Disability Documentation Guidelines

Federal and state law requires colleges and universities to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities that substantially impair or limit their opportunity to achieve their maximum academic potential. Students requesting accommodations and/or support services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide current documentation of the existence of a disability that substantially limits a major life activity (i.e. learning, speaking, breathing, seeing, hearing, walking, etc.).

Every student needs to submit medical documentation to determine appropriate and reasonable accommodations. If documentation is insufficient to validate certain accommodations, OSWD will email you with a request to have more documentation sent to us. More specific guidelines are provided in the links associated with particular types of disabilities in the menu.

Documentation information should validate the need for services based on the individual’s current level of functioning in the educational setting. A school plan such as an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan is insufficient documentation, but these plans can be included as part of a more comprehensive assessment battery.

Guidelines for OSWD Disability Documentation Required

To register with OSWD a student must provide documentation from a medical professional qualified to diagnose and confirm the presence of the disability or medical condition for which accommodations are sought. This documentation must describe the student’s disability-related academic functional limitations, in order to help OSWD assess and establish the student’s academic accommodations.

The types of documentation, and the qualified professionals able to provide, depend on the nature of the disability. The following “OSWD Documentation Requirements” summarizes what documentation needs to be provided, and by whom.

OSWD-documentation-requirements

Documentation Provided to OSWD Needs to Include

• Name, title and professional credentials of the evaluator as well as the area of specialization, employment and state/province in which the individual practices should be clearly stated in the documentation.
• All reports should be on letterhead, typed, dated, signed and otherwise legible.
• The evaluator should have training and experience with adolescent/adult populations.