Disability & Access
Wartburg College provides reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities in order to provide equal access to programs, housing, services and opportunities offered by the college. Accommodations are individualized, confidential and based upon both the nature of the disability and the classroom or program requirements. To receive accommodations, students must provide valid and current documentation supporting such disability.
Phone : 319-352-8230 or 319-352-8615
Fax: 319-352-8365
Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Questions?
Nicole Willis
Disability and Access Coordinator
(319) 352-8230
nicole.willis@wartburg.edu
- Academic Resources
- ARC Student Services
- Castle Connections Program
- Faculty Resources
- Office Staff
- Student Employment
Accommodations
Students requesting academic accommodations are required to submit documentation of their disability to verify eligibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Documentation should be uploaded in the “Request Accommodations Through Gateway” form linked below.
If you received academic accommodations in high school, a recent copy of your 504 Plan or IEP is a good starting point. If needed, additional documentation will be requested. If you did not receive academic accommodations in high school, please provide a letter from a licensed medical or mental health care provider answering the following:
- Does the student have an impairment or disability that substantially limits any major life activities? If yes, please describe.
- Is there a treatment plan? If yes, please describe.
- Do you recommend any academic accommodations based on the student’s functional limitations? If yes, please describe.
Emotional Support Animals
Wartburg College is committed to supporting students with disabilities by allowing Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) when necessary for a student to be able to use and enjoy their residential living space. ESAs, also commonly called assistance, companion, or comfort animals, broadly refer to animals who provide their caretakers with comfort and relief from the impacts of mental health disabilities by virtue of the animal’s nature and presence, without specialized training. The Fair Housing Act defines and protects ESAs as a reasonable housing accommodation, including within campus housing environments. Please complete the documentation form below and have it ready to upload with your Gateway accommodation request.
On-Campus Housing Accommodation
Residential living is central to the Wartburg College experience and all full-time students are required to live in campus housing per college policy. Wartburg College recognizes the importance of providing reasonable accommodations in its housing policies and practices when necessary for individuals with disabilities to fully participate in the college residential life. To be eligible for a reasonable accommodation, an individual must either have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, or must have a record (a history) of a physical or mental impairment that substantially limited a major life activity. Please complete the documentation form below and have it ready to upload with your Gateway accommodation request.
Off-Campus Housing Accommodation
Residential living is central to the Wartburg College experience and all full-time students are required to live in campus housing per college policy. Wartburg College recognizes the importance of providing reasonable accommodations in its housing policies and practices when necessary for individuals with disabilities whose needs cannot be met on campus. To be eligible for a reasonable accommodation, an individual must either have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, or must have a record (a history) of a physical or mental impairment that substantially limited a major life activity. Please complete the documentation form below and have it ready to upload with your Gateway accommodation request.
Follow these steps to request accommodations through gateway:
- Click the Request Accommodations button under the type of accommodation you are requesting.
- Click “Ask for Help”
- Click “Choose a Form” from the drop down menu
- Complete the form
- Upload your documentation
- Preview your request and submit for consideration.
- The Disability & Access Coordinator will reach out to you via email to schedule an appointment.
Accessibility Topics
If you are having difficulty finding or accessing the information you need on any Wartburg website, please contact the following offices for additional assistance. If you cannot find the appropriate office on this listing, please refer to our directory. The college has begun including accessibility questions in its bi-annual surveys of web users to continue to improve the website. However, if there is a change to a Wartburg website that you believe would make it more accessible to individuals with disabilities, please email markcomm@wartburg.edu with your specific suggestion.
Admissions Questions:
800-772-2085 or admissions@wartburg.edu
Financial Aid Questions:
(319) 352-8262 or finaid@wartburg.edu
Housing Questions:
(319) 352-8260 or reslife@wartburg.edu
Academic Policy Questions:
(319) 352-8284
Billing Questions:
(319) 352-8411
Employment Questions:
(319) 352-8521 or hr@wartburg.edu
Registration Questions:
(319) 352-8272 or registrar@wartburg.edu
The following assistive technology software programs are available for any student on campus. Some of these items may be checked out for personal and classroom use.
SmartPen Features:
- Take hand written notes and record your lecture using the same device
- Written notes are synched with the audio recording using specialized notebooks
- Tap on any written text and listen to your lecture from that exact moment in the lecture or meeting
- Upload your notes to your computer for playback, and ability to search content
- More Information: http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/smartpen/
eTextbooks Features:
- The Wartburg Store partners with VitalSource to help you save up to 80% when purchasing eTextbooks.
- Read anytime, anywhere online or offline from your laptop, tablet or smartphone.
- Interact with your books: search topics, highlight, take notes and more.
- With the text-to-speech tool, you don’t have to look at your device to absorb your content. Listen to your eTextbooks while on the go to multitask and save time.
- More Information: https://wartburg.vitalsource.com/
Students requesting academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids are required to submit documentation of their disability to verify eligibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504). Students should initiate a request for services and/or reasonable accommodations by following these steps:
- Schedule a meeting with the Academic Success Associate. The student must schedule an intake appointment with the Associate for Testing and Disability Services or other designated staff member to discuss available support services and the process for requesting accommodations and/or classroom adjustments.
- Submit documentation. In order to fully evaluate requests for accommodations, the Academic Success Associate will need documentation of the disability that consists of an evaluation by an appropriate professional that describes the current impact of the disability as it relates to the accommodation request.
As appropriate to the disability, documentation should include:
- A diagnostic statement identifying the disability, date of the current diagnostic evaluation, and the date of the original diagnosis. The diagnostic systems used by the Department of Education, The Area Education Agencies, The State Department of Rehabilitative Services or other State agencies and/or the current editions of either the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV-TR) or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems of the World Health Organization (ICD) are the recommended diagnostic taxonomies.
- The diagnostic criteria and or diagnostic tests used. This description should include the specific results of diagnostic procedures, diagnostic tests utilized, and when the tests were administered. Diagnostic methods used should be congruent with the disability and current professional practices within the field. Informal or non-standardized evaluations should be described in enough detail that a professional colleague could understand the significance of the information.
- A description of the current functional impact of the disability. The current functional impact on physical, perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral abilities should be described either explicitly or through the provision of specific results from the diagnostic procedures. Currency will be evaluated based on the typical progression of the disability, its interaction with development across the life span, the presence or absence of significant events (since the date of the evaluation) that would impact functioning, and the applicability of the information to the current context of the request for accommodations.
- A description of current treatments, medications, assistive devices/services: A history of treatments, medications, assistive devices, accommodations and/or assistive services and statements about their effectiveness in minimizing the impact of the disability should be included. Significant and potential side effects that may impact physical, perceptual, behavioral or cognitive performance should also be noted.
- A description of the expected progression or stability of the disability over time. This description should provide an estimate of the change in the functional limitations of the disability over time and/or recommendations concerning the anticipated need for reevaluation.
- Recommendations for accommodations. Depending on the impact of the condition on the individual, suggestions or recommendations for accommodations, adaptive devices, assistive services, compensatory strategies, and/or collateral support services that can help in the review and determination process. As appropriate, recommendations for collateral medical, psychological, and/or educational support services or training that would be beneficial may also be included. Recommendations from professionals with a history of working with the individual provide valuable information for the review process. They will be considered in the evaluation of requests for accommodation and/or auxiliary aids. Where such recommendations are appropriate for the college/university setting and are congruent with the programs, services, and benefits offered by the (College/University) they will be given deference. When recommendations go beyond services and benefits that can be provided by the College, referrals to area service providers may be necessary.
- The credentials of the diagnosing professional(s). Information describing the certification, licensure, and/or the professional training of individuals conducting the evaluation should be provided. The review process includes an examination of the presented documentation to determine the functional limitation resulting from the disability and how that limitation impacts the goals and standards of the program or course. Temporary accommodations can be offered in the interim, but a final determination of accommodations will not be made until documentation is complete.
The review process includes an examination of the presented documentation to determine thefunctional limitation resulting from the disability and how that limitation impacts the goals andstandards of the program or course. Temporary accommodations can be offered in the interim,but a final determination of accommodations will not be made until documentation is complete.
ACCOMMODATIONS/PROVISIONS MANDATED BY LAW: SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973
“No otherwise qualified person with a disability in the United States shall solely by reason of his or her disability, 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.”
According to this law, an individual with a disability is a person who has a “physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities.” With regard to post-secondary students, “qualified” refers to a person with a disability who meets the “academic and technical standards” required for admission to or participation in an educational program or activity. Section 504 mandates “reasonable accommodations” for students with disabilities via such methods as alternative format textbooks, alternative testing arrangements, curb cuts, and ramps to entrances of classrooms and buildings.
It should be stressed that nothing in the language or intent of Section 504 abridges the freedom of an institution of higher education to establish academic requirements and standards.
THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OR ADA
The ADA, passed in 1990 and amended in 2008, gives people with disabilities the same rights that women and minorities have had since 1964. It prohibits discrimination in employment, public services, public accommodations, transportation, and telecommunications. Employers are required to make “reasonable accommodations” for persons with disabilities unless such accommodations would result in “undue hardship.”
DISABILITY LAWS AND POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
Essentially, Section 504 and the ADA require that colleges and universities make reasonable adjustments to ensure equal access to the educational experience. For example, it may be necessary to allow a student with a reading disability to have reading materials in an audio format. Other examples might include extending time limits on exams or allowing lectures to be recorded when disabilities impact a student’s ability to keep up with the lecturer. For students with physical disabilities, adjustments might need to be made to classrooms or sign interpreters might need to be provided.
Note that the emphasis in each of these adjustments is on the may. The key is accommodating for the effects of the disability, not altering course content. The “may” means that, with the exception of removing architectural barriers, no set formulas exist for making adjustments that will be helpful in every case. Thus, the adaptation will be specific to the needs of the individual student. In every case, the intent is to accommodate for the disability without altering academic standards or course content.
While in high school, the student’s home school-district was legally responsible for initiating, developing and providing all academic supports required for the student’s full access to and involvement in the educational process.
All course syllabi must include the following language. Faculty can highlight the text below and copy it into their syllabi.
Access and Accommodations: It is the policy and practice of Wartburg College to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers due to a disability (including physical, mental health, learning, vision or hearing) you may request accommodations by contacting Nicole Willis, Disability & Access Coordinator, at (319) 352-8230, or by e-mail nicole.willis@wartburg.edu. The Academic Resource Center offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions.