Welcome to Westmont!
We are very excited that you are interested in working with the Disability Services office at Westmont. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to all our students who have been diagnosed with a disability (physical, learning or psychological). We work closely with our professors to create an environment that is conducive to learning and that minimizes the impact of your disability on your academic performance. We hope you will find the information on this site helpful to you as you begin the process of working with our department.
For students who have not yet been diagnosed with a disability, the Disability Services office is happy to provide referrals to individuals and organizations within the Santa Barbara area that specialize in assessing various forms of disabilities. If you feel, based on your experience, that you need to see an individual to be tested for a disability, please contact our office for a referral. The cost of the visit/assessment is borne by the individual seeking the testing. If you find through this process that you do have a disability and would like to request services from the Disability Services office, you will need to complete the three forms.
Students who are entering or returning to Westmont with a diagnosed disability will find forms and information enclosed regarding the documentation required in order to register with our department. It is helpful to have this information sent to the office at least one month prior to your first semester. This allows for a proper review of the materials to ensure that we are able to provide the appropriate accommodations.
The director of disability services will ensure reasonable accommodations for a student's disability based on the supporting documentation. Accommodations received at prior schools (including ones received in the course of an IEP or 504 plan) may not be considered reasonable accommodations at the college level. IEP and 504 plans will not be accepted as documentation of a disability unless accompanied by the actual test results for the disability. Recent documentation (no more than three years old) is required for all learning disabilities and psychological conditions in order to provide services. Older documentation is acceptable for physical conditions that have not changed over time.
Since education at the post-secondary level is voluntary, the Disability Services office will provide accommodations to students but cannot mandate that they use these services in pursuit of their education. As adults, our students have the choice to work or not work with the Disability Services office for accommodations.
We look forward to being a valuable resource to you and helping you along your academic path. Please do not hesitate to contact our office with any questions or concerns.
Michelle Hardley
Director of Advising and Disability Services