Disability Documentation

Colleges differ from high schools regarding the first step of providing academic accommodations. When a person with a disability needs an academic accommodation in high school, a team of people is assigned to that student to discuss classroom instructional accommodations. This is not the case with colleges and universities. The legislation states that to receive services from a college or university, a person with a disability must first disclose their disability to the institution. In most cases, the person should disclose this to the Special Services Office.  The Director for Special Services  will ask you to bring in documentation regarding your disability. The cost of the documentation is the responsibility of the student. If the initial documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of the disability and reasonable accommodations, the Special Services Office has the discretion to require additional documentation. The Special Services Office reserves the right to deny services or accommodations pending receipt of documentation. Appropriate documentation must meet the following criteria:

Hearing Impaired
Documentation must be from a licensed audiologist that includes a diagnosis and information as to how the disability impacts the student in an academic environment.

Learning
Documentation must be from one of the following types of licensed psychologist: clinical, educational, school, neuropsychologist, or from a learning disability specialist. Documentation must include ALL of the following:

• Diagnostic Interview
• Assessment of Aptitude
• Academic Achievement
• Information Processing
• Diagnosis
• How Disability Impacts The Student In An Academic Environment

Testing must include at least one (1) of the following from each category:

Aptitude:

• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised
• Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery-Revised: Test of Cognitive Ability
• Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence
• Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (4th ed.)

Achievement:

• Scholastic Abilities Test for Adult
• Stanford Test of Academic Skills
• Woodcock-Johnson Psycho educational Battery-Revised; Test of Achievement
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test
  

ADD/ADHD
According to Hallowell and Ratey (1994), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a neurological syndrome that is usually genetically transmitted, and is characterized by distractibility, impulsivity, and restlessness. In ADD these characteristics are present from childhood on, and because these characteristics occur with much greater intensity (than a person who does not have ADD) it interferes with everyday functioning.

Students with ADD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) should provide documentation that meets the following criteria:

1. Documentation should be from a qualified professional (e.g., physician, licensed psychologist or neuropsychologist)
2. Documentation of a diagnosis only is insufficient; a comprehensive assessment is required and must include at least the following:
   • thorough medical and family history
   • behavior rating scales
   • psychological tests which measure I.Q., cognitive and information processing, social and emotional adjustment, and achievement (as seen for learning )
     disabilities)
3. The documentation must identify an actual diagnosis of an impairment according to the DSM-IV
4. The documentation must discuss functional limitations in an academic environment which are caused by the impairment
5. The documentation should recommend accommodations to compensate for identified functional limitations, and the documentation should list current medication, dosages, and existing (not possible) side effects.
   

Physical
Documentation must be from a licensed medical doctor that includes diagnosis and how the disability impacts the student in an academic environment.

Psychological
Documentation must be from a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, or medical doctor that includes diagnosis and how the disability impacts the student in an academic environment.