Documentation Requirements for a Disability

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Document Number: DISAB--101
Revision #: 2.0
Document Owner: Dean of Students
Date Last Updated: 12/24/2017
Primary Author: Director of Counseling/Disability Services
Status: Approved
Date Originally Created: 11/16/2011
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General Description
Description: Information about documentation requirements for a disability

Purpose: Delineation of policy

Scope: All faculty, staff, students, and administrators

Responsibility: Counseling/Disability Services
Dean of Students
Legal Counsel
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Requirements
Relevant Knowledge: In order to comply with this policy you should know:
State statutes
Standards of good practice
Standard company policies
Local statutes
Federal statutes
Current University policy
Terms and Definitions: Additional training

Corrective Action

Fine

Loss of privilege, general

OCR visit
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Policy Provisions
1. Documentation Requirements for a Disability

Before a student may file for academic adjustments, documentation of the disability must be provided. Documentation should be as current as possible but must be no older than five (5) years and must be furnished by a licensed medical or psychological examiner on official letterhead and signed by the examiner. Exceptions to the five year time limit may be necessary depending upon individual circumstances and the nature of the disability. Reports by nurses, counselors, social workers, record clerks and statements written on prescription pads are not acceptable. Please note that while an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) from high school is a valuable resource of information, it cannot be used as documentation for a disability. The qualified professional must be licensed or certified to diagnose the disability in question. Documentation is required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in order to provide requested academic adjustments.

1.1 Information should include:

date of assessment and diagnosis
current functional impact of the disability and limitations of the disorder on the student’s academic performance
treatments or medications in current use
estimated effectiveness of treatments or medications in lessening the impact of the disability
expected duration, stability or progression of the condition
clinical summary of the procedures and instruments used to make the diagnosis, to include a diagnostic interview as well as testing results
specific recommended academic accommodations for the condition with a rationale for each recommendation
for psychiatric disabilities, a complete DSM-IV-TR diagnosis in multiaxial format, current symptoms that meet the diagnosis, assessment procedures, and evaluation instruments and results in addition to all of the above

The documented disability must be a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. A qualified individual with a disability must satisfy the requisite skill, experience, education, and other program-related requirements and can perform, with or without reasonable adjustments, the essential requirements of such a program.

The student will be asked to sign an Authorization for Release and Exchange of Information Form (Appendix C) if they desire contact between the staff of the Counseling/Disability Services Office and their healthcare provider for any reason.

DISAB--101_Appendix C Release of Information

The semester prior to a student’s documentation becoming out of date, the student will be given notice of the need to update documentation. The Director of Counseling/Disability Services will review documentation needs with the student and will ask the student to sign the Notice Regarding the Need to Update Documentation (Appendix D) form.

DISAB--101_Notice of Need to Update Documentation

Documentation should be submitted via regular mail to the Director of Counseling/Disability Services Office, One Cumberland Square, Lebanon, TN 37087.

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Performance Evaluation
Performance Metrics: Compliance with federal mandate
Compliance with standard policy and procedure

Consequences: Fine
Further training
Loss of privileges
OCR visit
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Subject Experts
The following may be consulted for additional information.

Dean of Students

Director of Counseling/Disability Services