Psychiatric/Psychological Disabilities Documentation Guidelines
The student is responsible for providing documentation tha t supports
his/her request for accommodation. It is important that the documentation
clearly e stablishes that the student has a disability as defined by
federal regulations and that the documentation clearly supports the individual's
request for accommodation. The following documentation guidelines are
provided in the interest of ensuring that docu mentation of a psychiatric
disorder demonstrates a significant impact on a major life activity and
supports the individual's request for accommodation.
- A qualified professional must conduct the evaluation: An
evaluation must be conduct ed by a qualifie d professional. Professionals
conducting assessments and rendering diagnoses should have appropriate
training in diagnosing psychological/psychiatric disorders. The name,
title, and professional credentials of the evaluator, including information
about license or certification should be clearly stated in the documentation.
All reports should be on letterhead, dated signed, and otherwise legible.
- Documentation should be current: The provision
of accommodations is based on assessment of the current impact of the
student's disabilities on his or her academic performance. Documentation
that is outdated or inadequate in scope or content; does not address
the student's current level of functioning; or does not address changes
in the student's perf ormance since the previous assessment was conducted
may not support requested accommodations. When appropriate, additional
supportive documentation will be requested.
- Documentation
necessary to substantiate a disability should include:
-
A state ment, on letterhead, by a qualified health professional,
such as a psychiatrist or clinical psychologist;
- A summary of assessment
procedures, evaluation instruments used to make the diagnosis,
and a summary of evaluation results;
- The statement should include
a specific diagnosis, the nature of the disability, fun ctional
limitations, current status of the student, and any recommendations
for support. If specific accommodations are recommended they
must be supporte d by the assessment with specific rationale for
the accommodations and/or evidence that the accommodation has been
effective in the past.
- When warranted, medical information relating
to the student should also include the impact of medication on
the student's ability to meet the demands in the postsecondary
environment.
Last Modified:
January 12, 2007
top |
