Information for Prospective Students (Incoming Freshmen, Transfer, and Graduate Students)
Virginia Tech is committed to providing appropriate services and accommodations to allow identified students with disabilities access to academic programs. To achieve this goal, the University provides services through the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office.
Admissions
Admission to Virginia Tech is based on requirements outlined on the application and in the undergraduate and graduate catalogs. Admission decisions are made without regard to disabilities. All applicants to the university are reviewed through the same admission procedure. Students should not send documentation of their disability along with their admission application.
Virginia Tech is committed to ensuring that all qualified individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to take part in educational and employment programs and services on an equal basis. The aim is to provide this opportunity in an integrated setting that fosters independence and meets the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 as Amended in 2008 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Eligibility for Services
Students with disabilities must identify themselves and present professional documentation to the SSD office. Documentation should be relevant, comprehensive, and where appropriate, should contain test scores and interpretation. If the original documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of the disabilities or reasonable accommodations, the university has the discretion to require additional documentation. Costs incurred in obtaining documentation are borne by the student.
Documentation requirements and guidelines have been established because non-standardized tests and incomplete assessment reports do not enable the staff of SSD to accurately assess a student's accommodation needs.
Until appropriate documentation is provided, SSD cannot support the student's request for services. Faculty members are not expected to provide accommodations until students present accommodation letters from the SSD office.
Accommodations and services are determined on an individual basis. Once appropriate documentation is received, SSD will schedule a follow-up consultation to determine possible accommodations and next steps for the student. These accommodations may not always be the same as the student received in high school or at another college or university. See Next Steps for information on registering and receiving accommodations through the SSD office.
For General Guidelines for Documentation of a Disability or Guidelines for Documentation of a Specific Disability see SSD's Documentation Guidelines page.
For information about Special Housing Accommodations see the SSD Special Housing Accommodations page.
To assist with your preparations for college you may download "Preparing for College: What You Need To Do" as a (Word 97-2003 Doc) or (Adobe PDF).
To view PDF files on your computer you may need:
Last updated: Monday, 29-Apr-2013 13:17:47 EDT
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