Documentation

The staff of the CDS is always willing to speak to students and their families; however, the office will not provide direct services until students have provided documentation.

Documentation must demonstrate that the individual has a physical or mental disability that substantially limits a major life activity.  Documentation must also demonstrate a need for accommodation in order to assure equal access to college programs.  Documentation must be provided by an appropriately credentialed professional.  To provide accommodations, the CDS requires that documentation be current (within the last 3 years).  All documentation is kept confidential

Documentation of a Disability

Documentation must include:

1.  Verification of diagnosis and severity of disabling condition from a qualified treating professional (medical doctor; psychologist, or psychiatrist).

2.  Detailed description of how this impairment significantly limits a major life activity in an educational setting.

To ensure the provision of reasonable and appropriate services for students current documentation is required.  This documentation should include information from which the diagnosis was made, a description of students' functional limitations in an educational setting, the severity and longevity of the condition, a description of the effectiveness of current treatment, and recommendations for services and/or auxiliary aides needed in a postsecondary setting.

If the initial verification is incomplete or inadequate to determined the present extent of the disability and/or appropriate accommodations, the CDS may request supplementary documentation or an assessment.  Obtaining additional documentation or an assessment is at the expense of the students.

Students seeking accommodations or services on the basis of a temporary disability, must provide documentation verifying the nature of the condition, the expected duration of the condition, and the accommodations deemed necessary.

Documentaiton of a Learning Disability
To ensure the provision of reasonable and appropriate services for students with learning disabilities, documentation must be in the form of a current IEP, psy report, or diagnostic evaluation.  All documentation should include but is not limited to:

	developmental history
	academic history including results of prior standardized testing, reports of classroom performance and behavior, and notable trends in academic performance
	family history
	psychosocial history
	medical history, including the absence of a medical basis for the present symptoms
	history of prior psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy
	discussion of any dual diagnosis
	a description of the presenting problems

     
The diagnostic evaluation must be submitted on letterhead of the qualified professional and provide clear and specific evidence of a learning disability.  It is not acceptable to administer one test, nor is it acceptable to base a diagnosis on only one of the several subtests.  Objective evidence of a substantial limitation to learning must be provided.

Cognitive Ability
A complete cognitive ability battery is required with all subtests and standard scores.  This may include the following:  Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Revised; Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised Tests of Cognitive Ability; the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale: Fourth Edition.

Achievement
A complete achievement battery is required with all subtests and standard scores.  The battery should include current levels of academic functioning in reading (decoding and comprehension), mathematics, and written language.  Acceptable instruments include the following:  Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery–Revised Tests of Achievement; Wechsler Individual Achievement Test; Stanford Test of Academic Skills; Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults; or specific achievement tests such as the Test of Written Language-2; Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests–Revised; or the Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Tests.

Information Processing
Specific areas of information processing (e.g., short- and long- term memory; sequential memory; auditory and visual perception/processing; processing speed; executive functioning; motor ability) must be assessed. Acceptable instruments include: the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery–Revised Tests of Cognitive Ability; information from the subtexts on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test–Revised; the Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude-3, and other instruments relevant to the presenting learning problem(s).

Testing must be current
Students must provide recent and appropriate documentation. In most cases, this means testing that has been conducted within the past three years. In the case of adults tested after age 21, testing within a five-year period can be accepted.