Department Vision

Disability Support Services philosophy is to empower DSS students to be successful in obtaining their educational/vocational goals by promoting independence, self-sufficiency, and self-advocacy.

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Policy Statement

WNC is guided by the principle that there shall be no difference in the treatment of persons because of race; color; national origin; religion; age; gender, including a pregnancy-related condition; gender identity or expression; sexual-orientation; protected veteran’s status; disability; or genetics; and that equal opportunity and access to facilities shall be available to all. Similarly, there shall be no difference in the treatment of persons who file charges of discrimination, participate in a discrimination proceeding, or otherwise oppose discrimination. It is our policy to comply fully with the non- discrimination provision of all state and federal regulations with regard to recruitment, admission, financial aid, activities, hiring, promotions, training, terminations, benefits and compensation. (Rev. 4/15) Read more about WNC’s Affirmative Action Policy.

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Our Goals

For students with documented disabilities, it is the goal of the college to provide an environment that encourages equal access and participation to its various programs through a variety of services and accommodations.

Reasonable accommodations are provided in accordance with the various policy statements of the college and in compliance with all applicable provisions of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), as amended, and Section 504 of the of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

• Provide equal access to a Western Nevada College education for students with disabilities by facilitating appropriate accommodations.
• Assist students with disabilities with the transition from high school, home-school or other institutions to Western Nevada College.
• Educate the campus regarding disability related laws, issues and concerns.
• Work collaboratively with faculty, staff and students to develop and implement disability services.

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Eligibility for Services

Eligibility will be determined on the basis of the presence of a disability and a need for services and accommodations to support an equal educational opportunity.

• It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Disability Support Services (DSS) office and to provide current and appropriate documentation of your disability in order to qualify for academic accommodations.
• Any and all information shared will be kept confidential unless the student authorizes release and exchange of specific information.
• Students must request services each semester they attend WNC.

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Appeal Procedure

If equal access is denied or believed to be denied, the student is encouraged to inform the DSS office in writing about his/her concern or problem immediately.

The DSS Program Director will investigate the allegation to determine if equal access was denied.

The DSS Program Director will serve as the student’s advocate to resolve the problem/situation.

If resolution cannot be reached, the student should follow the Complaint Procedure which can be found in the Board of Regents Handbook; Title 4, Chapter 8, Section 13.

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DSS Memory Aid Policy

Some students may be eligible to use a memory aid for exams. A memory aid is intended to help a student recall critical information that he or she has learned for an exam. However, it should not contain information that could be directly copied into the answers of the test questions. For example, the memory aid should not reflect mathematical equations/algorithms, vocabulary words or other key units of information that could be copied into the test answer or used to solve a test question. Rather, the memory aid should be used as a means to help a student remember critical information already learned or memorized for the examination. For more information, see WNC Policy Manual: Policy 3-3-13.

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Personal Care Attendant Policy

A Personal Care Attendant (PCA) is defined as an individual who attends to the physical needs of people who are disabled or otherwise unable to take care of themselves, including tasks such as bathing, management of bodily functions, and cooking. For more information, see WNC Policy Manual: Policy 13-2-1.

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Service Animal Policy

The Americans with Disabilities Act (2010 revised guidelines), defines a service animal as a dog or miniature horse that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting individuals to an impending seizure or protecting individuals during one, alerting people who are deaf, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, pulling a wheelchair and fetching dropped items or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. For more information, see WNC Policy Manual: Policy 13-2-2.

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Responsibilities

What Are My Responsibilities as a College Student?

It is your responsibility to identify yourself to DSS and to provide professional documentation of your disability in order to qualify for academic accommodations.

It is recommended that you meet with the DSS Program Director one month or more prior to enrollment for each academic term. Every effort will be made to provide accommodations in a timely manner, but last minute requests may not be feasible.

The student must meet with the Disability Program Director each semester to make arrangements for academic accommodations.

Accommodations will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

It is also your responsibility to contact your instructors, in a timely manner, each semester to present ensure they have received a copy of the Faculty Notification Letter which identifies the necessary accommodation for your classes.

All students are expected to adhere to the same academic, attendance and behavior standards required for all students.
Accommodations for a disability are not intended to alter the fundamental nature of a course or program. A student with a disability must be able to comprehend the course material and communicate this to the instructor in one form or another. Accommodations merely give the student the opportunity to achieve this outcome.

DSS Program Director Responsibilities

The DSS Program Director located on the Carson City campus will process all requests for disability services and accommodations for all campus sites.
When meeting with the student with a disability, and after evaluating the documentation to determine eligibility, verifying the disabling condition and the need for equal access, the DSS Program Director will provide written verification relative to the student’s eligibility to receive reasonable accommodations.

The DSS Program Director will be responsible for arranging and coordinating academic accommodations in conjunction with other center coordinators from the outlying campus sites.

Information regarding the student’s disability will be held in the strictest of confidence unless the student signs a release of information form for specific purposes.

The DSS Program Director has the responsibility for determining appropriate accommodations and coordination of services based on current academic standards and requirements to ensure and uphold academic integrity.