Disability Services Your Partner in Learning, Confidence, and Success

At NWTC, we believe every student belongs and deserves to feel welcomed, supported, and empowered. When you use accommodations, you and Disability Services work together to create a fair learning experience.

Below are your rights and responsibilities as a student receiving accommodations.

Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Equal access to your classes, programs, services, activities, and campus spaces.
• Reasonable accommodations that support your learning needs.
• Confidentiality. Your disability information stays private and is only shared with your written permission, unless the law or safety requires it.
• Respect and dignity in all interactions, without discrimination of any kind.
• Choice and participation. You help make decisions about your accommodations, and you may use or decline them at any time.
• Timely and accessible services, including clear communication and information in a format you can use.
• Help removing barriers—physical, academic, or attitudinal.
• Freedom from discrimination or retaliation, including being pushed toward limited career paths because of a disability.
• Options to appeal or file a complaint if you feel you were treated unfairly. This includes NWTC’s Nondiscrimination & Anti-Harassment Policy and other grievance processes.

Your Responsibilities

You are responsible for:

• Identifying yourself as a student with a disability and registering with Disability Services to begin the process.
• Providing documentation from a qualified professional that explains your disability and how it affects your learning.
• Requesting accommodations on time each semester—ideally two weeks before classes begin (one week for testing accommodations).
• Staying engaged. Work with your case manager, ask questions, and communicate your needs as they come up.
• Following procedures for using accommodations, scheduling testing, and reporting barriers.
• Maintaining academic integrity and following NWTC policies and course expectations.
• Handling personal needs that are not tied to academic accommodations and meeting the essential requirements of your program.
• Letting Disability Services know quickly if you have concerns about your accommodations or feel you’ve been treated unfairly.

A disability, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), is a physical or mental condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This may include challenges with:

• Mobility
• Learning
• Concentration
• Sensory functions

Short-term conditions—such as injuries, recovery from surgery, or pregnancy—may also qualify.
For pregnancy-related accommodations, please contact our Title IX team.

Your accommodations are based on your needs and the classes you are taking. Examples include:

• Extra time on tests or quizzes
• A reduced-distraction test environment
• Audiobooks or alternative textbook formats
• Captioned videos
• Sign language interpreters
• Magnifiers, enlarged print, and accessible workstations
• Assistive technology and specialized software
• Note-taking or scribe support

Your case manager will help you determine what’s best for you.

Documentation requirements vary, but common examples include:

• IEP or 504 Plan
• A provider letter
• Our Disability Verification Form
• Medical or psychological records

If you don’t have documentation, we can guide you through your options, including low-cost evaluation resources. All documentation is confidential.

Get more details about appropriate documentation.

Yes! Service animals are always welcome on campus. 

We encourage students using service animals to register with Disability Services so we can best support you.

Your high school plan doesn’t automatically apply in college, but it’s still helpful. We use it to understand your needs and build your college accommodation plan.

College accommodations are different from K-12 services. One-on-one aides and individualized tutoring are not provided, but Academic Coaching and Tutoring is available to all students.

Learn more about the differences between K–12 and college accommodations.

Timing varies. It depends on how quickly you provide documentation and your availability for a Welcome Meeting. Respond promptly and we’ll move things forward as soon as possible.

Yes. If you need testing accommodations for the Accuplacer or other placement tests, contact us before scheduling so we can set everything up.