Disability Documentation

Requirements

In order to provide reasonable and appropriate academic accommodations to those students at Rogue Community College who have disabilities, the Disability Services Department (SSD), requires documentation which shows the current disability and its impact on academic functioning. Therefore, the documentation the student provides to the SSD office must include the following information:

• Documentation must be current. The determination of what is current documentation depends on the nature of the disability. However, in most cases documentation should be within the last three years. The SSD reserves the right to make appropriate modifications to this time frame.



• The name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator including information about license or certification, as well as area of specialization, employment, and state in which the individual practices. Professionals conducting the evaluation/assessment must be qualified to do so, and it is essential that they have experience working with adolescent/adult populations.



• Reports must be on letterhead, typed, dated, and have the original signature of the evaluator.



• Reports need to include the names of any standardized tests administered, the scores derived from these tests and a discussion of the data that clearly indicates the presence of a disability. SSD reserves the right to determine which tests are acceptable for diagnosing the disability. Standardized tests must be based on adult norms.



• The report must clearly state the specific diagnosis of the disability.



• The evaluator must describe the impact of the diagnosed disability on a specific major life function/activity (especially as it relates to academic performance).



• The diagnostic report should include specific recommendations for reasonable academic accommodations and a detailed explanation of the rationale for each recommended accommodation as related to the specific functional limitations.



• If medications are taken, these should be listed as well as their potential side effects.



• If symptoms involve cognitive recall (memory), appropriate testing needs to be conducted. Testing for specific learning disabilities may be appropriate.

Additional Documentation Requirements For:

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
Report from an audiologist or otolaryngologist that includes the following:

• Results of an audiogram showing the degree of hearing loss
• The type of hearing loss (conductive or sensorineural)
• Whether the hearing loss is temporary or permanent, and if it is stable or progressive
• Whether the condition is mitigated by hearing aids or medication
• A description of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disability
• Recommendations for reasonable academic accommodations

Physical Disability and/or Health-Related Conditions
Letter or report from a physician in an appropriate medical specialization that includes the following:

• The specific medical condition which causes the disability
• Whether the condition is temporary or permanent, and if it is stable or progressive
• Information about current prescribed medications used to treat the disability and possible side effects
• A description of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disability
• Recommendations for reasonable academic accommodations

Speech Conditions
Report or letter from a speech pathologist or physician that includes the following:

• The specific disabling condition
• Whether the condition is temporary or permanent, and if it is stable or progressive
• A description of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disability
• Recommendations for reasonable academic accommodations

Blind and Low Vision
Report or letter from an ophthalmologist or optometrist that includes the following:

• The specific medical condition which causes the visual impairment
• The degree of visual acuity, including with corrective lenses
• The extent of the visual fields
• Whether the condition is mitigated by corrective lenses or medication
• A description of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disability
• Recommendations for reasonable academic accommodations including any visual aids

ADHD/ADD
Report from a psychologist or psychiatrist that includes the following:

• Clear statement of ADHD with the DSM-IV diagnosis
• A description of the symptoms which meet the criteria for the diagnosis
• A summary of the assessment procedures and evaluation instruments which were used to make the diagnosis
• Information about current prescribed medications used to treat the disability and possible side effects
• A description of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disability
• Recommendations for reasonable academic accommodations

Specific Learning Disabilities
A comprehensive psycho-educational assessment from a psychologist or learning disabilities specialist that includes the following: (NOTE: All of these tests must be based on adult norms.)

• Clear statement of the specific learning disability with the DSM-IV diagnosis
• A test used to measure intellectual ability, including scores and subtest scores



• Acceptable IQ tests:
• Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test
• Stanford Binet 4th Edition
• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - III (WAIS-III)
• Woodcock-Johnson III General Intellectual Ability (GIA)


• Not acceptable:
• Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT)
• Slosson Intelligence Test
• Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI)


• A test used to measure academic achievement, including scores and subtest scores


• Acceptable achievement tests:
• Nelson-Denny Reading Test
• Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - II (WIAT-II)
• Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement
• Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests - Revised


• Not acceptable:
• Wide Range Achievement Test - 3 (WRAT-3)


• A test used to measure processing ability, including scores and subtest scores


• Acceptable processing tests:
• Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude - Adult
• Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities


• Profile of academic strengths and weaknesses and how these relate to the academic limitation(s)
• Clinical summary
• Recommendations for reasonable academic accommodations

Psychological Disability
Psychological or neuropsychological evaluation or report from a psychiatrist or licensed psychologist that includes the following:

• Clear statement of the condition with the DSM-IV diagnosis
• A description of the symptoms which meet the criteria for the diagnosis
• A summary of the assessment procedures and evaluation instruments which were used to make the diagnosis
• Information about current prescribed medications used to treat the disability and possible side effects
• A description of the functional limitation(s) caused by the disability
• Recommendations for reasonable academic accommodations

Head Injury (TBI/ABI)

• Report or letter from a physician as described above in "Physical Disability and/or Health-related Conditions" section.
• Assessment on current cognitive functional abilities, such as a neuropsychological evaluation described above in "Psychological Disability" section.

| Disability Services Home | RCC Home Page | RCC Site Map |
Direct comments about this page to Randi Jiron, Disability Services Specialist