Physical & Medical Disabilities

Documentation Guidelines

Students with physical or systemic disabilities and temporary conditions must provide documentation that:

Is comprehensive and current, within three (3) years of the student's request for accommodation(s)
Professionals conducting assessments, rendering diagnoses of specific disabilities, and making recommendations for appropriate accommodation(s) must be qualified to do so (e.g., physician)
Identifies an unequivocal diagnosis of a specific disability
Discusses functional limitations caused by the disability in an academic environment or the environment in which the student is requesting accommodation(s)
Recommends accommodation(s) to compensate for the identified functional limitations
Lists current medication, dosages, and existing (not possible) side effects

Accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis and may include, but are not limited, to the following:

To register for services.
To request additional accommodation(s).
When unable to work out DS approved accommodations with faculty.
When accommodations do not seem to be helping or the physical condition has worsened.
When there is a problem. Be honest with the DS staff and faculty. We cannot be of assistance if we do not know a problem exists.

Mobility Impairments, which range in severity from limitations on stamina to paralysis, including:

Visual Impairments, which range in severity and limitations depending upon the type
Systemic disabilities are conditions affecting one or more of the body's systems including:

Students with a wide variety of other physical disabilities, including temporary conditions, may be eligible to receive services and/or accommodation(s) as long as the physical disability has a definitive physical cause and significantly impacts one or more major life activities that affect the student’s academic performance