Guidelines for Documentation of a Hearing Disability

To qualify for services, a student must provide documentation of a diagnosed hearing disability. 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 for Hearing Disabilities

Documentation of a hearing disability must come from a qualified professional. Physicians, including otorhinolaryngologists and otologists, are qualified to provide diagnosis and treatment of hearing disorders. Audiologists may also provide current audiograms. The name, title, and credentials of the qualified professional writing the report should be included.

Recommended documentation includes:

• A clear statement of deafness or hearing loss, with a current audiogram that reflects the current impact the deafness or hearing loss 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 summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to make the diagnosis and a narrative summary of evaluation results, if appropriate,

• Medical information relating to the student's needs, the status of the individual's hearing (static or changing) and its impact on the demands of the academic program,

• A statement regarding the use of hearing aids (if appropriate),

• A statement of the functional impacts or limitations of the hearing loss 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.