Physical Disabilities and Systemic Illnesses

Documentation Guidelines for Physical Disabilities and Systemic Illnesses

Students with disabilities that are clearly visible by outward manifestations of the disability shall be afforded accommodations that are clearly justified by the nature of their disability (e.g., a reader for a student who is blind).  The College reserves the right to require documentation when a requested accommodation cannot be easily justified and determined by the outward effects of the student’s disabling condition.  The guidelines below should be followed when providing documentation for disabilities that are not clearly visible.

Evaluator Qualifications

Physical disabilities and systemic illnesses are considered to be in the medical domain and require the expertise of a physician or other medical specialist with experience and expertise in the area for which accommodations are being requested.

Current Documentation

Documentation must be no more than three years old for conditions that may change over time or respond to medication.  A student with a condition that does not change over time is still encouraged to provide current documentation of the condition because the provision of reasonable accommodations and services is based upon assessment of the current impact of the student’s disabilities on his/her academic functioning.  In this case, though, re-testing may not be medically necessary to evaluate the student’s disability.

Comprehensive Documentation

For the documentation to be comprehensive, it must:

1. Identify an unequivocal diagnosis of a specific disability;
2. Describe the expected progression or stability of the disability over time;
3. List current medication, dosages, and existing (not possible) side effects;
4. Discuss functional limitations caused by the disability in an academic environment or the environment in which the student is requesting accommodations; and
5. Include recommended accommodations explaining the need for each as it relates to the functional impact or limitations of the disability on learning or other major life activities.