Guidlines for Documentation of Head Injury/
Traumatic Brain Injury

To qualify for services, a student must provide documentation of a diagnosed head injury or traumatic brain injury. The guidelines that follow are provided to assure that documentation is appropriate to determine eligibility and to support requests for reasonable accommodations. The Office of Disability Services (ODS) staff is available to consult with students or diagnosticians regarding the following guidelines.

Documentation of a head injury or traumatic brain injury must come from qualified individuals including physicians; neurologists; licensed, clinical, rehabilitation and school psychologists; neuropsychologists, psychiatrists or other medical specialists with experience and expertise in the area for which accommodations are being requested. Documentation should be typed, dated and signed on official letterhead.

Recommended documentation includes:

• A clear statement of the head injury or traumatic brain injury and the probable site of lesion.

• Documentation for eligibility must reflect the current impact the head injury has on the student's functioning (the age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon the disabling condition, the current status of the student and the student's request for accommodations).

• A current (3 years old or less) neuropsychological or psychoeducational evaluation in order to assess the current impact of the disability on academic functioning.

• A summary of present residual symptoms which meet the criteria for diagnosis.

• Medical information relating to student's needs to include the impact of medication on the student's ability to meet the demands of the postsecondary environment.

• A statement of the functional impact or limitation of the disability on learning or other major life activity and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context for which accommodations are being requested.

Further assessment by an appropriate professional may be required if co-existing learning disabilities or other disabling conditions are indicated. The student and the Office of Disability Services (ODS) collaboratively determine appropriate accommodations.

ALL DOCUMENTATION IS CONFIDENTIAL AND SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO:

Jane Warner
Coordinator
Office of Disability Services
Keene State College
229 Main Street
Keene, NH 03435-2609

or faxed to a confidential line at 603-358-2313.