Documentation Requirements
Before a student may file for academic adjustments, documentation of the disability must be provided. Documentation should be as current as possible but must be no older than three (3) years and must be furnished by a licensed medical or psychological examiner on official letterhead and signed by the examiner. Exceptions to the three year time limit may be necessary depending upon individual circumstances and the nature of the disability. Reports by nurses, counselors, social workers, record clerks and statements written on prescription pads are not acceptable. Please note that while an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) from high school is a valuable resource of information, it cannot be used as documentation for a disability. The qualified professional must be licensed or certified to diagnose the disability in question. Documentation is required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in order to provide requested academic adjustments.
Information should include:
- date of assessment and diagnosis
- current functional impact of the disability and limitations of the disorder on the student’s academic performance
- treatments or medications in current use
- estimated effectiveness of treatments or medications in lessening the impact of the disability
- expected duration, stability or progression of the condition
- clinical summary of the procedures and instruments used to make the diagnosis, to include a diagnostic interview as well as testing results
- specific recommended academic accommodations for the condition with a rationale for each recommendation
- for psychiatric disabilities, a complete DSM-IV-TR diagnosis in multiaxial format, current symptoms that meet the diagnosis, assessment procedures, and evaluation instruments and results in addition to all of the above
The documented disability must be a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. A qualified individual with a disability must satisfy the requisite skill, experience, education, and other program-related requirements and can perform, with or without reasonable adjustments, the essential requirements of such a program.
The student will be asked to sign an Authorization for Release and Exchange of Information Form if they desire contact between the Disability Services and their healthcare provider for any reason.
The semester prior to a student’s documentation becoming out of date, the student will be given notice of the need to update documentation. This is done by the Coordinator of Disability Services, who will review documentation needs with the student and will ask the student to sign the Notice Regarding the Need to Update Documentation form.
Documentation should be submitted via regular mail to the Dean of Students Office, One Cumberland Square, Lebanon, TN 37087 or, if you prefer, via e-mail to lmacke@cumberland.edu.