Honoring Abilities with Equal Access and Opportunity

Ability Services is an office for students with medical, physical, sensory, or brain related issues that can substantially impact their ability to learn, live, or be employed in a job UWRF. The goal is to arrange equal access and opportunity. The primary way of accomplishing that goal is through various kinds of "accommodations."

Accommodations are usually different ways of doing things (vs the regular ways). Often they are different ways to receive important information, or different ways to try important things. Examples of accommodations for learning are: having more time to take tests; receiving copies of lecture notes; receiving audio textbooks. Examples for living on campus are: being assigned to a residential hall that has an elevator; being assigned to a room that's very near the restroom. After getting hired for an on-campus job, accommodations for employment could be: a type of desk that fits a wheelchair; having brighter lights where the student works. Other kinds of accommodations are also possible.

Students who want accommodations are initially expected to do the following two things: 

1. Voluntarily contact Ability Services to request this kind of attention; then,

2. Submit certain kinds of written information from an expert (often a doctor) that can adequately explain the nature of the medical, physical, sensory, or brain-related issue.

Depending on individual circumstances, the process of setting up an ability to have accommodations can occur quickly. But it may also take considerable time, so students who are interested in having accommodations should contact Ability Services soon after being accepted to attend UWRF, or even before being accepted.  

Please use the "Getting Started" link on the left side to learn more about the process of arranging accommodations.

Mark R. Johnson
Office Coordinator 
mark.r.johnson@uwrf.edu