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DOCUMENTING
YOUR DISABILITY
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purposes of providing documentation are to establish that you are a student
with a disability that has a need for accommodation/auxiliary aids in
order to maintain equal access to the College's programs, facilities and
activities, and to provide the College with information about functional
limitations that are created by the disability and can be addressed by
accommodation/auxiliary aids. To establish the existence of a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the severity of a disability or degree of impact on life functions (particularly in an academic setting) is more important than the name of the impairment or diagnosis, though both are important. To establish eligibility for accommodation as a student with a disability, a student must present documentation that meets guidelines that have become standard among colleges and universities throughout the country and are recommended by the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). Additionally, these guidelines have been considered reasonable and appropriate by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights as well as the U.S. Department of Justice. |
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are responsible for providing documentation that: · Reflects a diagnosis made by an appropriately licensed professional who is experienced in diagnosing and treating the disabling condition, is prepared on appropriate clinical stationary (not a prescription pad), and is signed by the diagnosing and/or treating professional; · Describes the CURRENT status or functional impact of the disabling condition, with and without mediating measures *; and · Provides objective, quantified information that establishes the presence of a disability and describes its functional impact **. |
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* In general, colleges
and universities across the nation consider documentation that is between
two and five years old, depending on the disabling condition.
The "age"of the documentation will depend on the nature of
the disabling condition and whether it is a life-long disability or
more transient like some psychiatric disorders. With learning
disabilities, current status is usually established by documentation
of assessment of the person as an adult, with testing instruments that
are appropriate for use with adults. Often students participate
in Special Education programs through high school but have not been
assessed since the eighth or ninth grade and then with tests that are
appropriate for children. These assessments would not provide
us with adequate information to establish either the existence of a
qualifying disability or information concerning the present impact and
whether accommodation would be appropriate. dSS
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