Students requesting reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will need to complete the AIM Application for services. They will also need to provide supporting documentation of their disability. Sources of information used for determining a disability and/or accommodations may include a student’s self-report, direct observation and interaction with the student, and/or documentation from qualified evaluators or professionals. The Office of Disability Access understands that obtaining documentation can sometimes be difficult and present as a barrier. We are determined to support students in reducing these barriers and encourage any students who have concerns to work with their Coordinator in our office. While we have shared guidelines below for documentation, we will review each student's documentation on a case-by-case basis.
Optimal documentation includes a description of current functional limitations and is thorough enough to demonstrate whether and how a major life activity is substantially limited by providing a clear sense of the severity, frequency and pervasiveness of the condition(s). While relatively recent documentation is recommended in most circumstances, accepting older documentation of conditions that are permanent or non-varying is at the discretion of the ODA Case Management and Accommodation Review (CMAR) Committee. Likewise, changing conditions and/or changes in how the condition impacts the individual brought on by growth and development may warrant more frequent updates in order to provide an accurate picture. It is important to remember that documentation is not time-bound; the need for recent documentation depends on the facts and circumstances of the individual’s condition. In most cases, documentation should be current within the past 3- 5 years; however, some documentation that is older may also be relevant. In some cases, previous or more recent documentation may be requested to draw connections between the student’s current condition and the accommodation being requested.
To simplify the process the following PDF forms may be used for some types of disabilities or a formal letter may be created as long as it contains all of the elements listed below:
In addition to the ODA's Documentation Form, Documentation can be submitted in other formats such as:
-
A letter, on official letterhead, written by a qualified healthcare provider
-
A visit summary, discharge papers, or other medical summaries
Student Self-Report:
The student is a vital source of information regarding how their disability may impact them in an
educational environment. The AIM Registration Form provides students an opportunity to describe how
their disability impacts them in the educational environment and the accommodations they are
requesting. Examples of a student’s narrative may include specific experiences related to their
disability, barriers faced, and/or how previous accommodations worked for them.
Documentation:
The goal of any request for documentation will be reasonable and limited to the need for the
requested modification, accommodation, or auxiliary aid or service. Disability related
documentation should provide information on the impact of the disability so that appropriate
accommodations can be identified. Documentation may include assessments, reports, and/or letters from qualified
evaluators, professionals, or institutions. Documentation and supporting documents can originate
from health care providers, psychologists, diagnosticians, and/or previous schools (e.g.,
accommodation letters, 504 plan, IEP, or ARD documents).
Suggested Documentation Elements by Disability Categories
ADD/ADHD
Documentation may include:
- 504 plan(s), Individual Education Plans (IEP), previous evaluations (e.g., full individual assessment (FIE) or psycho-educational assessment) or Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) annual paperwork.
- A letter from the current treating professional and the following can be included:
- a statement of diagnosis
- how did professional arrive at diagnosis
- current method of treatment and possible side effects, and
- an explanation of the impact of the student's
- Diagnosis on learning and academic achievement. Documentation should be submitted on office letterhead with the signature and credentials of qualified professional. Recommendations to address those barriers may be included as well; and/or
- ODA Documentation Form completed by appropriate professional.
Brain Injury
Documentation may include:
- 504 plan(s), Individual Education Plans (IEP), previous evaluations (e.g., full individual assessment (FIE) or psycho-educational assessment) or Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) annual paperwork.
- A letter from the current treating professional and the following can be included:
- A statement of diagnosis
A current method of treatment
An explanation of how the student's diagnosis affects learning and academic achievement and - Recommendations to address those barriers may be included as well.
- Documentation should be submitted on office letterhead with the signature and credentials of qualified professional.
- A statement of diagnosis
- A visit summary, discharge papers, or other medical summaries; and/or
- ODA Documentation Form completed by appropriate professional.
Diagnostic examples include Traumatic Brain Injury, Chronic Post-Concussive Syndrome, Stroke, etc.
Developmental Disability
Documentation may include:
- 504 plan(s), Individual Education Plans (IEP), previous evaluations (e.g., full individual assessment (FIE) or psycho-educational assessment) or Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) annual paperwork;
- A letter from the current treating professional and the following can be included:
- A statement of diagnosis
- How did professional arrive at diagnosis
- Current method of treatment and possible side effects, and
- An explanation of the impact of the student's diagnosis on learning and academic achievement.
- Documentation should be submitted on office letterhead with the signature and credentials of qualified professional. Recommendations to address those barriers may be included as well
- ODA Documentation Form completed by appropriate professional; or
- A full individual assessment (FIE) or psycho-educational assessment including a narrative with history, cognitive evaluation (with all subtest scores), tests of achievement (with a full print-out of age- normed scores) discussion of the findings, a diagnostic conclusion, and recommendations for academic accommodations.
Diagnostic examples include Asperger's Syndrome, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Pervasive Developmental
Disorder, etc.
Learning Disability
Documentation can include:
- A full individual assessment (FIE) or psycho-educational assessment including a narrative with history, cognitive evaluation (with all subtest scores), tests of achievement (with a full print-out of age- normed scores) discussion of the findings, a diagnostic conclusion, and recommendations for academic accommodations.
- Optimally, evaluations must have been completed during or after the student's ninth grade year of school or after the age of 14. If the initial diagnosis or the re-evaluation of the learning disability occurred prior to the student's ninth grade year of high school, or prior to the age of 14, the student can still be granted accommodations if the student demonstrated a continual need for accommodations during their high school career. This would be established through providing copies of either the Admission Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee reports, Individual Education Plans (IEP), or the Section 504 Committee reports that documented the use of specific accommodations throughout high school.
- 504 plan(s), Individual Education Plans (IEP), previous evaluations (e.g., full individual assessment (FIE) or psycho-educational assessment) or Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) annual paperwork, if initial evaluations cannot be located.
Hearing Diagnoses
Documentation may include:
- Audiology report or audiogram with or without a certificate of deafness waiver from the State of Texas. Out-of-state students can provide similar documentation from their home state and/or
- ODA Documentation Form completed by appropriate professional can be submitted.
- Providing copies of the Admission Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee reports or the Section 504
Committee reports that documented the use of specific accommodations throughout high school may be
helpful as well.
Chronic Health/Medical
Disability Documentation may include:
- 504 plan(s), Individual Education Plans (IEP), previous evaluations (e.g., full individual assessment (FIE) or psycho-educational assessment) or Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) annual paperwork
- A letter from the current treating professional and the following can be included:
- A statement of diagnosis
- A current method of treatment
- An explanation of how the student's diagnosis affects learning and academic achievement; and
- Recommendations to address those barriers may be included as well. Documentation should be submitted on office letterhead with the signature and credentials of qualified professional;
- A visit summary, discharge papers, or other medical summaries; and/or
- ODA Documentation Form completed by appropriate professional.
Diagnostic examples may include diabetes, lupus, HIV/AIDS, chronic migraines, Crohn’s, IBS,
epilepsy, etc.
Mobility Impairment
Documentation may include:
- Diagnosis and description of related functional limitations (examples may include: memory, dexterity, chronic pain, or fatigue), 504 plans, IEP, previous evaluations, or ARD paperwork; and/or
- A letter from the current treating professional will also suffice and the following can be included:
- A statement of diagnosis current method of treatment
- An explanation of how the student's diagnosis impacts the educational environment; and
- Recommendations to address those barriers may be included as well. Documentation should be submitted on office letterhead with the signature and credentials of qualified professional.
Diagnostic examples may include cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis,
fibromyalgia, etc.
Psychological Disability
Documentation may include:
- DSM-V diagnosis, summary of evaluation results and any additional psychological and/or neurological testing results. Other types of documentation may include 504 plans, IEP, previous evaluations, or ARD paperwork;
- A letter from the current treating professional will also suffice and the following can be included:
- A statement of diagnosis
- A current method of treatment
- An explanation of how the student's diagnosis impacts the educational environment (when possible); and
- Recommendations to address those barriers may be included as well.
- Documentation should be submitted on office letterhead with the signature and credentials of qualified professional
- A visit summary, discharge papers, or other medical summaries; and/or
- ODA Documentation Form completed by appropriate professional.
Visual Impairment
Documentation may include:
- A functional vision evaluation or eye report with or without a certificate of blindness waiver from the state of Texas, and out-of-state students can provide similar documentation from their home state.
- Providing copies of the Admission Review and Dismissal (ARD) Committee reports or the Section 504 Committee reports that documented the use of specific accommodations throughout high school may be helpful as well.
If you have any questions about documentation that is requested, please feel free to contact an ODA Coordinator at 940-565-4323.
