A few disabilities can be verified simply by observation in the Office of Disability Services. An example of this is the obvious use of a wheelchair as a result of mobility impairment. Other types of disabilities require more formal written documentation. This documentation can only be prepared by a person who is not a family member of the student and who is qualified by professional training and practice to diagnose and treat the impairment leading to the disability. Documentation must be typed or word-processed and printed on the letterhead of either the practitioner or the agency hosting the practice. Handwritten notes on prescription pads or handwritten treatment records will not be accepted. A high school IEP or 504 plan is not sufficient documentation of disability. In general, documentation of disability should be reasonably current and include:
- A diagnostic statement identifying the disability, date of the current diagnostic evaluation, and date of the original diagnosis;
- A description of the diagnostic criteria used;
- A description of the current functional impact of the disability;
- Treatments, medications, and assistive devices currently prescribed or in use;
- A description of the expected progression or stability of the impact of the disability over time;
- The credentials of the diagnosing professional(s).
Students applying for services and accommodations on the basis of a learning disability must submit a comprehensive report of a psychoeducational assessment performed by a qualified professional (e.g., licensed psychologist, school psychologist, neuropsychologist, learning disabilities specialist). The assessment should be reasonably current, that is, one that was completed in the junior or senior year of high school or as an adult. In accordance with the guidelines developed by the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), the psychoeducational assessment should contain:
- Aptitude – a complete intellectual assessment with all subtests and standard scores reported. The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-3) with scaled scores and percentiles and/or the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised (WJPEB-R): Part 1, Tests of Cognitive Ability with standard scores and percentiles are the preferred instruments.
- Academic Achievement – a comprehensive academic achievement battery with all subtests and standard scores reported for those subtests administered. The battery should include current levels of academic functioning in relevant areas such as reading (decoding and comprehension), mathematics and oral and written language. Acceptable instruments include: the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT) or specific achievement tests like the Nelson-Denny Reading Test and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests Revised.
- Information Processing – specific areas of information processing (e.g., short and long term memory, sequential memory, auditory and visual processing, processing speed, executive functioning, and motor ability). Use of subtests from the WAIS-3, and/or the cognitive portion of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised is acceptable. Additional testing such as the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-3) designed to assist in corroborating the existence of processing disorders as identified by the WAIS-3 or the WJPEB-R Part 1 is recommended.
- Conclusions – the report should conclude with a clinical summary that brings the supported judgment of the person conducting the assessment to bear in stating a diagnosis and suggesting accommodations that would be appropriate to the relative learning deficits and strengths of the student.
Students applying for services and accommodations on the basis of ADD/ADHD must submit a comprehensive report of a psychoeducational assessment completed by a psychiatrist or licensed psychologist who has experience diagnosing and treating this condition. This psychoeducational assessment must include measurements of aptitude, achievement, information processing (see detailed examples in learning disability section), and measures specifically assessing impact of ADHD. The assessment should be reasonably current, that is, one that was completed in the junior or senior year of high school or as an adult. In addition to the psychoeducational assessment, documentation must address the following criteria:
- DSM-IV diagnosis and a description of supporting past and present symptoms.
- Narrative summary of assessment procedures, including all scores used to make the diagnosis.
- Description of present symptoms, fluctuating conditions and prognosis.
- Medication needs and side effects of how the medication will affect the student’s academic performance.
- Recommendations for reasonable accommodation.
Students applying for services and accommodations on the basis of psychiatric disabilities must submit documentation completed by a psychiatrist or licensed psychologist who has experience diagnosing and treating this condition and must address the following criteria:
- DSM-IV diagnosis.
- Psychological test used to make the diagnosis and all scores to support the diagnosis.
- Current Medications, side effects and compliance with medication plan.
- Therapeutic interventions and compliance with such to ensure that accommodations do not jeopardize successful therapeutic interventions.
Students requesting services and accommodations based on a visual impairment must provide documentation including:
- Ocular assessment from licensed ophthalmologist. Documentation must be current if visual impairment is progressive.
- Low vision evaluation of residual functioning, if appropriate.
- Functional impact of the visual disability and recommendations for accommodations.
- A narrative report from an ophthalmologist including diagnosis, progression, functional impact, and recommendations for accommodations.
Students requesting services and accommodations based on a hearing loss or deafness must provide the following documentation to receive services:
- An audiological evaluation/exam and/or audiogram. Documentation must be current if impairment is progressive.
- An interpretation of the functional impact of the hearing impairment/deafness and hearing aid evaluation, where appropriate.
- A narrative report from the audiologist including diagnosis, progression, functional impact, and recommendations for accommodation.
All documentation of disability submitted to the Office of Disability Services will be held in confidence. Disability documentation provided by a physician, psychiatrist, psychologist or other recognized professional is not subject to free access under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). The information regarding a student’s disability will be shared by ODS on a limited basis, and then only when there is a compelling reason for such disclosure. This means that a faculty member generally does not have a need to know what the disability of a student is, only that it has been appropriately verified by ODS.