Although most of the content provided at WGU is prerecorded and captioned, students with qualifying disabilities may need to request Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) during one-to-many live events (cohorts and webinars). 

Students who foresee the need for interpreters during in-person clinical or field experience components of their program should contact SDS as soon as possible as on-site interpreting can take longer to coordinate. 

Students who are approved for the use of CART services during live webinars or cohorts should complete the following steps when requesting CART for a live event:

• Register for the event.
• Forward the registration confirmation email to sds@wgu.edu and request CART services.
• SDS will then work with our 3rd party vendor to provide CART services during the live event. Students are also emailed a copy of the transcript post-event. 
• Students must request CART services at least 3 business days in advance to ensure proper time for coordination.  

Student Disability Services (SDS) can review requests for a part-time term for students with qualifying disabilities. Students should consider requesting the accommodation for part-time if they are concerned that their disability may impact the ability to maintain a full-time course load. SDS can only review requests for a Reduced Course Load prior to setting enrollment in a term. The accommodation is also temporary and on a term-by-term basis so students must request for each term that they wish to pursue a part-time status. 

• Financial Aid
  • Financial Aid eligibility will be impacted as a part-time student. Students are encouraged to contact financialservices@wgu.edu to request an overview of eligibility as a part-time student. Students who pursue a Reduced Course Load below halftime (below 6 CUS as an undergraduate student and below 4CUs as a master's student) will not be eligible for financial aid per the federal financial aid guidelines. 
• Course Acceleration
  • Students can add a course(s) after setting enrollment on a Reduced Course Load if they meet the following criteria:
    • All original term enrollment courses are complete.
    • At least 8 weeks are remaining in the term.
    • Acceleration on a part-time term can only be requested once within a term due to financial aid packaging. 
    • Financial aid/self-pay status will be readjusted after the additional course(s) are added.

Most programs at WGU allow students to self-pace within the 6-month term and students are expected to set reasonable goals and work towards course completion. However, students with acute, episodic disability symptoms or short-term disability or medical events that are interfering with on-time progress and are registered with SDS can be considered for a course extension through Student Disability Services.

 The purpose of providing an extension (using the Incomplete Course process) is to provide reasonable flexibility for students with disabilities and medical conditions who are registered with Student Disability Services. This accommodation is intended for students with episodic and acute disability or medical symptoms that interfere with the ability to meet the end of term date at WGU that cannot otherwise be supported via the Incomplete Course Policy. SDS supports extensions for one course and extensions automatically begin on the first day of the month of the new term regardless of when the extension is approved. 

 The accommodation is not generally approved as a substitution for proper time and workload management when the impact of the disability is known, steady, and persistent. The 6-month term lengths at WGU inherently include additional time for completion of coursework and flexible course completion dates. Continuous difficulties with meeting end of term deadlines typically need to be addressed through academic coaching and support via Program Mentors, Course Instructors, and Student Success, a reduced courseload accommodation, or other support resources and skills development. Concerns with meeting on-time progress at the university due to disability related concerns can be addressed at any time by reaching out to SDS.

Eligibility

• Advisors discuss the general Incomplete Course Policy when communicating with students and will also discuss eligibility for this as an accommodation through SDS. Students who have questions about their eligibility should contact Student Disability Services. 
• SDS will consider the following to determine the reasonableness of an extension request from a student, as well as the length of extension that may be warranted:
  1. The nature of the episodic and acute disability or medical symptoms that are impacting academic progress.
  2. The timeliness of the request (at minimum, during the final week of the term) and length of the extension requested.
  3. When the event(s)/circumstance occurred – generally in the last four (4) to six (6) weeks of the term.
  4. Documented and verifiable academic progress on the course.
  5. If needed, documentation to support the request.

Process for Requesting

• If students who are registered with SDS have an episodic condition that is directly interfering with the ability to complete coursework in the term, they should:
  1.  Contact SDS as soon as the condition is impacting coursework, regardless of when the term is ending. SDS may be able to address other supports available depending on where students are in the term.
  2. If students are within the final month of the term, contact SDS to request an extension review as an accommodation. In the request include the following information:
     • The course number
     • Length of time requested.
     • A written explanation of the acute and unforeseen events that occurred during the term (emphasis on the final 6 weeks of the term) including any dates of hospital stays or visits and doctors’ appointments.
     • Depending on the documentation already on file, SDS may request additional documentation to understand the 
     • acute impacts of the diagnosis as it relates to the extension request.