II. General Regulations

Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities, Guidelines and Procedures

3. Documentation Requirements

Students requesting academic accommodation must provide appropriate documentation satisfactory to the University. The assessment must be comprehensive and reflect the student’s functional limitations in a university setting.

1. Interim accommodations will be considered for up to a maximum of two semesters while a student is in the process of seeking updated documentation. The student may be required to produce evidence that the assessment process is underway.

2. Documentation must be current according to the following standards:

   1. Learning Disabilities and ADHD must have been assessed at age 18 or older, or within the last three years.

   2. All other disabilities must be assessed within the timeframe that the student experiences a functional limitation for which an accommodation is needed.

   3. Documentation may need to be renewed as appropriate to reflect the student’s ongoing need for academic accommodation.

3. Specific documentation requirements are as follows:

   1. Documentation for students with learning disabilities must be in the form of a psychoeducational assessment report that conforms to established standards, including but not limited to:

      • Information about the credentials and signature of the assessor, who must be a registered psychologist or psychological associate;

      • A description of the procedures used for the assessment, including relevant contextual information;

      • Evidence that appropriate psychometric testing has been employed, including instruments that have been validated against adult norms;

      • Confirmation that a specific learning disability exists; and

      • A description of the student’s functional limitations.

   2. Documentation for students with ADHD must be completed by a regulated health professional who has specific credentials in the differential diagnosis of ADHD. It must include evidence that each criterion outlined in the DSM has been assessed and met. A complete psychoeducational assessment report is considered best practice (but is not necessary) as this provides a detailed analysis of the student’s learning needs.

   3. Documentation to support all other disabilities must be from a regulated health professional who has the authority to diagnose and include:

      • A statement of the nature of the disability;

      • Information on the severity, duration and intensity of the disability;

      • A description of functional limitations; and

      • Whether the disability is permanent or temporary.

4. Recommendations from a health professional as to the types of accommodations that would be helpful will be considered. However, the University retains ultimate decision-making authority as to which accommodations can be put into place.

5. Documentation templates are provided on the SAS website as a guide to accepted standards.