Documentation Guidelines

Students are required to submit relevant documentation from an external source to verify the presence of a qualifying disability to register with Accessibility Services (AS). The documentation, in tandem with the student’s self-report, aids AS in understanding the current nature of the impairment, functional limitations, and impact on the student in the university setting and in determining reasonable accommodations. There are multiple ways to document a disability, and the type of documentation will vary depending on the disability and nature of the request. If additional information or clarification is needed, AS has the right contact the health care provider or request additional documentation.

Documentation should be provided by a licensed health care professional whose scope of practice permits the diagnosis of a qualifying disability and whose professional relationship with the student is sufficiently recent to reflect current impairment. The health care professional should be an independent evaluator, with no personal relationship to the student. The health care professional may include pertinent records that help convey the impact of the disability on the student in the university setting.

Some examples of acceptable disability documentation include:

• Disability Documentation Form (PDF)
• Emotional Support Animal Documentation Form (PDF)
• Letter from a healthcare professional conveying essential information (e.g., see the Disability Documentation Form or Emotional Support Animal Documentation Form)
• Healthcare records conveying similar information as requested on the Disability Documentation Form
• Diagnostic evaluation report
• Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Section 504 (of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973) Plan from a secondary education institution with a recent Multi-Factored Evaluation (MFE) or Evaluation Team Report (ETR). Additional documentation may be required.

Documentation requirements may be different at other institutions or testing centers. It is the individual’s responsibility to know what those requirements are.

The usual documentation requirements may be suspended for a temporary condition, such as a recent injury, concussion, or post-surgical recuperation. Likewise, in unique situations provisional accommodations may be temporarily approved for an individual actively engaged in the diagnostic process and later converted to permanent upon receipt of appropriate documentation. To pursue temporary or provisional accommodations, please contact accessibilityservices@capital.edu.

Documentation may be submitted:

• on Accommodate: uploaded to the accommodation request form or submitted by logging into Accomodate
• by email: accessibilityservices@capital.edu
• by fax: 614-236-6971
• in person: Ruff Learning Center, First floor
• by mail:
  Accessibility Services
  Capital University
  1 College and Main
  Columbus, OH 43209-2394