Disability Services
Waynesburg University provides equal opportunities to qualified students with disabilities admitted in the regular admissions process. We're happy to accommodate your needs through our established disability policies and procedures.
Disability Services Overview
Waynesburg University provides equal opportunities to qualified individuals with disabilities who need assistance applying for admission to the University and/or fully participating in the University’s programs, activities and services consistent with the Americans With Disabilities Act, as amended, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. An individual with a disability is defined, in accordance with applicable federal and state laws, as “any person who has a physical or mental impairment, has a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment, which substantially limits one or more major life activities.”
Prospective students who require disability accommodations during the application process should contact the Disability Services Office at 724-852-7727 or dso@waynesburg.edu as soon as they become aware of the need. Admitted students with general questions about disability services at Waynesburg may also contact the Disability Services Office. Deposited or enrolled students who wish to request accommodations should follow the University’s eligibility process.
The University will engage in the interactive process with the applicant or student to identify a reasonable accommodation after reviewing the individual’s request and documentation. A “reasonable accommodation” is a modification or adjustment that enables an otherwise qualified individual with a disability full access to participate in University-sponsored programs.
In reaching this determination the University may:
- Maintain its qualifications and essential technical, academic, and institutional standards for courses, programs, services, jobs and activities.
- Request current documentation from a student completed by an appropriate professional at the student’s expense to verify the need for a reasonable accommodation.
- Consult directly with the student about the impacts of the disability on the Waynesburg University experience through the interactive process.
- Discuss a student's need for reasonable accommodation with the professional source of his/her documentation as needed, following authorization by the student.
- Select among equally effective, appropriate and reasonable accommodations available.
- Deny a request for accommodation(s) if the documentation and interactive process fail to verify the need for the accommodation(s).
- Refuse to provide an accommodation that is unreasonable, including any requested accommodation that poses a direct threat to the health and safety of the individual or others, constitutes a substantial change or alteration to an essential element of a course or program, or poses an undue hardship on the University.
- Identify and establish essential functions, abilities, skills, knowledge and standards for courses, programs, services, jobs and activities.
The University reserves the right to make educational decisions about reasonable accommodations that would enable the individual to participate in the application process and in the University’s programs, activities and services on a case-by-case basis. The University will, within the spirit of reasonable accommodation, modify facilities and programs for students with physical disabilities to meet their individual needs on a case-by-case basis. Although not all facilities and programs are accessible, students with physical disabilities can expect classes or activities to be moved to accessible buildings, to have adaptive learning environments created, and/or to have auxiliary equipment allowed on an individual basis and in a manner reasonable for both the student and the University.
Campus Location/Testing Center
Organizationally, Disability Services is part of Waynesburg University's Pathways Center. Disability Services staff collaborate closely with colleagues in Pathways and other University offices to help connect registered students with different types of support.
Physically, the Disability Services Office and Testing Center are located in the Knox Learning Center (KLC) on the ground floor of Eberly Library. Students with testing accommodations can utilize the KLC to take exams. The space is equipped with four updated computer stations, 14 traditional testing stations, and a meeting space for families and/or students.
The KLC was a gift from Martha Knox Ege in memory of her father, the Honorable John Clark Knox, federal judge and distinguished alumnus of Waynesburg University.
How to Request Disability Accommodations
Step 1: Self-disclose disability and request accommodations
To establish that the individual is a qualified individual with a disability and receive accommodations, students must self-disclose their disability to Disability Services. The University does not assume responsibility for providing accommodations or services to applicants or students who have not identified themselves as having a qualifying disability or requested accommodations.
Students may begin this process by completing the Disability Accommodation Request Form. When possible, documentation may be attached to this form.
Step 2: Submit documentation
In order to evaluate reasonable accommodation requests, the Disability Services Coordinator will need information about how the disability is likely to impact the applicant in participating in the application process and/or the student while they are participating in Waynesburg University’s programs, activities and services. Criteria for the source, scope, and content of documentation differs by disability and the nature of the requested accommodations. Documentation should be current and up-to-date, typically three years old or less. If disability symptomatology varies significantly over time, Disability Services may request more recent documentation. Please note that occasionally, Disability Services staff may request further documentation or consultation with a student’s provider to evaluate an accommodation request.
For students requesting academic accommodations, the University will generally accept the following forms of documentation:
- Recent (within three years) copies of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or 504 Plans that include a diagnosis (please note that accommodations in the post-secondary setting are likely to differ from those granted in K-12) are often appropriate to establish academic accommodations.
- Full psycho-educational evaluations prepared by licensed psychologists.
- Typed, dated, signed letters from appropriately credentialed providers who do not have a personal relationship with the student. Documentation should identify:
- Diagnosis/disability; The date of diagnosis and/or most recent assessment, and a description of the diagnostic methodology used;
- Severity and likely duration of the impairment (if temporary);
- Functional limitations related to the diagnosis/disability;
- Current treatments, medications, devices, or services;
- Recommended accommodations (please note that, while provider recommendations are considered, the University reserves the right to approve or deny specific accommodation requests);
For housing accommodations, dining accommodations, and requests for assistance animals, it is highly recommended that students' medical providers complete the "Information Request Forms" included in the University’s respective policies for these types of accommodations.
Documentation may be attached to the Disability Accommodation Request Form or delivered to the Disability Services Coordinator in person or via email, mail, or fax at the contact provided below. Specific questions about appropriate documentation may be directed to the Disability Services Coordinator.
Sarah Feldberg, Disability Services Coordinator
Knox Learning Center, Eberly Library
Email: dso@waynesburg.edu or sarah.feldberg@waynesburg.edu
Waynesburg University
51 West College Street
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Phone – 724-852-7727
Fax – 412-218-3705
Step 3: Attend an intake meeting
The intake meeting is a critical step toward determining eligibility for most accommodations. Once a student has completed and submitted their Disability Accommodation Request Form and appropriate documentation, the Disability Services Coordinator will contact the student to schedule a day/time to meet. The purpose of the meeting is to learn first-hand, from the student, what functional limitations the student experiences and what reasonable accommodations are likely to meet the student’s needs most effectively. Further, the intake meeting provides important opportunities for education about using reasonable accommodations in the university setting.
After the intake meeting, students can expect to receive written follow up about their approved accommodations, and accommodation information will be distributed to professors for the first semester of enrollment or communicated to other relevant campus stakeholders (e.g., Residence Life staff). Students are encouraged to discuss implementation of accommodations with all professors at the start of each semester. The Disability Services Coordinator can provide support and guidance about appropriate faculty communication to incoming students as desired.
Step 4: Renewal of Academic Accommodations
Students are responsible for renewing academic accommodations for each semester of enrollment at Waynesburg University. The Disability Services Coordinator sends written reminders and instructions for renewal of academic accommodations via University email before each semester begins. Accommodations will not be shared with faculty without the student’s indication of intent to renew.
Additionally, renewal of residential accommodations is required annually. All students with previously approved residential accommodations will receive timely written reminders and instructions for renewal of residential accommodations. Students who do not respond to communications related to renewal of accommodations will not have their accommodations automatically renewed.
Disability Services Policies
Confidentiality Policy
The University is committed to ensuring that information regarding a student’s disability remain as confidential as possible. Any information regarding a disability provided by medical or psychological evaluations and/or documents shall be considered confidential, maintained in a separate file with limited access, and shared only on a need-to-know basis. Students must grant permission to the Disability Services Office to discuss their disability with University faculty, administrators or tutors.
Pre-Admission Counseling Policy
Applicants to the University may choose to disclose and identify themselves as students with disabilities prior to admission. This disclosure will have no influence on the student’s application for admission. Disclosure of disability prior to admission may only be for the purpose of meeting with the Disability Services Office to discuss general services available at the University for students with disabilities.
Helpful Resources for Incoming Students and Families
The transition to college can be exciting, fun, and a little bit scary all at once for students with disabilities and their families! The annotated resource guide below provides helpful information about understanding and preparing for the differences between high school and college.
Differences between High School and College for Students with Disabilities -- a high-level overview of critical ways high school and college services differ for students with disabilities.
Keys to Success: Attitude, Self-Advocacy, and Preparation -- this excerpt from a U.S. Department of Education resource identifies important ways that high school students can prepare for the transition to college. Though it was originally published in 2007, it emphasizes several key points that are still very important, like researching requirements in your desired academic major carefully before you attend college.
Study and Planning Tools and Advice for College Students -- these free resources from educational consultant Elizabeth Hamblet provide practical, evidence-based information about study skills for students with disabilities who plan to attend college.
Open Letter to Parents -- many colleges' Disability Services Offices cite this frank open letter by Janie Jarrow, a former president of the Association for Higher Education and Disability and parent of a student with a disability, to help students with disabilities and their parents prepare for the transition to college.
A Tale of Two Freshmen: Your ADHD College Survival Guide -- this article from ADDitude magazine provides concrete, helpful suggestions about ways parents can help students prepare for the college while they are still in high school by promoting independent study and self-advocacy skills and a growth mindset. While it is written for and about students with ADHD, many of the tips and tricks presented are also relevant for students with other types of disabilities.