SAS Documentation Guidelines

The Office Student Accessibility Services (SAS) requires current documentation; however, SAS utilizes flexibility and discretion in accepting older documentation of conditions that are permanent or non-varying. Changing conditions and/or changes in how the condition impacts the individual brought on by growth and development may warrant more frequent updates in order to provide an accurate picture. Therefore, SAS reserves the right to request additional information in order to determine eligibility. In some cases, students with certain disabilities (e.g., psychiatric or TBI) may be required to submit updated documentation from their provider on a continued basis in order to remain eligible for services.

Please see "Specific Documentation Guidelines" below for guidelines specific to a disability category.

The following documentation requirements are provided to verify eligibility and to support requests for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids. Documentation of a disability should be current, typed on office or practice letterhead, dated, and signed, and, as appropriate to the disability, the documentation should include the following elements.

Note: Notification on a doctor’s prescription pad is not appropriate documentation.

Documentation must be submitted by a professional who is licensed or certified in the area for which the diagnosis is made. The examiner's name, title and license or certification credentials must be stated in the documentation, and the examiner cannot be a family member or anyone with a close personal relationship to the individual being evaluated.

Personal, psychosocial, medical, developmental and/or educational history relevant to the purpose of the evaluation should be included with a history of previous accommodations and their impact.

A diagnostic statement identifying the disability, the date of the most current diagnostic evaluation and the date of the original diagnosis should be included.

A full description of the diagnostic methodology used, including all data and measurements from appropriate evaluation instruments, must be included. Data-based evidence of disability and level of impairment is required for the provision of accommodations. A discussion of the methodology used and the results obtained should draw a direct link to the diagnosis and the functional limitations of the disability.

Note: Screening instruments, though often used to support a diagnosis, are not sufficient indicators of impairment; they will not be used to determine specific accommodations.

A clear description of the current impact and functional limitations of the disability regarding academic, workplace and/or residential settings (including information indicating if the symptoms are constant or episodic, as well as their frequency and/or duration) should be provided. This may be in the form of an examiner's narrative and/or an interview but must have a rational relationship to diagnostic assessments. For cognitive disorders, current documentation is defined using adult norms.

A statement indicating treatments, medications, and/or assistive devices/services currently prescribed or in use, with a description of the mediating effects and potential side effects from such treatments regarding the academic, workplace and/or residential setting, should be included.

Recommendations for accommodations, adaptive devices, assistive services, compensatory strategies and/or collateral support services should include a clear rationale based on the level of impairment obtained from data-based diagnostic evaluations and assessments. Suggestions for accommodations should be directly linked to the impact or functional limitations associated with the disability or medication prescribed to control symptoms.

Accommodation decisions are to be made on a case-by-case basis, considering the impact of a particular individual's disability within the specific environmental context.

Note: The University will make the final decisions concerning the appropriateness of accommodations. Please contact Student Accessibility Services at [email protected] if you have questions about the documentation guidelines.