Parents - Disability Services
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Welcome to the College of Western Idaho. CWI provides students with affordable and accessible opportunities to learn. Our Student Disability Services office ensures that academic programming and services are accessible to students and recognize that the transition from high school to college can be challenging.
In high school, parents make sure that appropriate accommodations are provided when needed, but in college it is the student who must take the initiative to make sure that needs and accommodations are met. Student Disability Services can only serve you after you have applied and been accepted to the college. Please call 208.562.2410 or 208.562.2495 for information and/or to schedule an appointment with a coordinator for an initial consultation.
In college, a disability services department does not have a legal duty to identify students with disabilities. Therefore, it is up to the student to contact and disclose their disability to the Student Disability Services office if they would like accommodations. Seeking out services is solely up to the discretion of the student.
At College of Western Idaho, Student Disability Services strives to provide our students with motivation, preparation and self-advocacy in order to give them the tools for life that they will need to be successful during their college experience and beyond.
Differences Between K-12 and College:
| PROCESS | Kindergarten through High School | College |
|---|---|---|
| Identification | Schools responsible for identifying students | Students must self-identify |
| Documentation | Schools responsible for testing students | Students must pay for their testing, if needed |
| Services | Schools responsible for any needed services. School must provide whatever services will help student succeed in class, testing, and any school-sponsored activity. School must provide individualized tutoring. |
Students must seek out services. Student allowed only certain accommodations in college classroom and testing. Students must seek out tutoring, if needed, and must pay for it if college does not provide tutoring for non-disabled students. Individualized instruction is not guaranteed |
| Communication | Schools must communicate with parents at regular intervals re: student’s progress | College not allowed to contact parents without student’s permission |
| Accommodation arrangements | School must develop formal plan and it is school’s responsibility to track student | Student must ask for and “qualify” for services EACH semester, and the student is responsible for much of the accommodation process (i.e., notifying office of test dates, etc.) |
| Accommodation Differences | Reduced assignments, (requiring student to submit less work than others) extended time on assignments, grading changes (counting daily work equal with semester tests) test format changes(take away 2 wrong answers and leave one right and one wrong answer) repeated chances to make a passing grade. | No reduced assignments; extended time on assignments is very rare; no grading changes, no test format changes other than providing equal access (such as providing extended time or providing a test in large print or Braille); no extra attempts at tests unless promised accommodations were not provided during the first attempt. |