To determine appropriate accessibility measures (accommodations), Student Accessibility Services (SAS) requires documentation from the licensed medical professional who is treating you. This documentation is reviewed in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and helps us understand how your condition may impact you in a post-secondary academic environment.

The purpose of requesting documentation is not to prevent students from receiving services. Rather, documentation helps SAS identify reasonable and effective accessibility measures based on functional limitations related to a qualifying medical condition.

Please note that a clinical diagnosis alone does not automatically establish eligibility for accommodations. Documentation must demonstrate that the condition substantially limits one or more major life activities and explain how those limitations affect you academically.

Documentation Requirements:

• Be completed by a licensed professional (who is not related to you) and whose credentials are directly related to your qualifying medical condition under the ADA
• Be provided on official letterhead or the appropriate SAS form
• Include the provider’s printed name, professional title, license number, contact information, and signature
• Clearly identify the qualifying medical condition and describe the method of diagnosis
• Describe current functional limitations and their impact in an academic setting
• Support your request for specific, reasonable accessibility measures
• Include provider-recommended accommodations tied to identified functional limitations

What Does Not Count as Documentation:

• Handwritten letters from licensed professionals
• Handwritten patient records or chart notes
• Documentation provided by a family member
• Diagnoses written on prescription pads
• Self-evaluations
• Research articles
• Medication containers or photographs of medication bottles

Learning Disabilities and ADHD

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) determines academic accommodations for students with learning disabilities and/or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to ensure equal access to educational programs.

Students requesting accommodations must register with SAS and submit current clinical documentation prepared by a qualified professional. Documentation is used to understand how a disability impacts the student in an academic setting and to identify reasonable accommodations.

Documentation Requirements

Documentation must confirm the presence of a learning disability and/or ADHD, describe current functional limitations in a postsecondary academic environment, and support the need for requested accommodations.

A comprehensive psycho-educational or neuropsychological evaluation is required and must include a diagnostic interview, assessment of cognitive functioning using adult-normed measures, and assessment of academic achievement and/or information processing. For ADHD, documentation should include standardized rating scales and objective measures demonstrating the impact of attention or executive functioning.

Assessment Measures

The evaluation must include appropriate testing sufficient to identify functional limitations. Common test types may include:

Cognitive / Intellectual Ability:
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability

Academic Achievement:
Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement
Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)
Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT)

Information Processing / Supplemental Measures, as appropriate:
Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE)
Gray Oral Reading Test (GORT)
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP)
Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS)
Beery Visual-Motor Integration (Beery VMI)

All standardized test scores must be reported with narrative interpretation.

Accommodation Decisions

Recommended accommodations must be linked to documented functional limitations. SAS reviews documentation independently and determines reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Evaluator recommendations are considered but are not binding.

Documentation Currency

Documentation must be based on adult-normed testing completed within the past three (3) years at the time of registration. If documentation is incomplete or outdated, SAS may request additional information.

Qualified Professionals

Evaluations must be completed by a qualified professional with experience assessing adolescents and adults with learning disabilities and ADHD. Documentation must include the evaluator’s credentials and contact information.

Forms:

Deaf / Hard of Hearing

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) determines academic accommodations for students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing to ensure equal access to educational programs, services, and communication.

Students requesting accommodations must register with SAS and submit documentation prepared by a qualified professional. Documentation is used to understand how hearing loss impacts communication access in academic environments and to identify reasonable accommodations.

Documentation Requirements

Documentation must confirm the presence of a hearing loss, describe the functional impact on communication in instructional and campus settings, and support the need for requested accommodations.

Documentation may include an audiological evaluation or medical report that identifies the type and degree of hearing loss, current use of hearing technology (e.g., hearing aids, cochlear implants, assistive listening devices), and communication considerations. Documentation should reflect the student’s current level of functioning.

Assessment Measures

Documentation may include one or more of the following, as appropriate:

Audiological Evaluation:
Pure-tone audiogram
Speech recognition or speech discrimination testing
Tympanometry or other relevant audiological measures

Medical or Clinical Documentation:
Report from an audiologist, otolaryngologist (ENT), or other qualified medical professional
Diagnosis identifying type and degree of hearing loss

Functional / Communication Information:
Preferred communication access (e.g., ASL, spoken English, captioning, assistive listening technology)
Impact of hearing loss in classroom, lab, online, and testing environments

Accommodation Decisions

Recommended accommodations must be linked to documented communication access needs. SAS reviews documentation independently and determines reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Evaluator recommendations are considered but are not binding.

Documentation Currency

Documentation should reflect the student’s current level of functioning. Audiological evaluations completed within the past three (3) years are preferred; however, older documentation may be accepted if the hearing loss is permanent and stable.

Qualified Professionals

Documentation must be completed by a qualified professional such as a licensed audiologist, otolaryngologist (ENT), or other appropriate medical professional. Documentation must include the provider’s name, credentials, professional title, and contact information.

Forms:

• D/HH Verification Form

Blind and Low Vision

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) determines academic accommodations for students who are blind or have low vision to ensure equal access to educational programs, services, and materials.

Students requesting accommodations must register with SAS and submit documentation prepared by a qualified professional. Documentation is used to understand how visual impairments impact access to instructional materials, learning environments, and technology, and to identify reasonable accommodations.

Documentation Requirements

Documentation must confirm the presence of a visual impairment, describe the functional impact on reading, access to visual information, mobility (if applicable), and use of technology in academic settings, and support the need for requested accommodations.

Documentation may include a comprehensive eye examination or medical report that identifies the diagnosis, visual acuity, visual field limitations, and prognosis. Documentation should reflect the student’s current level of functioning.

Assessment Measures

Documentation may include one or more of the following, as appropriate:

Clinical / Medical Documentation:
Report from an ophthalmologist, optometrist, or other qualified medical professional
Diagnosis identifying the nature and extent of vision loss

Functional Vision Information:
Visual acuity and visual field testing results
Description of functional limitations related to reading, visual tracking, or visual processing

Assistive Technology / Access Information:
Use of screen readers, screen magnification, braille, or other adaptive tools
Access needs for print, digital, lab, or online instructional materials

Accommodation Decisions

Recommended accommodations must be linked to documented access needs. SAS reviews documentation independently and determines reasonable accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Provider recommendations are considered but are not binding.

Documentation Currency

Documentation should reflect the student’s current level of functioning. Documentation completed within the past three (3) years is preferred; however, older documentation may be accepted when the visual impairment is permanent or stable.

Qualified Professionals

Documentation must be completed by a qualified professional such as an ophthalmologist, optometrist, low vision specialist, or other appropriate medical professional. Documentation must include the provider’s name, credentials, professional title, and contact information.

Forms: