Department of Social Justice

Documentation of a Physical/Medical Disability

All qualified WVU Tech or the C&T at WVU Tech students must provide appropriate documentation of a physical/medical disability in order to receive academic accommodations based upon that disability.

It is the student’s responsibility to initiate contact with the Office of Disability Services and to provide appropriate documentation of the disability and its impact on the academic tasks for which they are requesting accommodations. The cost of obtaining professional documentation is the student’s responsibility. This process follows the guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973*, and current case law and is designed to assure that reasonable, appropriate accommodations are provided to all qualified students in a timely manner. A diagnosis of a disorder/condition/syndrome in and of itself does not automatically qualify an individual for accommodations under the ADA.

All diagnostic evaluation reports submitted as documentation of a Physical/Medical Disability must include all of the following in order to receive disability-related accommodations:

The diagnostic report must be on official letterhead, typed, signed and dated by a qualified professional;
The date of original diagnosis of the disability and the date of last contact with the individual. The documentation must be recent and address current levels of functioning;
A summary of assessment procedures and diagnostic test data used to make the diagnosis and determine functional limitations;
Test scores that substantiate a significant impairment in the area of functioning for which accommodations are being requested. All sub-test standard scores must be provided for all tests reported. If the impairment interferes with learning/cognitive or academic functioning, test scores must be provided that substantiate a significant impairment;
A clear link must be established between the requested accommodations and the substantiated functional limitations that are pertinent to the academic/functional demands of the academic setting in which the accommodations are being requested.
A description of the expected progression or stability of the impact of the disability over time should be included;
Treatments, medications, dosage and side effects, assistive devices/services currently prescribed or in use.

Each student’s academic accommodations will be determined on an individual basis and will be based on appropriate documentation. All new, transfer, or transient students must provide appropriate documentation in order to receive disability-based accommodations.
*In order to meet the adult criteria of “disability” under federal laws a person must provide documentation of how their significant impairment substantially limits their functioning in the area for which accommodations are being requested. A significant impairment means below average functioning. An IEP or 504 plan from the public school system is not documentation of a disability for the purposes of providing accommodations at the University level.