the sentence with, “As Susie told you, she has used…” and then add whatever you need to on top of information already given. If you think your SWD gave incorrect information, tread carefully.

You might say, “I was surprised to hear Jane say _____. I would have said _____, because…” You’ll get your point across without directly contradicting what your son/daughter said. Your goal is to assure both the SWD and the disability service provider that you are supportive of their budding understanding, and simply want to share another viewpoint.

An old adage maintains:
There are only two things a parent can give to a child…

One is roots. The other is wings.

It is time for our kids to fly solo. That is a scary thought for us, as parents, and it is sure to be scary for them, too. That’s OK. This is what we have all been working towards for a long time. Remember, your son/daughter will call, email, or text if they need you. They know what you can do for them, but now it is time for them to go it alone. Take a deep breath, cross your fingers, wish them well – and walk away. All will be well!

Best of luck,
Jane Jarrow
Proud (and Terrified) Mom
JaneJarrow@aol.com