Definition
Rights & Responsibilities > Documentation > Definition
- Documentation is not only necessary to determine
student eligibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, but to allow the institution's
DSS office to work with students to develop effective strategies and
anticipate accommodation needs.
- Federal and State Law provide parameters for
documentation. (2 Law) However, each
institution develops its own documentation guidelines. For example,
the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) suggests
that documentation to determine eligibility for students with
learning disabilities
should include:
(a) a
diagnostic interview;
(b) assessments of aptitude, academic achievement, and information processing;
(c) a specific diagnosis;
(d) test scores; and
(e) a clinical summary.
- As a faculty member or administrator,
it is not your responsibility to review documentation, (2 Law) but
it is your responsibility to know where to send students to have their
documentation evaluated. If a student presents you with documentation
of his/her disability, refer the student to your institution's
Disability Support Services (DSS) office to have his/her documentation evaluated.
Faculty and administrators should not ever read or copy a student's
disability documentation.
