Disability Support Services
Walla Walla University is committed to providing for the needs of enrolled or admitted students who have disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
In general, the university policy (above) calls for reasonable accommodations to be made for students with disabilities on an individualized and flexible basis and to the greatest extent possible without compromising the integrity of any student's degree. It is the responsibility of students with disabilities, however, to seek available assistance at the college and to make their needs known.
Steps to registering with Disability Support Services
We know that seeking assistance can be overwhelming, but we’re here to help you!
Contact disability.support@wallawalla.edu with any questions you may have.
Step one: Request accommodation
Submitting these forms will get the process moving and allow the office of Disability Support Services to start working with you.
Step two: Submit documentation
Submit documentation from a qualified individual (medical practitioner) that establishes the nature of the disability. View specific documentation guidelines
To submit documentation:
disability.support@wallawalla.edu (email)
(509) 527-2090 (fax)
Disability Support Services
Walla Walla University
204 S. College Ave.
College Place, WA 99324
Step three: Create accommodation plan
The documentation will be reviewed by Disability Support Services. When eligibility is determined, you will be contacted to schedule an intake appointment. During this meeting you will discuss your goals at Walla Walla University and the assistance you may need in reaching them. An accommodations plan will be created to provide access to campus programs.
View procedures for requesting accommodations on a WWU satellite campus (Portland, Rosario, Montana)
To be eligible for disability-related services, students must have a documented disability condition as defined by Section 504 and the ADA. Under these laws, a person has a disability if he or she has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities (walking, standing, learning, seeing, speaking, hearing, breathing, or taking care of oneself).
Staff from the Disability Support Services office will request current disability-related documents from the appropriate licensed professional (e.g. clinical psychologist and/or physician) to certify a student as having a disability. The cost of obtaining documentation is borne by the student.
Students who lack documentation but are reporting learning or attention difficulties may be interviewed and screened by Disability Support Services free of charge and may be given referrals for other preliminary screening on-campus or for further comprehensive and diagnostic testing. The student is responsible for testing costs after the initial screening.
Upon certification of a disability which causes functional limitations, the student and staff from Disability Support Services develop plans for the provision of accommodations and assistance.
The Disability Support Services office cannot guarantee appropriate accommodations any earlier than FOUR WEEKS after the receipt of acceptable documentation.
Many accommodations are available at Walla Walla University to ensure that students with disabilities participate fully in academic and student life.
- Admission: individual arrangements during the application process or advising about admission.
- Academic Accommodations: readers, lab/library assistants, course and program modifications, exam modifications, classroom relocations, document conversion (e-reader, audio, large print).
- Outreach: consultation, training, and technical assistance with faculty and staff regarding reasonable accommodations, disability rights, technology, architectural barriers, attitudes, curriculum access, and federal legislation.
- Assistive Technology: voice recorders, LiveScribe pens, alternative format textbooks.
- Support: individual and group.
The Disability Support Services office exists to serve students with disabilities, offer them support, and act as an intermediary between students and faculty. It is the student, however, who is his/her own best advocate. While we are able to recommend academic accommodations to faculty, it is the student who can best explain to them why these accommodations are necessary. We require, then, that students make appointments with their new teachers each quarter and specifically outline their needs to them. Even with a support plan in hand from Disability Support Services, if a teacher is not directly approached by the student, he/she is under no obligation to accommodate that student. Learning self-advocacy now is good practice for the future when students will enter the workplace and the community and will have no one else to advocate for them but themselves.
In addition to working with faculty members, we expect our students to maintain close contact with our office, updating us on any difficulties (and successes!) that they are encountering. Our goal is to make the Student Development Center, where the Disability Support Services office is located, a home-base for students with disabilities.
While there are many differences between the K-12 and the post-secondary environment, the following four underlying changes provide many of the challenges experienced by all students.
- Legal Rights and Responsibilities for College Students
- Summary of Legal Differences Between Secondary and Postsecondary Education
- Increase in Complexity and Unpredictability
- Change in Student Responsibilities
(Borrowed from WA State Department of Education website)
View a K-12 & college comparison chart between accommodations available in the K-12 system and those available at the post-secondary level.
Winter Quarter Finals
If you are a student currently receiving accommodations, and your professor has received a Letter of Accommodation for you, fill out the below form to request proctoring for finals week.