Documentation Requirements and Standards
Documentation is required as part of the accommodation requests process at ¹û¶³´«Ã½. This is an essential component of the process to verify that a disability is protected under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. Clinical documentation is also useful in providing necessary information to support accommodation requests and anticipate future accommodation needs.
The student’s documentation should be based on a recent evaluation by an appropriate credentialed and licensed professional that makes evident the current impact of the disability as it relates to the accommodations and services requested. In general, documentation should not be more than three years old. Documentation should be in the form of either a Disability Services Clinician Form or a letter on official letterhead.
If the original documentation provided is incomplete or inadequate to determine whether the student qualifies as having a disability or is eligible for the accommodations requested, Disability Services has the discretion to require additional documentation. Additionally, we will verify documentation not given directly by a provider to Disability Services by contacting the associated office and/or provider.
Legible text written in English or translated by a certified translator. If it is translated, we need the name and title of a licensed or credentialed evaluator, with specific training or expertise related to the condition being diagnosed, and who is not related to the individual.
Documentation must follow these guidelines
1. Contain diagnostic information
- A clear diagnostic statement identifying a disability, including diagnostic sub-types, where relevant. A full clinical description will convey this information, as will diagnostic codes from the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association) or the ICF (International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health of the World Health Organization.) Batteries of educational assessments such as the Woodcock Johnson or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (Aptitude and Achievement Scales), Neuropsychological Assessments, or instruments specific to areas of information processing are most helpful in providing accommodations and strategy support.
- Description of the diagnostic methodology used including diagnostic criteria, evaluation methods, tests and dates of administration, clinical narrative, observations, and results. Diagnostic methods must be congruent with the particular disability and with current professional practices in the field.
2. Be dated within the past three years*
- Because the provision of all reasonable accommodations and services is based upon the assessment of the current impact of the disability on academic performance, it is in the individual’s best interest to provide recent and appropriate documentation. In most cases this means that a diagnostic evaluation has been completed within the past three years* for longstanding or permanent disabilities or as recent as six months for more fluid diagnoses.
- *Flexibility in accepting documentation, which exceeds a three-year period, may be appropriate under certain conditions if the previous assessment is applicable to the current or anticipated setting.
- If the documentation is inadequate in scope or content, or does not address the individual’s current level of functioning and need for accommodations, re-evaluation may be warranted.
3. Contain relevant contextual information
- Descriptions of the current environmental barriers or functional limitations related to the condition help establish the possible disability and identify possible accommodations. A combination of the individual’s self-report, results of formal evaluation procedures, and clinical narrative are recommended. Quality documentation will demonstrate how a major life activity is significantly, amply, or substantially limited by providing evidence of frequency and pervasiveness of the conditions(s) and the environmental barriers experienced.
- Description of the progression or stability of the disability over time and in context.
- Description of current and past accommodations, services or medications .
- A description of the expected duration and progression of the condition, if relevant.
4. Optional
- A description of past and current treatment
- Recommended accommodations, along with a rationale and justification
Additional documentation guidelines for specific students
Along with the typical documentation, transfer students may submit supporting documentation from a previously attended school, which includes the dates of service and the accommodations used; however, accommodations received at another institution are not guaranteed to be provided at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ College.
​​The sufficiency and currency of documentation for students who do not enter college directly or soon after completing secondary school (e.g., students who are Francis Perkins Scholars or veterans) will be evaluated on an individualized basis in light of the student's identified disability and requested accommodation. Disability documentation that is more than three years old may be accepted if: a) the documentation indicates the condition is static; b) if a psychoeducational evaluation is submitted, it is scaled for adults.
What clinician/providers should provide documentation?
The following includes but is not an exhaustive list of practitioners who are accepted to provide documentation on the respective disabilities or conditions (all must be appropriately credentialed and licensed in their respective fields). Documentation is to be provided by qualified professionals who are currently treating or have treated the student. Qualified professionals cannot be family members.
*Please note, most Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and 504 Plans, in and of themselves, do not meet our documentation standards.
| Disability or condition | Clinician/provider to provide documentation |
|---|---|
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) | Neuropsychologist or Clinical Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Neurologist, Neurodevelopmental Physician |
| Chronic Illness/Health | Gastroenterologist, Rheumatologist, Endocrinologist, Internal Medicine, or other physician knowledgeable to condition |
| Developmental Disability (such as Autism Spectrum Disorder) | Neuropsychologist, Psychiatrist, Clinical Psychologist, Neurodevelopmental Physician |
| Head Injury/TBI | Neurologist, Neuropsychologist |
| Hearing- Audiologist (CCC-A) | Otolaryngologist, otorhinolaryngologists |
| Learning Disability | School Psychologist, Clinical Psychologist, Neuropsychologist, Neurodevelopmental Physician |
| Mental Health or Psychiatric Disability | Psychiatrist, Clinical Psychologist, Social Worker (LICSW), Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner |
| Mobility/Physical Disability | Physical Therapist, Orthopedic Surgeon, other physician knowledgeable to condition a cardiologist, doctor of internal medicine, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, oncologist, orthopedic surgeon, physical therapist, rheumatologist |
| Speech and Communication Conditions | Speech Language Clinician |
| Vision | Optometrist, Ophthalmologist, ocularist |
Documentation recommendations by disability
- A specific diagnosis per the DSM-5 or ICD-10
- A comprehensive, age-appropriate psychoeducational, psychodiagnostic, or neuropsychological assessment (for most students, this would mean adult-normed testing measures and the report should include standard scores, standard deviations and percentiles) or an in-depth, well-rounded evaluation composed of a clinical interview, self-test, normed rating scales, etc.
- An appropriate credentialed and licensed professional might include: clinical psychologist, neurodevelopmental physician, neurologist, neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, school psychologist
- Information on side effects of medications, if relevant to an accommodation request
- (Optional) Recommended accommodations, along with a rationale and justification
- A specific diagnosis per the DSM-5 or ICD-10
- A comprehensive psychoeducational, psychodiagnostic, or neuropsychological examination that is scaled for adults (report should include standard scores, standard deviations and percentiles)
- An appropriate credentialed and licensed professional might include: a clinical psychologist, neurodevelopmental physician, neurologist, neuropsychologist, psychiatrist
- Information on side effects of medications, if relevant to an accommodation request
- (Optional) Recommended accommodations, along with a rationale and justification
- Assessment or evaluation from an ocularist, ophthalmologist or optometrist detailing the functional limitations of the disability, could be in the form of Disability Services Clinician Form
- The age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon whether the disabling condition is static or changing
- (Optional) Recommended accommodations, along with a rationale and justification
- Audiogram with summary detailing the functional limitations of the disability or completed Disability Services Clinician Form by an otolaryngologist, otologists, otorhinolaryngologists, or licensed audiologist
- The age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon whether the disabling condition is static or changing
- (Optional) Recommended accommodations, along with a rationale and justification
- A specific diagnosis per the DSM-5 or ICD-10
- A thorough neuropsychological or psychoeducational evaluation scaled for adults. Areas to be assessed:
- Aptitude
- Achievement
- Information Processing
- An appropriate credentialed and licensed professional might include: a clinical psychologist, neurodevelopmental physician, neuropsychologist, school psychologist
- (Optional) Recommended accommodations, along with a rationale and justification
- The age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon whether the disabling condition is static or changing
- Information on side effects of medications, if relevant to an accommodation request
- Documentation may take the form of a letter or Disability Services Clinician Form
- An appropriate credentialed and licensed professional might include: a cardiologist, doctor of internal medicine, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, oncologist, orthopedic surgeon, physical therapist, rheumatologist
- (Optional) Recommended accommodations, along with a rationale and justification
- Neuropsychological evaluation containing assessments of visual, auditory, intellectual, and language competence
- An appropriate credentialed and licensed professional might include: neurologist, neuropsychologist, specialist in neurotrauma
- The age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon whether the disabling condition is static or changing
- Information on side effects of medications, if relevant to an accommodation request
- (Optional) Recommended accommodations, along with a rationale and justification
- A specific mental health diagnosis per the DSM-5 or ICD-10
- Documentation may take the form of a letter or Disability Services Clinician Form
- An appropriate credentialed and licensed professional might include: a clinical psychologist, licensed counselor, psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, social worker
- Information on side effects of medications, if relevant to an accommodation request
- (Optional) Recommended accommodations, along with a rationale and justification
Specific Accommodation Recommendations
If you are recommending specific accommodations to address the functional limitations that stem from a student’s disability, please consider the questions below in the following contexts: Residential, Academic, Dining, Campus, Transportation, and Student Employment.
- What are the functional limitations related to each relevant area (listed above) of impact? (e.g. how do the student’s limitations impact sharing a space with a roommate, capturing information in the classroom, taking exams, using a shared bathroom, etc?)
- If a student was not granted this accommodation, what would the impact be?
- Does/how does your recommendation for this accommodation fit into the student’s treatment plan?
- Are there reasonable alternatives to this accommodation, or is the accommodation essential as recommended? If so, please indicate the reason.
Contact Us
Disability Services
Disability Services is the only designated office at the College for students to voluntarily disclose a disability, submit appropriate documentation for verification and request accommodations.
- disability-services@mtholyoke.edu
- 413-538-2634
- 413-538-2827
- 3rd floor, Mary Lyon Hall (The ground floor entrance is wheelchair accessible.)