Accurate documentation of your disability is vital in order for our Office of Disability
Services to fully evaluate your request for special accommodations, auxiliary aids,
or services.
A combination of the following will be requested and considered when evaluating requests
for services and accommodations.Documentation must be provided by a qualified, licensed, or certified physician, psychiatrist, or
psychologist. Please review the Services for Students with Disabilities and Disability Discrimination Policy.
In order to assist you and your healthcare professional in properly and thoroughly
completing your documentation, please follow these general guidelines:
Note that the Section 504 and IDEA obligations of K-12 public school districts to
provide a free and appropriate public education without regard to cost do not apply
to postsecondary institutions such as the College.
Letters of accommodation from previous higher education institutions
A combination of the following will be requested and considered when evaluating requests
for services and accommodations.Documentation must be provided by a qualified, licensed, or certified physician, psychiatrist, or
psychologist. Please review the Services for Student with Disabilities and Disability Discrimination
Policy.
Acceptable Documentation
Application for Services and Accommodations
Disability Verification Form
Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Verification Form
Housing Accommodation Verification Form
Medical Records and/or Reports
Psycho-educational/Neuro-psychological reports
School Records (IEP or 504 Plans).
Note that the Section 504 and IDEA obligations of K-12 public school districts to
provide a free and appropriate public education without regard to cost do not apply
to postsecondary institutions such as the College.
Letters of accommodation from previous higher education institutions
A combination of the following will be requested and considered when evaluating requests
for services and accommodations.Documentation must be provided by a qualified, licensed, or certified physician, psychiatrist, or
psychologist. Please review the Services for Student with Disabilities and Disability Discrimination
Policy.
Acceptable Documentation
Application for Services and Accommodations
Disability Verification Form
Emotional Support Animal (ESA) Verification Form
Housing Accommodation Verification Form
Medical Records and/or Reports
Psycho-educational/Neuro-psychological reports
School Records (IEP or 504 Plans).
Note that the Section 504 and IDEA obligations of K-12 public school districts to
provide a free and appropriate public education without regard to cost do not apply
to postsecondary institutions such as the College.
Letters of accommodation from previous higher education institutions
What Does Acceptable Documentation Include
Documentation must include
Documentation must include:
Diagnosis Details: Name of your disability, date diagnosed, and date of your most recent evaluation.
Symptoms: Description of how your condition affects you and meets diagnostic criteria.
Assessment Information: Tests or evaluations used to determine your disability (include the full report).
Current Treatment: Medications, dosage, and frequency, if relevant.
Impact on Learning or other Major Life Activities: How your disability affects your ability to participate in classes, college housing, or
other college activities.
Accommodation Recommendations: Suggestions for accommodations based on your needs, including a brief explanation
of previous accommodations or why accommodations are needed now.
How Long is Documentation Good For
How long is documentation good for?
All documentation submitted to the Office of Disability Services must accurately reflect
a student’s current functional limitations to support the determination of accommodations. Students
may also be asked to provide updated evaluations if their condition has changed significantly
or if existing documentation is outdated or does not clearly describe current needs.
Medical and general disabilities: Documentation should generally be no more than three years old.
Psychological disabilities: Because these conditions can change over time, documentation should be no more than
one year old. If the condition has not been stable for a full year, more recent documentation
(within the past six months) may be required.
Suggestions for Documentation
Include evaluator credentials
The professional who is assessing your condition and helping you complete your documentation
must demonstrate appropriate training, licensure, and experience for his/her profession.
A match between this professional’s credentials and your condition is expected.
Include a diagnostic statement identifying your disability
Be sure to include a clear diagnostic statement that describes how your condition
was diagnosed, the functional impact it has had on you, and its typical progression.
When appropriate, include International Classification of Diseases (ICD) or Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) codes, as well as your most recent evaluation. However, if this was not a full evaluation,
please indicate the date of your last full evaluation.
Include a description of the diagnostic methodology used
Documentation must include a description of the diagnostic criteria met for your diagnosis,
the evaluation methods used, all administered tests and dates, and a clinical narrative.
When appropriate to the nature of your disability, we recommend you also include summary
data and specific test scores.
Include the current functional impact of your condition
Information on how your disability is currently impacting you is essential in establishing
our recommendation for possible accommodations. Documentation should be thorough enough
to demonstrate whether and how a major life activity is substantially limited by providing
a clear sense of severity and variability over time and/or environmental conditions.
Any relevant functional impact on your physical, perceptual, cognitive, or behavioral
ability should be either described as a clinical narrative or supported by specific
results from your diagnostic procedures/assessments.
Describe your disability’s expected progression or stability
It is best to provide information on expected changes in the functional impact of
your disability over time and context. Information on the cyclical or episodic nature
of your disability plus any known or suspected environmental triggers to episodes
provides opportunities for our team to anticipate and plan for varying functional
impacts. If your condition is not considered stable, it would be extremely helpful
if you included information on interventions and recommended timelines for re-evaluation.
Describe both past and current accommodations, services, and/or medications
Please describe all accommodations, services, auxiliary aids, assistive aids, and/or
medication you have had in the past. Be sure to include their past effectiveness in
minimizing the functional impacts of your disability. Also, please describe any significant
side effects from your current medication. Note: Although any accommodations provided
to you at another institution do not necessarily guarantee the same at Terra State,
they will provide us valuable insight in helping to promote your equal access to an
education here.
Include recommendations for accommodations, adaptive/assistive devices, auxiliary
services, and/or support services
Recommendations from any professionals who have worked with you will provide us valuable
information. Of course, recommended accommodations and services should be logically
related to your functional limitations. If, however, these connections are not that
obvious, a clear explanation of their relationship should be presented. When recommendations
go beyond the equitable and inclusive services and benefits that we offer, they may
still be useful in suggesting alternative accommodations and services.
Contact Us!
If you have questions or need support requesting or utilizing Disability Services,
please connect with us. We would love to meet and assist you.
