The Disability Access Office coordinates accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Its main purpose is to provide reasonable academic accommodations and to assure access to programs and activities that promote a supportive learning environment while enabling students to achieve their educational objective.

Please contact the Disability Access Office for more information or for help in your transition from high school to college at 828-448-3153 v/tty/vp, or by email at dcollins@wpcc.edu. 

Students and parents should be aware of how these services may vary from their high school experiences. The following chart identifies the primary differences in student rights and responsibilities between secondary and post-secondary education.

Secondary	Post-secondary
Students' rights covered under IDEA	Students' rights covered under ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
District responsible for providing evaluation	Student responsible for submitting documentation
Evaluation - children scale (i.e., WISC)	Evaluation - adult scale (i.e., WAIS-III)
District responsible for implementation of Individualized Education Plan	Student responsible to self-disclose disability and request accommodations
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) created by team approach	No IEP. Educational plan created by student and Disability Access staff
District must prove plan is appropriate	Student responsible to notify Disability Access Office if there are problems
Curriculum can be fundamentally altered	Curriculum content cannot be altered
Parents actively involved	Parents have access to information only with student's consent