Documentation Requirements

The Student Accessibility Services Office views disabilities as an integral part of the rich diversity of Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC). For that reason, a collaborative effort with students, staff and faculty is made to create an inclusive, educational environment for all students.

First-year and transfer students may initiate the accommodation process after applying to PHSC. Current students may apply at any time, however, accommodations are not retroactive. Please visit the Student Accessibility Services “Accommodation Process” for more information.

The same documentation guidelines are used and required at each PHSC location. Visit Student Accessibility Services Resources for the contact a Student Accessibility Services representative most convenient to you.

Disability Documentation Guidelines

The American with Disabilities Act, (Public Law 101-336, 1990) defines a disability as a physical or psychological impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, (i.e., learning, walking, talking, seeing, hearing, taking care of one’s self). The provision of reasonable accommodations is based on an assessment of the current impact of the student’s disability. As the manifestations of a disability may vary over time and in different settings, in most cases evaluations should have been conducted within the past year (i.e., low vision or neuromuscular conditions are often subject to change and should be updated for current functioning). Documentation should validate the need for services based on the individual’s current level of functioning in the educational setting.

To provide reasonable, effective and appropriate academic accommodations to students at Pasco-Hernando State College who have disabilities, Student Accessibility Services requires students to provide current, relevant and comprehensive medical documentation of the disability and its impact on the student’s participation in a course, program, or activity.

During the student visit with an accessibility services representative, the student can discuss the impact of the disability on his/her academic performance and which accommodation(s) were or were not previously effective.

The documentation provided by the student must include the following information.

Documentation from Professionals
  • Documentation reflects a specific diagnosis or condition and the current functional limitations or academic barriers presented by the disability; i.e., how does the disability create a barrier for the student academically?
  • Include a DSM-V or ICD-10 code where appropriate. If medications are taken, identify the side effects that impact academic performance.
  • Typed letters on official letterhead, psycho-educational evaluation reports (with scores), or neuro-psychological evaluation reports (with scores) are preferred. Letters must be signed by an evaluator qualified to make the diagnosis, and include information about license or certification, background and area of specialization.
  • Documentation must be current, dated and signed by the physician or evaluator.
  • Bring the appropriate documentation to the appointment with the Student Accessibility Services representative, including the report and/or diagnostic evaluation of disability and any related documentation.
Incomplete or Insufficient Documentation of Disability
  • Handwritten notes on prescription (Rx) pads are not sufficient.
  • Individualized Educational Plans (IEP) and 504 Plans, although providing historical evidence of services and accommodations, are generally not considered sufficient documentation, unless they contain required information. However, these documents may be used as a supplement to more current documentation.
  • Documentation written by family members is not sufficient.

Documentation Guidelines by Disability Category

Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder [ADD])

Documentation should be in the form of a formal letter or medical report. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to determine the diagnosis. A summary from a physician who has been treating the student for ADHD/ADD is also acceptable.
  • History of symptoms
  • Severity of the disorder
  • Information regarding medications prescribed and possible side effects that may impact the student’s academic performance
  • Information describing current functional limitations or barriers within the academic environment and other settings (How does ADHD/ADD affect the student’s ability to learn?)
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting
Autism Spectrum Disorder

Documentation should be in the form of an evaluation, formal letter, or medical report. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to determine the diagnosis. A summary from a physician who has been treating the student is also acceptable.
  • History of symptoms
  • Severity of the disorder
  • Information regarding medications prescribed and possible side effects that may impact the student’s academic performance
  • Information describing current functional limitations or barriers within the academic environment and other settings (How does the Asperger’s or Autism Spectrum affect the student’s ability to learn?)
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting
Blind or Low Vision

Documentation should be in the form of an evaluation or medical letter from an ophthalmologist or optometrist. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Letter or documentation from an agency specializing in working with and assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision (Division of Blind Services)
  • History and severity of symptoms
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the student’s vision loss within the academic setting (How does vision loss or blindness impair the student’s ability to learn?)
  • If relevant, a description of the expected progression or stability of the impact of the condition over time
  • An ocular assessment or evaluation from an ophthalmologist or low-vision evaluation of residual visual function that, where appropriate, should assess the student’s visual loss both with and without the use of mitigating measures, such as the use of eyeglasses or other sensory devices
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting
  • Visual impairment is defined by the State of Florida as disorders in the structure and function of the eye as manifested by at least one of the following: visual acuity of 20/70 or less in the better eye after the best possible correction, a peripheral field so constricted that it affects one’s ability to function in an educational setting, or a progressive loss of vision which may affect one’s ability to function in an educational setting. Examples include, but are not limited to, cataracts, glaucoma, nystagmus, retinal detachment, retinitis pigmentosa, and strabismus.
Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Documentation should be in the form of an evaluation or audiology report. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Letter or report from an audiologist or otolaryngologist
  • History and severity of symptoms
  • Severity of the disorder
  • Information regarding medications prescribed and possible side effects that may impact the student’s academic performance
  • Information describing current functional limitations or barriers within the academic environment and other settings (How does the deafness or hard of hearing affect the student’s ability to learn?)
  • An audiological evaluation and/or audiogram which should assess the student’s hearing loss (dB levels) both with and without the use of mitigating measures, such as the use of hearing aids
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting (sign language interpreter, real-time captioning, note-takers, etc.)
  • A hearing impairment is defined by the state of Florida as a loss of thirty (30) decibels or greater, pure tone average of 500, 1000, and 4000 (Hz), unaided, in the better ear. Examples include, but are not limited to, conductive hearing impairment or deafness, sensorineural hearing impairment or deafness, high or low tone hearing loss or deafness, and acoustic trauma hearing loss or deafness.
Orthopedic Impairment

Documentation should be in the form of a formal letter or medical report. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Letter from a physician qualified to diagnose and treat the condition
  • Identification of the specific orthopedic condition preferred
  • History of presenting symptoms
  • Duration and severity of the impairment
  • Information about side effects of medication currently prescribed
  • Information describing current functional limitations or barriers within the academic environment and other settings (How does the disability impair the student from learning?)
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting
Other Health Disabilities

Documentation should be in the form of a formal letter or medical report. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Letter from a physician qualified to diagnose and treat the condition
  • Identification of the specific medical condition preferred
  • History and severity of the condition
  • Information regarding medications prescribed and possible side effects that may impact the student’s academic performance
  • Information describing current functional limitations or barriers within the academic environment and other settings (How does the disability impair the student from learning?)
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting
Psychological/Emotional/Behavioral Disability

Documentation should be in the form of a formal letter or medical report. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Letter from a physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, licensed social worker, or licensed mental health counselor qualified to diagnose and treat the condition
  • History of symptoms
  • Duration and severity of the disorder
  • Identification of a specific psychological, emotional, or behavioral disability preferred
  • Information regarding medications prescribed and possible side effects that may impact the student’s academic performance
  • Information describing current functional limitations or barriers within the academic environment and other settings (How does the disability impair the student from learning?)
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting
Specific Learning Disability, Intellectual Disability

Documentation should be in the form of a psychological evaluation. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Psycho-educational evaluation or neuro-psychological evaluation
  • A specific diagnosis preferred
  • History of symptoms
  • Duration and severity of symptoms
  • Evaluations based on adult norms preferred
  • IQ evaluation narrative, scores, and sub-test scores are helpful in determining reasonable accommodations.
  • Information regarding medications prescribed and possible side effects that may impact the student’s academic performance
  • Information describing current functional limitations or barriers within the academic environment and other settings (How does the disability impair the student from learning?)
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting

Specific Learning Disability Definition

A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological or neurological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language. Disorders may be manifested in listening, thinking, reading, writing, spelling, or performing arithmetic calculations. Examples include dyslexia, dysgraphia, dysphasia, dyscalculia, and other specific learning disabilities in the basic psychological or neurological processes. Such disorders do not include learning problems, which are due primarily to visual, hearing, physical, or intellectual disability, to emotional disturbance, or to an environmental deprivation.

Assessment

The neuropsychological or psycho-educational evaluation for the diagnosis of a specific learning disability must provide clear and specific evidence that a learning disability does or does not exist. The assessment and any resulting diagnosis should consist of and be based on a comprehensive assessment battery, which does not rely on any one test or subtest. Evidence of a substantial limitation to learning or other major life activity must be provided.

Tests for Assessing Adolescents and Adults

When selecting a battery of tests, it is critical to consider the technical adequacy of instruments including their reliability, validity, and standardization on an appropriate norm group. The following list states the recommended tests for screening specific learning disabilities:

Aptitude

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – IV (WAIS-IV) Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (5th edition)

 

IQ Evaluation

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV) Reynolds (RAIS)

Information Processing

Woodcock-Johnson Test of Cognitive Abilities – Third Edition
  • Test of Written Language (TOWL 4)
  • Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests – Third Edition

Academic Achievement

Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement – Third Edition Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT) or specific achievement tests, such as Nelson-Denny Reading Skills Test Stanford Diagnostics Mathematics Test
Speech and Language Impairment

Documentation should be in the form of an evaluation or formal letter from a speech pathologist. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Letter from a physician or practitioner qualified to diagnose and treat the disorder
  • History of symptoms
  • Duration and severity of impairment
  • Information describing current functional limitations or barriers within the academic environment and other settings (How does the disability impair the student from learning?)
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting
Traumatic Brain Injury

Documentation should be in the form of an evaluation, formal letter, or medical report. The diagnostic report should include the following components:

  • Psycho-educational evaluation; neuro-psychological evaluation; cognitive- processing narrative, scores, and sub-test scores; and IQ evaluation narrative, scores, and sub-test scores are helpful when determining reasonable accommodations.
  • History of presenting symptoms
  • Relevant medical and medication history
  • Duration and severity of injury
  • Information regarding medications prescribed and possible side effects that may impact the student’s academic performance
  • Information describing current functional limitations or barriers within the academic environment and other settings (How does the disability impair the student from learning?)
  • Recommendations for reasonable accommodations that will help the student succeed within an academic setting