Disability Documentation

All students who are eligible for reasonable accommodations must provide documentation of a disability and met with an Access Consultant at Disability Resources to discuss how their disabilities may interact with various campus environments.  Disability documentation is evaluated and discussed with the student to determine eligibility and to identify reasonable accommodations that, depending on the design of the class, may be necessary to assure full inclusion.  

Under Federal law individuals are protected from discrimination if they have a disability (legally: “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities”), if they have a record of such impairments or if they are being regarded as having such impairments. Individuals who have a disability are entitled to reasonable accommodations that serve to ameliorate the impact of the disability. Therefore, documentation serves two primary purposes:

• to establish that a student is entitled to legal protections and
• to determine accommodations that might be necessary to provide meaningful access.

A complete assessment that documents the presence of some disabilities is often quite expensive and may not be covered by insurance.  Responsibility for providing this documentation to the University is borne by the student.  When instructors design their courses using principles of universal design, they create more accessible experiences for a wide variety of students.