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Students requesting services from Disability Services at
Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College are required to
submit documentation to determine eligibility in accordance with Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990. The following guidelines are provided in the interest
of assuring that documentation is complete and accurate. Disability
Services reserves the right to determine eligibility and appropriate
services based on the quality, recency, and completeness of the
documentation submitted. All documentation is confidential and will
be maintained by Disability Services. No documents will be released to any internal or
external individual, department, or agency without the written permission
of the student or the student's guardian.
Disability Services also reserves the right to request additional
documentation.
Documentation Guidelines
Physical and Sensory
Disabilities
Documentation must include a medical diagnosis.
The diagnosis and evaluation should be made by a medical
doctor or appropriate specialist licensed in the specific field of
disability. The evaluator's name, title and professional affiliation
should be provided.
The documentation should include the following:
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the stability of the disability (Is the disability
stable, progressive, or fluctuating?);
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information regarding the specific academic functions
affected by and the severity of the disability (e.g., ability to
concentrate, ability to attend class regularly);
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recommendations for academic accommodations based on
specific features/symptoms of the disability (e.g., adaptive technology/equipment).
The recency of the documentation is dependent on the
nature/stability of the disability;
Documentation must reflect the current array of
symptoms/features and level of functioning; if the documentation does not,
students may be required to submit updated information.
Learning Disabilities
A signed, dated psycho-educational or neuropsychological evaluation that
provides a diagnosis of a specific learning disability must be
submitted. The evaluation must indicate how the learning disability impacts academic performance and
contributes to a "significant impairment" in academic functioning. If another diagnosis is applicable (e.g., AD/HD, mood
disorder), it should be stated.
The professional(s) conducting the evaluation and diagnosing the
disability must be qualified and may include licensed clinical or
school psychologists or neuropsychologists. The evaluator's
name, title, and professional credentials and affiliation should be
provided.
The evaluation report must minimally address: Aptitude (IQ),
Achievement (Reading, Math, and Written Language), and Processing
(such as visual-motor, auditory);
Testing must utilize adult tests
such a WAIS-III and Wood-Cock Johnson Tests of Achievement. All
subtest scores must be provided for all tests reported. Testing must
address the impact of the student's disability on current academic
functioning. (For students just graduating from high school, an
evaluation reflecting current levels of skills should have been
administered while in high school; for students who have been out of
school for a number of years, documentation will be considered on a case
by case basis.)
A clear statement of diagnosis of the specific learning disability,
including a description of the functional limitations which impact
against the educational effort, must be included in the diagnostic
report and should utilize Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, diagnostic codes.
Both the DSM IV diagnosis and suggested accommodations must be
derived from and have stated rationale equated with specific test
scores provided as part of the documentation. Additionally, a
documented history of previous accommodations received should be
included. Additional documents that do not constitute sufficient documentation,
but that may be submitted in addition to a psychological,
psycho-educational, or neuropsychological evaluation are: an
individualized educational plan (IEP), a 504 plan, and/or an educational
assessment.
AD/HD
Documentation must be in the form of a signed, dated
and typed report,
prepared by a qualified professional such as a psychiatrist,
neuropsychologist, or licensed psychologist trained in the
differential diagnosis of psychological disorders. The name, title,
and professional credentials of the evaluator should be clearly stated in
the documentation. The report should:
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be current enough to
assess the impact on current academic performance;
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establish clear evidence of significant
impairment to academic functioning which cannot be based on poor
grades alone;
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provide testing scores along with a
description of the test result's relationship to the diagnosis, use
only adult instruments and provide a description of the functional
limitations which impact against the educational effort;
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have a stated rationale for suggested
accommodations equated with test results; (Additionally, a
documented history of previous accommodations received should be
included);
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be related to all DSM-IV criteria
presented for the diagnosis of ADHD; and
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provide a specific diagnosis with DSM-IV diagnostic code and not use the words "suggests," or
"may have," or "seems to be indicative of."
Psychological/Psychiatric Disabilities
Documentation must be in the form of a signed and dated report
prepared by a
qualified professional such as a psychiatrist or licensed psychologist
trained in the diagnosis of psychological/psychiatric disorders.
The evaluator's name, title, and professional credentials and affiliation
should be provided.
The report should be typed on official letterhead and signed by the
provider. It should:
a clear statement of the DSM-IV diagnosis;
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a summary of assessment procedures used to make the diagnosis;
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description of present symptoms and fluctuation conditions/symptoms
in relation to the diagnosis;
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current medications, including side effects;
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a description of functional limitation, including suggestions of
reasonable academic accommodations supported by the diagnosis.
Initial documentation presented should reflect the current array of
symptoms/features and level of functioning; if the documentation
does not, students may be required to submit updated information and/or
documentation.
Last Update -
05/21/2007
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