It is illegal for an institution to inquire about disability prior to admission. In postsecondary education, it is the responsibility of the student to identify him/herself to the Disability Services Office should he/she need any kind of accommodation. Students generally will not receive accommodations until their documentation of disability is on file in the Disability Services Office. As the law allows, students undergoing evaluation or awaiting transmittal of their documentation may also receive services and accommodations. Acceptable documentation of disability includes: medical report, physician's statement, psychological evaluation, or psycho-educational evaluation. This list is not meant to be totally inclusive but establishes the tone of accepted documentation. The only exception to this requirement is what is called the "reasonable man rule." That is, if any reasonable person were to see a given student, they would concur that he was disabled.
The links below contain more detailed descriptions of appropriate documentation for specific disabilities.
- Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Blindness or Visual Impairment
- Chronic Health Disabilities
- Deaf/Hard of Hearing
- Head Injury/Traumatic Brain Injury
- Learning Disabilities
- Physical Disabilities
- Psychiatric/Psychological Disabilities
- Temporary Impairments