Disability Services

Achieving full participation and integration of people with disabilities requires the cooperative efforts of the departments, offices and personnel. To this end, the University will continue to strive to achieve excellence in its programs and services and to assure that its services are delivered equitably and efficiently to all of its members.

Disability Services is committed to supporting students as they learn to self-advocate and negotiate the campus and academics at the University. The program provides a wide array of reasonable, appropriate accommodations for students with learning, physical, psychological, or medical challenges. Students are expected to provide current documentation of their disabilities. Please write to ds@westfield.ma.edu with your questions.

How To Register and Request Reasonable Accommodations

To request reasonable accommodations, students should make an appointment with the access advisor, Kaitlin Karetka, and provide her with the Reasonable Accommodations Request Form filled out.  You may fill this form out at the appointment, before the appointment and drop it off in the Banacos Academic Center, or submit it via email to ds@westfield.ma.edu. (If you are a student in the Learning Disabilities Program please see your assigned LDP advisor.)

If this is your first time requesting reasonable accommodations, please register with the office by filling out the Registration Form and scheduling an appointment with the access advisor. Please provide the access advisor with documentation to support all requests for reasonable accommodations.  The documentation should meet the documentation guidelines.  You may provide your medical or mental health practitioner with a condition verification form to fill out which will serve to describe and provide relevant information about your disability. This should be sent to the access advisor.  At the appointment, the access advisor will review the documentation, registration form and requests with the student to determine appropriate and reasonable accommodations.  Further documentation will be requested where needed.

Reasonable accommodations are available based on documented need. Please be sure to meet with your Access Advisor to determine what accommodations are supported by your documentation. Below are some examples which students have received.

• Extended time on quizzes and exams (50% or 100%).
• Exam room.
• Readers/scribes for examinations.
• Assistance in obtaining audio recordings or electronic files for books.
• Access to Kurzweil 3000 reader software.
• Access to voice recognition software. 
• Assistive listening device. 
• Priority registration for classes.