Documentation
The following are descriptions of the types of documentation required to receive accommodations and services through Student Access and Accommodation Services. Documentation provided to Student Access and Accommodation Services is considered private and will be used for the expressed purposes of establishing protection under the law, determining appropriate accommodations, and ensuring the effective implementation of those accommodations. All provided information will be protected against misuse by others.
The student is responsible for paying for any assessment needed to verify a disability and/or medical/mental health condition.
Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) or 504 Plans are not considered sufficient sources of documentation of disability and/or medical/mental health condition to provide reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Learning Disability
The student must provide documentation from a professional who has undergone comprehensive training and has relevant experience in differential diagnosis of a full range of cognitive and psychiatric disabilities (e.g., a licensed clinical psychologist and/or neuropsychologist).
A comprehensive assessment battery (not to be limited to an individualized education plan or 504 plan) and the resulting diagnostic report must contain the following items:
- Aptitude - Complete aptitude assessment, including all subtest and standard scores, is required. The preferred adult aptitude test is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, WAIS-III or IV.
- Individual Achievement - Testing must include standard scores for all subjects assessed. The preferred individual achievement test is the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, WIAT-II or III.
- Information Processing - Measures should assess areas such as short and long-term memory, sequential memory, auditory and visual perception, and processing speed.
The report must state:
- Comprehensive background information, including a developmental and educational history, and a review of any past evaluations and services received
- The diagnosis
- The impact the disability has on academic performance
- Recommended accommodations pertinent to the testing results
If a student has received special education services through their local school district, the most recent Individualized Education Program (IEP) and Multidisciplinary Conference Summary (MDC) should also be supplied.
Attention Deficit Disorder
Students requesting accommodations on the basis of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) must provide documentation by a professional who has undergone comprehensive training and has relevant experience in differential diagnosis and the full range of psychiatric disorders (e.g., a licensed clinical psychologist, neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, or other relevantly trained specialist). The documentation must include:
- Evidence of early impairment—the condition must have been exhibited in childhood in more than one setting;
- Evidence of current impairment—a history of the individual's attentional symptoms and evidence of current impulsive/hyperactive or inattentive behaviors that significantly impair functioning in two or more settings must be provided;
- A diagnostic interview—the interview must contain self-report and third-party information pertaining to developmental history, family history of ADHD or other learning or psychological difficulties, relevant medical and medication history, a thorough academic history, and a review of prior psychoeducational test reports to determine whether a pattern of strengths or weaknesses is supportive of attention or learning problems;
- Evidence of alternative diagnoses or explanations being ruled out—the documentation must investigate and discuss the possibility of dual diagnoses and alternative or coexisting mood, behavioral, neurological and/or personality disorders that may confound the ADHD diagnosis;
- Neuropsychological or psychoeducational assessments as needed to determine the current impact of the disorder on the individual's ability to function in an academic setting—such data, if provided, should include subtest and standard scores;
- A specific psychological diagnosis as per the DSM-5; and
- A clinical summary which:
- Indicates the substantial limitations to major life activities posed by the disability;
- Describes the extent to which these limitations would impact the academic context for which accommodations are being requested;
- Suggests how the specific effects of the disability may be accommodated; and
- States how the effects of ADHD are mediated by the recommended accommodations
Deaf/ Hard of Hearing
To receive services one must provide:
Recent audiological documentation from a certified audiologist that includes:
- Diagnosis
- Prognosis
- Limitations (if any)
- Impact of medical condition on individual
Visual, Physical, Medical Disabilities
The student must provide a copy of the following information as applies to the disability and/or medical condition on the letterhead of the individual's licensed health care provider with that provider's signature on the report:
- Diagnosis and original diagnosis date
- Etiology / cause (not applicable in congenital disabilities)
- Impact / limitations
- Medications
- Side effects of medication and the impact on cognitive ability
- Suggestions / recommendations for accommodations
- Any additional information that would help Student Access and Accommodation Services assist the student in a post-secondary educational setting
Mental Health Conditions
The student must provide the following components on the letterhead of the individual's licensed mental health care provider with that provider's signature on the report.
- A specific, current psychiatric diagnosis from the DSM-V indicating nature, frequency, and severity of symptoms for the individual
- Documentation must describe how the student's disability and/or mental health condition functionally impacts the ability to participate in a post-secondary educational setting
- Information related to side effects of prescribed medication and suggestions for accommodations
- Recommendations and suggestions relating to the specific impacts of the disability and/or mental health condition and how the individual might be accommodated in the educational setting
Asperger's/Autism Spectrum
The student must provide documentation from their health care provider with the provider’s signature on the report.
Documentation must include:
- diagnosis and original diagnosis date
- etiology/cause (not applicable in congenital disabilities)
- impact/limitations
- medications if applicable
- side effects of the medication and the impact on cognitive ability
- suggestions/recommendations for accommodations
- any additional information that would help Student Access and Accommodation Services assist the student in a post-secondary educational setting.