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Documentation
In order to verify eligibility for protection under
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990; and to support requests for reasonable
accommodations, in most cases, a student must submit documentation
that indicates his/her disability substantially limits one or more
major life activity, and validates the need for accommodations based
on his/her current level of functioning in an educational setting.
Documentation for students with psychiatric disabilities
must also include a current DSM-IV classification from the Diagnostic
and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders. Students with learning
disabilities must submit diagnostic information which includes current
levels of functioning in reading, mathematics, and written language,
overall cognitive ability, and specific areas of information processing.
A copy of the most recent IEP, if applicable, and
high school transcript is also helpful. The diagnostic report must
contain clear and specific evidence and identification of a learning
disability. Individual "learning styles" and "learning
differences" in and of themselves do not constitute a learning
disability and will not be acceptable.
Because the provision of all reasonable accommodations
and services is based upon assessment of the current impact of the
student’s disabilities on his/her academic performance, it
is in the student’s best interest to provide recent and appropriate
documentation. All documentation must be on official letterhead
from a licensed or certified professional appropriate for evaluating
the student’s disability. The name(s), title(s), and credentials
of the licensed or certified professional, as well as the date(s)
of evaluation, must be included.
If the initial documentation is incomplete or inadequate
to determine the extent of the disability and reasonable accommodations,
DSS has the discretion to require additional documentation. Any
cost of obtaining additional documentation is borne by the student.
Students reporting learning or attention difficulties
without documentation are interviewed and screened by DSS free of
charge, and when appropriate, are given referrals for comprehensive
and diagnostic testing in the community. The student is responsible
for testing costs after the initial screening.
For more information, please refer to the Guidelines
for Documentation of a Learning Disability in Adolescents and Adults.
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