Guidelines for Documentation of a Medical Disability

To qualify for services, a student must provide documentation of a diagnosed medical 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:

Medical Disabilities

Documentation of a medical disability must come from a medical professional including physicians, neurologists, physiatrists 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 medical diagnosis

• Documentation for eligibility must reflect the current impact the disability has on the student's functioning (the age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon the disabling condition, the student's request for accommodations, and the current status of the student). Therefore, disabilities that are sporadic or degenerative may require more frequent documentation

• A summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to make the diagnosis, including evaluation results and standardized scores if applicable

• A description of present symptoms that meet the criteria for diagnosis

• Medical information relating to the 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 of 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.