Documenting the Presence of a Disability
To receive services through Disability Support Services (DSS), all students must submit appropriate documentation of a disability. Students with sensory, physical, or other health impairments must provide written documentation in the form of medical reports or a letter from a physician detailing the disability. Documentation should contain professionally recommended academic accommodations. Such documentation must be provided, even if the condition is temporary (e.g., broken leg, dislocated shoulder).
Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) and/or ADD/ADHD must provide current documentation of the diagnosis.
Confidentiality of records is required by law and maintained within Disability Support Services. DSS may disclose only the specific nature of a student's disability upon written release from the student.
Disability Support Services will keep your disability-related documentation on file for five years after your graduation and/or last enrollment. After five years without enrollment or academic activity, your disability documentation will be destroyed.
Documentation Guidelines
The Americans with Disabilities Act (Public Law 101-336, 1990) defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities (e.g., learning, walking, talking, seeing, hearing, or caring for oneself). The provision of reasonable accommodations is based on an assessment of the current impact of the student's disability. As the manifestations of a disability may vary over time and in different settings, in most cases, evaluations should have been conducted within the past year (e.g., low vision or neuromuscular conditions are often subject to change and should be updated to reflect current functioning). Documentation should validate the need for services based on the individual's current level of functioning in an educational setting.
Documentation must be a typed letter or report on letterhead and include disability-related evidence as stated in the categories below.
Qualifications of a Licensed Professional
The professional providing the documentation of the disability must be identified by name, title, and professional credentials. The professional must include information about license or certification as well as the area (s) of specialization, employment, and the state/province in which the individual practices. This information should be clearly stated within the documentation. Professionals conducting assessments, providing diagnoses of psychological/Learning disabilities, and making recommendations for accommodations must have appropriate licensure/certification. Documentation should be based on a comprehensive diagnostic/clinical evaluation that adheres to the guidelines.
- Provide a summary of the assessment methods and evaluation tools used to establish the diagnosis. Alternatively, a summary from a physician who has treated the student for ADHD is acceptable.
- Include details about any prescribed medications and their potential side effects that could affect the student's academic performance.
- Clearly describe any functional limitations or challenges the student experiences in the academic setting as a result of ADHD or ADD. For instance, explain how ADHD or ADD impacts the student's learning capabilities.
- Provide a summary of the assessment procedures and evaluation tools used to establish the diagnosis. Alternatively, a summary from a qualified professional who has been treating the student is acceptable.
- Include details about any prescribed medications and their potential side effects that could affect academic performance.
- Describe any functional limitations or barriers in the academic setting related to Asperger's Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Specifically, explain how the condition impairs the student's ability to learn.
- Submit a letter or report from an audiologist or otolaryngologist.
- Provide detailed information about functional limitations or barriers related to the student's hearing loss within the academic environment. For instance, explain how deafness or hearing loss affects the student's ability to learn.
- According to the State of Florida, hearing loss is defined as a loss of thirty decibels or more. This includes, but is not limited to: conductive hearing impairment or deafness, sensorineural hearing impairment or deafness, high or low tone hearing loss or deafness, and hearing loss or deafness due to acoustic trauma.
Cognitive
- Administer a complete cognitive battery appropriate for adults, reporting all subtest and standard scores.
- Data must clearly reflect a substantial limitation to learning that justifies the requested accommodation.
- Tests should be reliable, valid, and standardized for use with adult populations.
- The finding should document both the nature and severity of the disability.
Academic Achievement
- Provide a comprehensive academic achievement battery.
- Include current levels of academic functioning in areas such as: Reading (decoding and comprehension), Mathematics, Oral and Written language.
Specific Diagnosis
- Report must include a specific diagnosis based on DSM-V (or latest edition) diagnostic criteria, including both numerical and nominal codes.
- Individual learning styles, differences, academic problems, or test anxiety alone do not constitute a learning disability.
- Documentation must use definitive language and avoid terms like "suggests" or "is indicative of."
- If a learning disability is identified, the evaluator should clearly state this in the report.
Processing Scores
- Assess specific areas of information processing, such as:
- Short-term and long-term memory.
- Sequential memory.
- Auditory and visual perception/processing.
- Processing speed.
- Executive functioning.
- More ability.
Test for Assessing Adolescents and Adults
- Select batteries with strong technical adequacy (reliability, validity, and appropriate standardization).
- Note: Screening assessments are not comprehensive enough for accommodation decisions.
Aptitude/Cognitive Ability (Information Processing)
- Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test.
- Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - IV (WAIS-IV or the latest edition).
- Woodcock-Johnson-IV - Tests of Cognitive Ability.
- Stanford-Binet IV.
Academic Achievement
- Woodcock-Johnson-IV-Tests of Achievement.
- Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT).
- Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test.
- Test of Written Language - 4 (TOWL - 4).
- Woodcock - Johnson Reading Mastery Tests - III.
- Provide a letter from a qualified professional, such as a physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, licensed social worker, or licensed mental health counselor, who is authorized to diagnose and treat the condition.
- Clearly identify the specific psychological, emotional, or behavioral disability.
- Include information about any side effects of medications prescribed for treatment.
- Describe the functional limitations or barriers related to the student's psychological, emotional, or behavioral disability, including but not limited to organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, or attention deficit disorders.
Other Health Impairment
The student has a specific disability that is not listed in a specific category.
- Submit a letter or report from an ophthalmologist or optometrist.
- Alternatively, provide documentation from an agency that specializes in services for individuals who are blind or have low vision (e.g., the Division of Blind Services).
- Include information describing the functional limitations or barriers related to the student's vision loss in the academic environment. Specifically, indicate how vision loss or blindness impacts the student's ability to learn.
- A visual impairment, as defined by the State of Florida, refers to disorders in the structure or function of the eye, as evidenced by at least one of the following:
- Visual acuity of 20/70 or less in the better eye with best possible correction.
- A peripheral field so constricted that it affects the ability to function in an educational setting.
- Progressive loss of vision that may impact educational functioning.
- Examples of visual impairment include, but are not limited to: cataracts, glaucoma, nystagmus, retinal detachment, retinitis pigmentosa, and strabismus.
All DSS services provided at no expense to the student and are based upon the individual student's needs. The responsibility for determining a student's eligibility for services rests with the DSS staff.