Office for Disability and Access
Documentation Guidelines
The ADA defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. Individuals with disabilities who attend or plan to attend a post-secondary institution may need reasonable accommodations or auxiliary aids to have equal access to the programs and services offered. The laws that require post-secondary institutions to provide these services to otherwise qualified students include Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). To receive accommodations in the post-secondary environment, a student must notify the institution's Disability Services Office and initiate the process for determining their eligibility for accommodations. The Office for Disability & Access (ODA) is the designated office at Oberlin College & Conservatory.
Purpose
These documentation guidelines have been provided to assist students in obtaining appropriate documentation from qualified professionals. While proper documentation of a disability is only one part of determining eligibility for accommodations, the provision of this documentation assists the Access Coordinators in understanding the impact of the disabilities, needs, and potential accommodations. Oberlin College and Conservatory also utilizes documentation for the following reasons:
- to verify the existence of a disability;
- to support the request for each specific accommodation;
- to review the nature of the disability (ies) and its impact on the post-secondary environment; and
- to assist in the collaborative determination of eligibility for auxiliary aids and services to minimize the impact of the disability.
The following guidelines are provided to assist students in obtaining documentation to establish the need for reasonable accommodations. Please provide the following on the qualified professional's official letterhead:
1. The provider's clear statement of the medical or psychiatric diagnosis (i.e., ICD-10, DSM-5) with description of the student’s current symptoms (if applicable, specify if the diagnosis is in partial or complete remission);
2. Date of the initial diagnosis and date of the most recent visit with the student for this diagnosis;
3. Information regarding the functional impact or limitations of the condition or disability on the student’s learning and other major life activities;
4. The impact of medication on the student's ability to meet the demands of the postsecondary environment, if relevant;
5. The expected duration, stability, or progression of the disability.
6. For students who experience flare-ups or intermittent symptoms, describe the current severity, duration, and frequency;
7. For students with a documented learning disability: documentation ideally includes a comprehensive evaluation of intelligence and academic achievement, with standardized scaled scores and composite scores to support the diagnosis or eligibility classification. This is commonly included in a psychoeducational assessment conducted by a school psychologist or a licensed psychologist;
8. Suggest recommendations for accommodations or services that the student may require.
9. For Housing accommodation requests, the following information is required:
a) State the specific accommodations needed in housing;
b) Describe how the student’s medical/psychiatric condition necessitates the requested housing accommodation, as it relates to the student’s disability;
c) Demonstrate how the specific room design or living environment will help to mitigate the student’s symptoms;
d) State whether, based on disability reasons, the specific housing request is a preference or a required accommodation.
Further assessment or additional documentation may be necessary if the documentation does not support the requested accommodations. Please contact ODA at 440-775-5588 or ODA@oberlin.edu if you have any questions. All documentation is considered confidential and should be emailed to ODA@oberlin.edu or faxed to 440-775-5589. All physical documentation will be shredded.
Important Forms
Provider Forms:
The forms below are to be completed by a licensed health care provider to support Housing & Dining/ESA Accommodation requests.
Provider Documentation Form for Housing/Dining Requests
Provider Documentation Form for ESA Requests
Provider Documentation Form for Severe Allergies
* It is important to note that a diagnosis or medical provider recommendation does not guarantee that the student’s request for specific accommodations will be approved. The ODA completes a holistic review of the provider’s recommendations, current nature of the student’s symptoms, student’s self-report, and all available accommodations and college support resources when making final decisions and recommendations.
Additional Forms:
Information Release Consent Form (fillable pdf)
An Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 Plan, or General Education Initiative from a secondary school may not provide thorough information for the documentation of disability and needed accommodations. Please refer to the institution's documentation guidelines for the required information. There are differences between high school and college documentation and accommodations. Please refer to the Differences Between High School and College Form for more information.