Guidelines for Documentation of a Visual Disability

To qualify for services, a student must provide documentation of a diagnosed visual 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 Visual Disabilities

Documentation of a visual disability must come from a qualified professional. Ophthalmologists are the primary professionals involved in diagnosis and medical treatment of individuals who are blind or experience low vision. Optometrists provide information regarding the measurement of visual acuity as well as tracking and fusion difficulties. The name, title, and credentials of the qualified professional writing the report should be included.

Recommended documentation includes:

• A clear statement of vision-related disability with supporting numerical description that reflects the current impact the blindness or vision 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 summary of evaluation results including standardized scores

• Present symptoms that meet the criteria for diagnosis

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

• Narrative or descriptive text providing both quantitative and qualitative information about the student's abilities that might be helpful in understanding the student's profile including functional limitation, the use of corrective lenses and ongoing visual therapy (if appropriate)

• A statement of the functional impact or limitations of the disability on learning or other major life activity and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context

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.