Students who would like to receive accommodations from the Office of Accessibility
(OA) will need to officially register for services and accommodations. The registration process is as follows:
STEP 1: Complete the New OA Accommodations Request Form.
STEP 2: Upload any documentation that verifies your disability/condition. If you do not have
any documentation or paperwork, you may download a Disability Verification Form (PDF-158KB) to be completed by your treating specialist (Note: Do not use this form for requests for Emotional Support Animals, Housing, nor
Meal Plan Accommodations. You must contact OA for forms specific to these requests). This documentation will need to be uploaded when you complete your application.
If you run into any problems with the file upload page, please contact OA.
STEP 3: Check your Winthrop email. Once OA has the application AND documentation you will
receive confirmation by OA to your Winthrop email which will instruct you to contact
OA to schedule your intake appointment.
NOTE: To ensure that you do not miss important emails from OA, we encourage you to either (1) add the domain "@post.accessiblelearning.com" to your safe sender list (click here for Outlook 365 instructions), or (2) regularly check your junk mail folder.
There are many reasons college students with disabilities might decide they don't need disability services, and it's your right to not use the services office on campus. But it's also in your best interest to make an informed decision. Here are some reasons why students often don't want to use disability services, and some considerations to help you think about your options.
If your disability is really mild, temporary, or doesn't require any services or accommodations,
then you're probably right - there's no reason to register with the Disability Resource
Center! However, know that the Disability Resource Center is not just about accommodations
and services. Their role includes ensuring the rights of disabled students from discrimination.
If you register with the Disability Resource Center, even if you all agree that you
don't need services, you can call upon them in the event an instructor, staff person,
internship site or others try to discriminate against you just for having a disability.
Another bonus for the campus is that the Disability Resource Center can count you
(anonymously) when it writes its annual report to the campus administration. They'll
be able to say, "Yes, we do have X number of disabled students on campus," That ends
up helping everyone.
Information taken from: The National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD) which is funded through a four-year grant from the Office of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education (P116D150005), and administered through the Office for Postsecondary Education (originally funded via the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education).