Student self-report is considered a vital source of information when reviewing and determining accommodations. Gathering a self-report from the student is the first step in our accommodation determination process. We recognize that people with disabilities are experts of their own experiences and important sources of information. Accordingly, we welcome self-disclosures and personal histories as critical elements of the application screening process.

Documentation is often required and necessary to support the self-report and to provide a better insight into how a disability impacts various aspects of a student's academics or residential experience. Some specific types of accommodation requests may require more detailed documentation than others. Students are strongly encouraged, but not required, to submit any relevant documentation that they have when registering with Disability Services.

Please note that you should not delay meeting with us if you are concerned about not having the right documentation. Access Coordinators will discuss specific third-part documentation needs during your Welcome Meeting and steps you can take after the meeting. Our priority is meeting with you, not reviewing the documentation.

Insufficient documentation will not delay the initial meeting, but it may delay the consideration of possible approval for certain accommodations. To learn more about the role that documentation plays in our accommodation decision-making process, please review these FAQs here.

Types of Documentation:

Disability Disclosure Form (Fillable PDF)

· This is our most preferred form of documentation. Students are strongly encouraged to provide this form to their healthcare provider to complete on their behalf.

· In cases where the healthcare provider submits their own written letter but the letter does not address the elements outlined below, Disability Services may request that the student submit this form instead.

· If you have had a neuropsychological/psycho-educational evaluation or have a prior history of accommodations (see below), please submit these in addition to this completed form.

Letters written by a healthcare provider:

If you submit a letter in place of the Disability Disclosure Form, it should contain the following elements:

• Written on an official letterhead
• Written by a licensed healthcare professional who has been treating the student and is familiar with the impact of the student's disability
• Be signed by the healthcare professional
• Be in a non-editable format (i.e., not a Word Document)
• Be dated within the past 5 years
• Indicate the nature of the disability or condition:
• Include the specific diagnosis, a general description of the impairment, and the duration of the impairment (e.g., temporary, permanent, progressive, episodic).
• Indicate the impact of the disability:
• Describe the functional limitations of the disability as they relate to the request for accommodation(s) (i.e., how does the impairment limit one or more major life activity?)
• Indicate the severity of the disability:
• Describe the extent to which the impairment limits the student's ability to perform a major life activity. The provider may also indicate whether any specific conditions, stimuli, or environments exacerbate (or mitigate) the severity of the condition.

Recommendations for accommodations:

Accommodations listed within the documentation will be considered as recommendations to help guide our interactive process; a specific recommendation from a healthcare professional does not guarantee approval for those accommodations.

If there are any diagnostic test results or evaluations conducted, such as a neuropsychological/psychoeducation assessment, the healthcare provider is encouraged to include these reports along with their letter.

If you have a history of accommodations (e.g., high school, standardized testing, or prior college), please provide documentation of this. This could include:

• A high school IEP, 504 plan, or the private school equivalent
• A College Board letter verifying accommodations for SAT or ACT testing, or any other verification of accommodations for standardized testing
• A letter from your previous college/university verifying your accommodations

Other forms of documentation may include:

· A neuropsychological or psycho-educational evaluation report (preferably completed within the past 5 years)

· A detailed letter written by a certified healthcare provider

Documentation that will not be considered:

The following are examples of documentation that will not be considered in our accommodation review process:

• Screenshots from a patient portal
• Photos of medication bottles
• A list of your prescription medication without context about the diagnosis
• Letters without an official letterhead
• HEIC files (Disability Services is not able to open these file types - please convert to PDF or jpeg)
• Medical test results without narrative descriptions
• Summary of hospital/doctor visit