Western Oklahoma State College

About Us

Western Oklahoma State College follows the guidelines of the Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under these laws, a disability is defined as any physical or mental impairment which substantially limits a major life activity when compared to most people in the general population.

Western’s ADA/504 coordinator, under the Office of Student Affairs, oversees and facilitates the processes of accommodating and addressing barriers faced by students related to their disability, on a case-by-case basis.

Contact Information

Dr. Keila Manos

580-477-7925

keila.manos@wosc.edu

 Office location: main building, room C-7

Mailing Address: 2801 N. Main St., Altus, OK 73521

Forms & Documents

Disability Services Guide for Students & Parents

Initial Application for Disability Accommodations Form

Renewal of Semester Accommodations Request Form

Assistance Animal Policy

Assistance Animal Request Form

Student Housing Accommodations Request Form

Sample Disability Accommodations Notice

Recorded Lecture Agreement

Disability Services Guide for Faculty

Requesting Accommodations

Steps for New Students:

Unlike high school, it is the student’s responsibility to self-disclose and provide documentation of his or her disability and request accommodations. Below are the steps for Western’s process:

1. Complete and submit the Initial Application for Disability Accommodations Form (see forms section), along with supporting documentation from your medical professional or mental health provider to the ADA/504 coordinator. See documentation section below.
2. Once your application and documentation are complete, you will be contacted to schedule an intake meeting.*
3. The ADA/504 coordinator will review your request, along with information gather at your intake meeting, and as needed, in consultation with faculty (an interactive process), to determine reasonable accommodations for specific courses. Accommodations are reviewed on an individual, case-by-case basis.
4. The ADA/504 coordinator will email the student and faculty the official accommodation notice (see a sample notification letter here). Students are encouraged to communicate with their instructors in each course regarding their accommodation.

Steps for Returning Students:

For each additional semester of enrollment, the student will need to submit the Renewal of Semester Accommodations Request Form* (see forms section) to let the ADA/504 coordinator know they would like to renew/update their accommodations and directing us to issue them to their instructors. The ADA/504 coordinator will work with the student to determine if any changes to accommodations are needed for the new courses.

*Please note: accommodations are applied once all documentation and forms are received, reviewed, and meetings are scheduled. Generally, this can be a 2-3 week process, so planning ahead is very important. Items or resources that must be ordered may take longer. Accommodations are not applied retroactively. Please submit your semester request for accommodations as soon as you enroll for the next semester to ensure your accommodations are in place in a timely manner.

Documentation Guidelines

Students need to provide documentation of their disability as part of the accommodations process. This documentation should be from a health care provider who is qualified to diagnose or help the student manage their disability.

Documentation should be on official letterhead and include:

• Student’s name
• Name of the provider or health care professional
• Date of the evaluation
• Official name of your diagnosis (for example: ADHD, Seizure Disorder, etc.)
• How the disability affects your daily life and/or learning activities (for example: problems concentrating, unable to see small print, etc.) and/or functional limitations
• How treatment/medication is expected to result in functioning or impairment
• In some cases, recommendations/suggestions for accommodations relating to the diagnosis

IEPS and 504 Plans from secondary school can be helpful, but are not required, nor do they equate to medical documentation.

Best practice for learning disability documentation is that it is no more than 5 years old. Documentation should not be from someone related to you.

Documentation can be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs:

Student Affairs

2801 N. Main St, room C-7

Altus, OK 73521

studentaffairs@wosc.edu.

Transitioning from High School to College

Differences in IEPs, 504 Plans, and College Accommodations

If you had a 504 or IEP in high school, it does not automatically transfer over to college and colleges do not have the same type of modifications some students received in high school.

An IEP is specific to the K-12 educational setting. While an IEP can help inform us regarding a student’s disability or accommodation needs, additional documentation is required at the college level.

Accommodations are not intended to alter the expectations of a course. Students in college are expected to meet the same academic standards as non-disability students. While accommodations can be put in place to remove barriers to access and equity, modifications (such as shortened assignments or exams, the ability to retake exams due to a low score, etc.) are not available to college students. Personal attendants or caregivers, transportation to-and-from the college, and personalized, individually fitted assistive devices are the responsibility of the student in college.

Additional Information

Below are additional resources that explain these differences in a manner that is easy to understand:

• US Dept. of Ed. - Preparing for Postsecondary Education
• College Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.
• Information about the differences in accommodations at the high school and college levels

Assistance Animals

Western provides accommodations for students in all areas of campus life, including Assistance Animals. (Please note: ADA-covered Service Animal and Emotional Support Animals are not the same and serve different functions, though both fall under the category of Assistance Animal.)

An ADA-covered service animal is a dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to work directly with an individual’s disability. Service animals are allowed in all areas of the institution unless their presence poses a health or safety risk. They must also be housebroken and remain under the control of their person and not cause damage to property.

An Emotional Support Animal is not covered by ADA, but is an animal that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability. They may be allowed in student housing at the institution, with appropriate approvals.

Students requesting to have the assistance of an animal (either service or emotional support) need to complete and submit the Assistance Animal Request form. If appropriate, additional documentation may be requested.

For more information on requesting an Assistance Animal and the college’s policy, please see the Documents & Forms section.

Confidentiality

Documentation submitted to the Disability Services office is confidential and protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). These records are used for the purpose of assisting student in identifying and implementing accommodations to support their education and accessed only by staff that have a legitimate educational interest. Participation in disability accommodations is not notated on the transcript.

Students are asked at intake to sign a release if they wish to allow our staff to communicate with their medical professional(s) and/or Rehabilitation Services staff.

ADA Grievance Procedure

If you disagree with the accommodations suggested by the ADA Coordinator, please discuss your concerns with the coordinator. If you are not able to reach an amenable agreement with the coordinator, we encourage you to review Western's ADA Grievance Procedure described below and proceed as directed.  

After completing the Grievance Report Form, an administrator for ADA Compliance efforts will render a decision on your grievance.  You will have the opportunity to visit with this administrator if you still feel your rights as a student with a disability are not being honored.

Western's​​ Grievance Procedure for Americans with Disabilities Accommodations and the Grievance Report form are all available here: 

Accessibility Documentation