Office of Accessibility Services Documentation Criteria
West Virginia University is committed to providing
appropriate accommodations to qualified individuals with
disabilities.
The term "disability" as it relates to accommodations in
higher education is a legal term, rather than a medical or
psychological term. The definition of what constitutes a
disability varies between agencies and organizations. A
student may have a diagnosed disorder that is not
considered disabling. Thus, a diagnosis of a disorder,
condition, or syndrome does not automatically qualify an
individual for accommodations.
All West Virginia University students seeking disabilityrelated accommodations must provide appropriate
documentation that clearly substantiates, through
diagnostic test data, a significant impairment to a major
life activity. A "significant impairment" means that a
student's ability to perform at a particular task must be
below-average compared to other persons of the same age.
Students seeking accommodations are responsible for
initiating contact with the Office of Accessibility Services
PO Box 6423 | Van Voorhis Road, Suite 250
Morgantown, WV 26505-6423
Voice: 304-293-6700 Fax: 304-293-3861
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
Update: October 2014
to schedule an appointment with an Accessibility
Specialist. During this appointment, students can provide
their documentation. Documentation may also be faxed to
304-293-3861. All documentation must be submitted
prior to receiving accommodations.
It is important to plan for accommodations ahead of time
since the process of documentation review and approval
can take time. An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or
Section 504 Plan from the public school system may not be
sufficient documentation. However, an IEP or 504 Plan
may be considered for temporary accommodation on a
good faith basis while students obtain appropriate
documentation.
Appropriate documentation must describe the degree of
impact the diagnosed disorder or condition creates on the
student's ability to learn or to perform major life activities.
A link must be established between any requested
accommodation, the substantial functional limitations of
the individual, and the academic demands for which the
accommodations are requested.
Accommodation requests associated with cognitive issues
and/or learning must be documented by appropriate
psychoeducation measures in order to determine the
significance and nature of the cognitive/learning
PO Box 6423 | Van Voorhis Road, Suite 250
Morgantown, WV 26505-6423
Voice: 304-293-6700 Fax: 304-293-3861
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
Update: October 2014
impairment. Poor grades in and of themselves are not
acceptable evidence of significant academic impairment.
Diagnostic evaluation reports submitted as documentation
must meet all of the following requirements in order for a
student to be eligible to receive disability-related academic
accommodations. These reports must:
1. Appear on official letterhead, typed, signed, and dated
by a qualified and licensed professional
2. Include a clear statement of diagnosis; vague terms
that imply a diagnosis, such as "may have," "seems to,"
or "suggests," are not acceptable
3. Provide a summary of assessment procedures and
findings used to determine the diagnosis
4. Describe how the disability or condition constitutes a
"significant impairment" to the student's current
academic functioning or major life activities, and the
degree to which the disability impacts functioning
5. Articulate the present need for any suggested
accommodations and/or academic modifications
6. When appropriate, include test results that illustrate a
"significant impairment" to cognitive performance
(such as communication skills, social interaction,
information processing or memory difficulties, sensory
sensitivity functioning, and motor planning) and/or
PO Box 6423 | Van Voorhis Road, Suite 250
Morgantown, WV 26505-6423
Voice: 304-293-6700 Fax: 304-293-3861
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
Update: October 2014
academic abilities (such as executive functioning,
math, reading, and written language) as a result of the
diagnosed disability, condition, or syndrome
7. When appropriate, include a history of the disability
and previous accommodations
8. Describe present symptoms and fluctuating conditions
related to the diagnosis
9. List current medications and dosage, including side
effects currently experienced by the student; describe
treatments, devices, or services prescribed or used by
the student
10. When appropriate, describe the duration,
stability, and/or progression of the condition
If accommodations are requested based on multiple
diagnoses, documentation should comprehensively address
all disabilities for which accommodations are being
requested, satisfying the requirements listed above. Please
contact the WVU Office of Accessibility Services for more
information or see our website at:
http://accessibilityservices.wvu.edu
Voice: 304-293-6700
Fax: 304-293-3861
Email: access2@mail.wvu.edu
PO Box 6423 | Van Voorhis Road, Suite 250
Morgantown, WV 26505-6423
Voice: 304-293-6700 Fax: 304-293-3861
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
Update: October 2014