Empowering Students
with Disabilities
The Office of Disability and Equal Access services
of Dakota Wesleyan University is located in the George and Eleanor McGovern
Library. This office works to ensure equal access and full participation
for persons with disabilities in post-secondary education as outlined
by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. We hope to empower
students with disabilities to obtain the education and skills necessary
for a fulfilling, productive career after leaving Dakota Wesleyan University.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act
Postsecondary
** No otherwise qualified handicapped individual
in the United States…shall, solely by reason of handicap,
be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits
of or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity
receiving federal financial assistance. |
How Do I Request Services?
Students are responsible for initiating services. E-mail
Donna Dunn, Disability Services Coordinator, at dodunn@dwu.edu or call 1-605-995-2904.
Donna will set up an appointment with you to discuss documentation requirements
and conduct a needs assessment. Services are not retroactive; notification
and requests must be made by the student in order to receive services.
What Is Considered A Disability?
DWU uses the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as
a guide to define disability: a condition that substantially limits
a major life activity (such as walking, talking, learning, hearing,
and/or seeing). Services will be provided to students with physical,
psychiatric, and/or learning disabilities, chronic health conditions,
mobility, visual, speech and coordination impairments.
Students with temporary conditions such as broken arms,
sprained ankles, etc, are also eligible for services.
What Type of Documentation is Required?
Documentation of a disability is necessary to initiate
and receive services through the Office of Disability and Equal Access.
If students do not have the proper documentation to support their requests
for accommodation, they are required to get the documentation (test,
diagnosis, ect.) at their own expense. Typically, high school 504 Plans
or Individualized Education Plan (IEP) are not sufficient documentation
for the provision of accommodations.
High school juniors and seniors should know that elementary
and high schools are required to retest students for disabilities every
three years and that when a student nears graduation, the school is
required to develop a transition plan to help prepare the student for
life after high school.
Students should take advantage of this transition plan
and get new test if necessary. Students with learning disabilities should
be tested after age 16 using adult scales. Others may need a letter
from a physician, psychologist or psychiatrist to document a specific
physical or mental limitation.
