Office for Disability and Access

Documentation Guidelines

Reading outside near the contemplation garden lower level of Mudd

To properly evaluate a student’s request for accommodations at the Oberlin College and Conservatory, the Office for Disability & Access (ODA) requires specific diagnostic information from a licensed clinical professional or healthcare provider who is directly responsible for the treatments of the student’s diagnosed disability, including the intentional use of housing and dining accommodations to address the functional limitations that result from the student’s physical or psychological condition(s). 

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, following these guidelines helps Access Coordinators better understand the impact of students' disabilities and needs.

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/their 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.

All documentation must be provided in English. Please contact the ODA for assistance with translation services.

Further assessment or additional documentation may be necessary if the documentation does not support the requested accommodations. All documentation is considered confidential and should be emailed to ODA@oberlin.edu or faxed to 440-775-5589. Provider Documentation Forms for Housing and Dining Requests

The Provider Documentation forms below are provided as a convenience. Students are not required to use these forms to support their accommodation request if they can meet our requirements (listed in the Documentation Requirements section below) with alternative documentation.*

Provider Documentation Form for Housing/Dining Requests

Provider Documentation Form for ESA Requests

Provider Documentation Form for Severe Allergies

*Our ESA Provider Form is required for all ESA accommodation requests.

 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, the current nature of the student’s symptoms, the student’s self-report, and all available accommodations and college support resources when making final decisions and recommendations.

Additional Forms

Information Release Consent (IRC) Form

 

If not using our Provider Forms, 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.  

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.