Request Accommodations

The first step to applying for accommodations is to register for classes. View the Registration page for important information, dates, and steps to register. 

Registration

Once registered for classes, you may request new accommodations by completing an application. The application is used to gather information that will assist Student Disability Services in determining your eligibility for requested accommodations. 

Apply for Accommodations

Upon submission of your application, medical documentation of your disability will be requested.

• If you already have medical documentation that includes your diagnosis, functional limitations, and prognosis, please fax the documentation to Student Disability Services at 208.562.3478 or send via email to accessibility@cwi.edu.
• If you do not have medical documentation, a Verification of Disability form should be completed by your medical provider and faxed to Student Disability Services at 208.562.3478. Students will complete their name and contact information at the top of the form. 
  • On this form, your medical provider should include specific recommendations that correlate with your diagnosis. 

Verification of Disability

• You may also choose to complete an Authorization for Release of Protected Health Information. This optional form is used to authorize the release of specified health information from your medical provider to Student Disability Services when clarification is needed. Completed authorizations may be emailed to accessibility@cwi.edu. 

Authorization for Release of Protected Health Information

Documentation will be reviewed, and additional documentation may be requested if a more current evaluation is needed.

Once you have completed the application, you will be able to schedule an intake meeting with coordinator. Together, you will review your request for accommodations and discuss next steps. 

• This meeting will last approximately 1 hour. 
• The student requesting accommodations must be in attendance and be an active participant in determination of their needs. 
• Be prepared to discuss history of your academic experience noting challenges you have experienced and previous academic modifications or adjustments received. 

Following completion of steps 1 through 4, eligible accommodations will be approved by Student Disability Services and implemented in collaboration with your instructor(s). Both the student and the instructor(s) will be notified in writing of the approved accommodation(s). The implementation process may take up to six (6) weeks to complete.

• Students are responsible for clarifying accommodations with their instructor(s), and informing them when they want to use them. 
• Auxiliary aids and services extended to a student may be adjusted if the existing accommodations are ineffective or if the student’s condition changes. 
• American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting in the classroom must be requested immediately upon registration for classes and at least six (6) weeks prior to the start of classes. 
• Testing accommodations must be coordinated no later than three (3) business days prior to your exam. 
• Alternative format for textbooks must be requested at least six (6) weeks prior to the start of classes. 

Disability Determination

Student Disability Services will determine whether the student is disabled within the definition provided in Section 504 and the ADA. To be disabled under these laws, a person must have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. To be substantially limited by an impairment means the student cannot perform a major life activity the average person in the general population can perform or that the student is significantly restricted in performing that major life activity compared to the average person in the general population.

In making the disability determination, Student Disability Services consider the following:

• Is there a physical or mental impairment?
• Does the impairment limit a major life activity that an average person can perform with little or no difficulty (e.g., learning, reading, walking, hearing, etc.)?
• Does the impairment substantially limit the major life activity compared to the average person?

Disability determinations are generally based on information that the student provides to the College, including detailed and current medical documentation from an appropriate professional regarding the nature and severity of the impairment and a description of the student’s functional limitations. Once complete documentation is received, the College may consult with external medical professionals to review the assessment and any recommended accommodations.

Determination of reasonable Accommodations

A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, job, activity, or facility that enables a qualified student with a disability to have an equal educational opportunity but does not lower or modify essential requirements, fundamentally alter the nature of a service, program or activity, or result in undue financial or administrative burdens.

Once a disability is determined, appropriate academic modifications or adjustments for which the student qualifies will be determined. To determine the appropriateness of particular academic modification or adjustment, Student Disability Services Coordinators and/or the Director of Student Support Services consider:

• the functional limitations caused by the disability
• the essential requirements/elements of the academic program, course, and/or college-sponsored activity
• the student's past performance with and without reasonable accommodations
• the student's history of disability-related difficulties in participating in academic and/or college-sponsored programs
• previous modification(s) or adjustment(s) received by the student in an educational setting

• Accommodations must be renewed each semester.
• As your needs may adjust over time, contact your Student Disability Services Coordinator to discuss any additions and/or changes to accommodations already in place. 

Renew Your Accommodations