Documentation and Eligibility
An essential component for students wishing to establish eligibility with Disability Services is documentation. The documentation should include information on the limitations associated with the disability and how that will impact the structure of courses, testing, educational activities, etc. When determining eligibility Disability Services will take into consideration previous services and documentation from IEP’s, 504’s, or other universities.
Qualified Source
Documentation should be provided by a licensed (or otherwise appropriately credentialed) individual. Disability Services staff must be able to establish said credentials. It is also reasonable to expect the credentials of the diagnostician to be related to the type of condition, disability or disorder being diagnosed.
Examples of certain disabilities and appropriate sources for documentation:
| If You Have Or Are | Your Documentation Should Come From |
|---|---|
| ADD, ADHD | Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Physician |
| Psychological Disability | Psychologist, Psychiatrist |
| Blindness/Visual Impairment | Ophthalmologist |
| Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing | Certified Otologist, Audiologist |
| Learning Disability | Psychologist, Neuropsychologist, School Psychologist |
| Physical Disability (Other Medical) | Physician |
*Your documentation should be on official letterhead, and signed and dated by the diagnostician. Documentation written on a prescription pad, or without a signature, or without letterhead may be insufficient.
Diagnostician Should Include
In accordance with prevailing state and federal laws, your diagnostician should include all of the following in your documentation:
→Statement of Disability
Your diagnostician should include the name of your disability and DSM diagnoses where appropriate.
- Identify the disability, including DSM or ICF diagnostic codes, and provide a full clinical description.
- Include a description of the criteria, evaluation methods, procedures, and tests used to make the diagnosis, including dates, observations, and specific results. Possible diagnostic methods include formal instruments, medical exams, structured or unstructured interviews, objective performance measures, and observational data.
- Describe the typical progression of the disability, such as the expected changes in the functional impact over time. If the condition is not stable, provide information on interventions (such as medications or therapy) and the anticipated or potential impact on the disability over time. Provide a timeline for re-evaluation where appropriate.
- Describe any current and past accommodations, auxiliary aids, assistive devices, support services, treatments, and medications. Please include an evaluation of the effectiveness of such strategies where possible. Also specify any potential or observed side-effects of any medication or treatment. Note: Accommodation provided at previous institutions or in any other setting are not necessarily binding upon 91¶ÌÊÓƵ.
- Be sufficiently current.
→Statement of Limitations
Your diagnostician should include the type, frequency, severity, and duration, of the limitations you have because of your disability. Especially relevant are limitations that impact your academically. Note: These limitations must effect a major life activity as established by the ADA.
A full functional limitation statement should:
- Provide clear details on how a major life activity is substantially limited by the disability, focusing on such activities which may pertain to an educational environment. While self-reported data is valuable, it should be substantiated and supported with less subjective methods (formal evaluation, clinical narrative, medical data, etc.)
- Provide a clear sense of the severity, frequency, and duration of the disability.
- Include available information on the episodic nature of the disability and possible environmental triggers or stressors will help to determine appropriate accommodations and anticipate any academic impact.
- Be relevant to the student’s current functional limitations.
→Recommended Accommodations
While previous accommodations may not always be appropriate to 91¶ÌÊÓƵ or a specific course, recommendations from professionals with a history of working with the student are always helpful. An exhaustive list of “possible” accommodations is rarely informative; it is essential for recommended accommodations and strategies to be logically related to functional limitations. Include adaptive devices, assistive services, compensatory strategies, and/or collateral support services.
If you or your diagnostician have any questions or concerns, please contact Disability Services by phone at (801) 626-6413, or by email at dsc@weber.edu.