Your future, our focus
WELCOME to Northwest College! You are about to embark on a journey that may very well change your life in ways you never dreamed possible. Your journey from this point will require courage, commitment, and the ability to see beyond the here and now. In many ways you will be changing yourself, your view of the world, and the way in which other people see you. So often students say, “if only things were different, I could…” And then the visualization stops. So, change yourself, modify your life plans, look into the future and cast yourself into a different role. In the process of taking control of your own destiny, you often influence the way in which other people treat you. You will encourage respect and admiration. This also can include the way you view yourself. By changing yourself in small ways, you can change one aspect of your world for the better. Let the journey begin…
Students with disabilities can work with Disability Services staff to bring their dreams to reality. It takes time, it takes commitment, and it takes the courage to say, “I need help.” Most students would rather pretend that they are perfectly capable of attending college, working, maintaining relationships, and keeping their worlds in perfect order, than to appear they are incapable. The truth is, we all need assistance whether we have a disabling condition or not.
The College offers a number of services to help students with disabilities succeed in their academic work. To make arrangements for services, contact Disability Services to talk about your experiences and expectations to help identify what types of accommodations you may need and what information needs to be gathered to support those accommodations. There are multiple sources and types of information that are useful, including educational records such as an Individualized Education Plan, letters from educators, diagnostic reports, letters from health care providers, records of past accommodations from testing agencies or employers, letters or records from local, state or federal agencies such as an Social Security Disability Insurance determination or Veterans Affairs records.
Physical Impairments
Visual, hearing, mobility, chronic illness, speech
Psychological Impairments
Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, schizophrenia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Learning Disorders
Learning disabilities, acquired brain injury, Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
What is a disability?
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a person with a disability is anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially impairs or restricts one or more major life activities. These functions may include caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working. To accommodate special needs, the office of Disability Services coordinates a variety of accommodations to assist students in their academic endeavors.