...FOR DISABILITY VERIFICATION/ACCOMMODATION

The following information is meant to help you help us in determining your eligibility for accommodations and services as a student with a disabilty.

Purpose of Documentation	Requirements of Documentation
General Guidelines	Disability Related Guidelines

student seated at desk

PURPOSE

Resources for Disabled Students (RDS) reserves the right to request appropriate documentation from a student who self-identifies as having a disability to confirm:

-- the presence of a specific disability,
-- the disability substantially limits a student in this academic environment, and/or
-- that a particular accommodation is required in order to ensure an equal opportunity to participate in, or benefit from, a university program.

Verification of the presence of a disability is the first step in determining a student's elibility for accommodations and/or support from RDS. It is also used to help determine what may be the most appropriate accommodation for a particular need. All accommodations provided must be consistent with the type of disability presented.

Requirements | General Guidelines | Disability Guidelines

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REQUIREMENTS

Documentation must be from a professional, unrelated to the student, who is trained and qualified (i.e. certified and/or licensed) to evaluate/diagnose/assess the particular disability. These professionals include, but are not limited to, medical doctors, psychologists, audiologists, ophthalmologists and educational diagnosticians.

Documentation must include the letterhead of the professional providing the evaluation/diagnosis/assessment and include the name, address, and qualifications of the professional.

Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or Section 504 Plans from K-12 institutions may be submitted providing they include a specific identified disability. Statements regarding current functional abilities are also preferred if a disability is likely to impact a student's academic performance.

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GENERAL GUIDELINES

Depending upon the disability, documentation should be as current as possible. In addition, assessments and evaluations of functional limitations should be age appropriate (e.g. for learning disabilities).

Documentation for any disability should include as much of the following as possible, as a minimum:

diagnosis of disability, including clinical history that establishes the onset, or date of diagnosis

duration and/or prognosis

procedures used to diagnose/evaluate/assess the disability

description of any medical and/or behavioral symptoms associated with the disability

identification of medications, and side effects, that could significantly impact the student in an academic environment

statement specifying functional limitations caused by the particular disability

any recommended accommodations, including rationale, associated with the identified functional limitations

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DISABILITY RELATED GUIDELINES

In addition, documentation for students with specific non-apparent disabilities should include the following:

For SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES:

Current aptitude, as derived from a recognized intellectual assessment, including scores of subtests

Current academic achievement, as derived from a recognized battery of achievement tests, including the current levels of functioning in areas such as: reading (decoding and comprehension), mathematics, and oral and written expression

Current ability to process information, including short- and long-term memory, sequential memory, auditory and visual perception/processing, processing speed, executive functioning, and motor ability, as appropriate to the specific learning disability

For ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER (ADD) or ATTENTION DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD):

Procedures used to diagnose the disability, including a list of all assessment instruments

Discussion of testing results and behavior, including the symptoms that meet the criteria for diagnosis (if medication was a factor in the assessment, please indicate the effects it may have had on performance)

DSM-IV, including all five axes

Summary statement addressing substantial limitations caused by this condition, recommended medications for the student, and recommended accommodations in an academic environment

For PSYCHOLOGICAL/PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITIES:

Current treatment program, if any, including current medications and on-going support

DSM-IV diagnosis, including all five axes

Summary statement that includes a description of how the condition substantially limits the student (especially in an academic environment), potential effect of medications on performance, recommended accommodations in an academic environment, and other support that might be required for the student to function in an academic environment

For OTHER NON-APPARENT DISABILITIES:

Deafness/hard of hearing - a current audiogram

Visual limitations - the most recent assessment of visual acuity

Ambulatory mobility conditions (e.g. injuries to back and other conditions that may impede the ability to move from place to place) - a current functional diagnosis

Any other verification of the significant limitations caused by a particular disability, as needed to assess individual need

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Resources for Disabled Students
100 General Services
Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA (970) 491-6385

	RESOURCES FOR DISABLED STUDENTS
RDS is part of the Division of Student Affairs	100 General Services, Fort Collins, CO 80523-8002 (970) 491-6385 (V/TDD), (970) 491-3457 (Fax)