Disability Support Services

Disability Support Services (DSS) was established to provide leadership and assistance to the University of Wyoming in its efforts to comply with the intent and specific regulations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Physical and program accessibility at the University of Wyoming is a joint responsibility and can be achieved only through cooperative efforts of University faculty, staff, and students.

DSS strives to ensure successful access and services for students with disabilities. DSS provides disability-related accommodations for UW students and visitors with disabilities as well as technical assistance, consultation and resource information for students, faculty, staff, campus visitors, and for University departments seeking to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

DSS is a program within the Dean of Students office and the Division of Student Affairs at UW.

Applying for DSS Services

Students with disabilities must self-identify and request accommodations. An individual with a disability is someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity such as caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, working, thinking, reading, concentrating, and communicating; and/or the operation of major bodily functions

Visit the Applying for Services web page

COVID-19 Reasonable Accommodations/Campus & Academic Exceptions

Students whose age or health condition falls within one of the CDC High Risk Categories or who have other special circumstances may request a Reasonable Accommodation or Campus & Academic Exception.

COVID-19 Requests: Current DSS Students

COVID-19 Requests: Students Not Currently Registered with DSS

Providing accommodation for DSS students in alternate learning environments

As directed in previous UW communications, students eligible to receive disability accommodations should continue to receive these for the duration of the current situation. Some things to consider around this:

Extended exam time

Online quiz/exam time extensions can be modified as outlined in student accommodation letters. Instructions can be found here: https://cdl.ucf.edu/support/webcourses/guides/quiz-extensions/.
Time extensions can also be provided for exams using HonorLock.

Readers/Scribes

Students utilizing screen-reading software may need additional supports. Some ideas:
- Allowing a parent, partner, caretaker, or other approved individual to serve as a reader and/or scribe for the individual with appropriate adjusts made for exams administered with HonorLock.
- Identifying approved proctor locations in the student’s community (similar to a Distance Learning arrangement).

Interpreters/transcribers

For online instruction, interpreters or transcribers may need to be added to Zoom (or other) platforms to access the lecture and provide ongoing service to students.
Videos or other audio formats should be provided with closed caption options. If this content is not available, please contact DSS (udss@uwyo.edu) for assistance in obtaining content transcripts.

Note taking

Students receiving notes in the classroom setting may continue using recording devices.
Volunteers should continue to provide notes.
If possible, students may need access to PowerPoint slides or instructor notes to supplement online learning.

Attendance/deadlines

Please contact DSS to discuss these as there are too many variables to list in this document.

Additional questions or concerns regarding DSS accommodations; please contact udss@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-3073.