SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Contact Information:

Gena Smith, Coordinator

Services for Students with Disabilities

Counseling Services

110A Crawford Building

Rock Hill, SC  29733

(803) 323-3290 (V/TTY)

www.winthrop.edu/hcs/sswd.htm

ACCOMMODATIONS AND ACCESS AT WINTHROP

The Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities collaborates with all university departments to ensure that Winthrop’s programs and facilities are accessible to every student.  The Coordinator works to provide reasonable classroom, residence hall, and campus accommodations for students with documented disabilities.

Students who can benefit from registering with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities have all types of documented disabilities, including but not limited to:

- Learning Disabilities                         - Psychological Disabilities

- ADHD                                                - Chronic Medical Illnesses

- Mobility Impairments                         - Visual Impairments

- Hearing Impairments                        - Speech Impairments

Students should be aware that while accommodations are intended to remove barriers to learning, they do not ensure success.  All Winthrop students are responsible for meeting and maintaining the essential academic standards set forth by the University for its courses, programs, services, and activities.  Advisers, department heads, and deans are available to assist students in understanding and meeting these requirements, but students are responsible for fulfilling them.

A Variety of Services

Accommodations are individualized adjustments to the classroom or campus that help ensure you have equal access to your education at Winthrop.  Based on your documentation, you may be eligible for a variety of accommodations, including but not limited to:

-        Accessible Computers and Software (including large screen monitors, ZoomText, and JAWS)

-        Accessible Desks and Tables

-        Braille and Large Print

-        Counseling Services

-        Note Takers

-        Priority Registration

-        Professor Notification of Accommodations

-        Residence Hall Accommodations

-        Sign-Language Interpreting

-        Study Skills

-        Test-Taking Accommodations

-        Text Telephone Devices for Persons Who Are Hearing Impaired (TTYs)

-        Textbooks-on-Tape and Reader Services

WHAT DO I DO IF I NEED ACCOMMODATIONS?

Student Responsibilities

Students are often surprised to learn the difference in the level of student responsibility between high school and college.  Students with disabilities who want services and accommodations are responsible for:

-        providing current, appropriate documentation of their disability to the Disabilities Coordinator

-        meeting with the Disabilities Coordinator to review the documentation and establish appropriate accommodations

-        asking the Disabilities Coordinator for services when needed each semester

-        using agreed-upon academic accommodations

Disability Documentation

Students are responsible for providing current, appropriate documentation of their disability from a qualified health services provider (i.e., physician, licensed psychologist, etc.).  High School IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) and 504 Plans alone are not sufficient documentation of a disability at the college level.  Documentation provided on prescription pads is also not sufficient.  What does that mean?  While the university may require additional testing to further define needed accommodations, documentation should:

-        be typed or printed on official letterhead, dated, and signed by an evaluator qualified to make the diagnosis

-        state the diagnosed disability clearly and thoroughly

-        be current, within the last 3-5 years for learning disabilities, the last year for psychiatric disabilities, and the last 3 years for ADHD (may not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature)

-        include a list and description of all diagnostic tests used in the evaluation with the relevant test scores used to document the disability (may not apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature)

-        include relevant educational and medical history

-        describe the functional limitations resulting from the disability (i.e. the current impact of the disability on your performance)

-        include specific recommendations for accommodations

Notifying Professors

If you need classroom accommodations, you should request them from the Disabilities Coordinator early in the semester.  Students who request accommodations are required to provide their professors with a formal notice from the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities.  This notice will outline your specific, documented accommodation needs.

Confidentiality

Information regarding your disability is confidential.  Although faculty and staff must be aware that a disability is present in order to provide accommodations, they only receive specific information about the nature of a disability at your request.  The Disabilities Coordinator will not release your disability information without your written authorization unless required by federal or state law.

Common Misconceptions

Sometimes students who register for disability services worry that it will show up on their permanent record.

-        Your permanent record or transcript, which is maintained by Records and Registration, is completely separate from records maintained by the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities.  Your documentation is confidential and will not appear on your permanent record.

Sometimes students worry that they will appear “different” and want to try college without using accommodations.

-        While it is your choice whether or not to use accommodations, choosing not to use them may create unnecessary difficulties early in your college career.  Asking for accommodations early in the semester is often a better choice than waiting.

Sometimes students worry about telling their professors about their disability.

-        While is true that you have to ask for services in order to receive them, becoming comfortable talking about your disability is important, and the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities can help you with this process.  Students receive formal notices outlining their accommodations from the Disabilities Office to give to their professors.  Students can also seek advice on how to talk with their professors (about their disability).

Office Location and Appointments

The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities is located on the first floor of Crawford Building.  Call 803-323-3290 (Voice/TTY) to schedule an appointment or stop by Disability Services in 110A Crawford.

Winthrop University · Division of Student Life · Health and Counseling Services