Documentation Guidelines

 

The Office of Students with Disabilities (OSD) follows a timeline to ensure all accommodation requests are reviewed thoroughly. Once documentation is received, the OSD allows up to two weeks for review. During this period, the documentation is evaluated to determine whether it meets the criteria outlined in our official guidelines.

If the documentation is deemed sufficient, an appointment will be scheduled with an OSD team member to discuss the request and any applicable accommodations. This meeting also provides an opportunity to clarify needs and explore support options.       

It is important to note that while recommendations from doctors or other qualified professionals are considered as part of the review process, they are not automatically applied. These recommendations are viewed as informative, but the college is responsible for determining reasonable and appropriate accommodations based on the documented functional limitations and the need for access in the academic environment. This ensures that accommodations are consistent with legal standards, institutional resources, and the nature of the educational setting.

Disability Documentation Guidelines

In order to provide effective, appropriate and reasonable accommodations to students at Valencia College who have disabilities, the OSD requires that documentation be recent, comprehensive, and relevant.  Typically, documentation within the last three to five years, depending on the nature of the disability and the type of documentation is considered recent.

“A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, or activity that enables a qualified student with a disability to obtain equal access. Equal access means an opportunity to attain the same level of performance or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges as are available to a similarly situated student without a disability. Only the peripheral requirements of courses, programs, and activities are subject to modification; essential elements of courses, programs, and activities must remain intact.”

        ~ Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act & the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

This timeframe helps ensure that the documentation reflects the student’s present level of functioning and current impact in an academic setting. In some cases—particularly for conditions that are subject to change over time—more recent documentation may be required.

If documentation is outdated or does not adequately reflect the student’s current needs, the OSD may request updated information before proceeding with the accommodation process. However, we urge students to contact our office to determine whether older documentation may still be acceptable. Depending on the nature of the disability and the information provided, we may be able to use existing documentation to support the accommodation process while more current documentation is being obtained.

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-IV 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 best. 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 dated and signed by the physician or evaluator.

Guidelines for documenting disability by category

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

  • 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 is also acceptable.
  • Information regarding medications prescribed and possible side effects that may impact academic performance.
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the ADHD or ADD in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does ADHD or ADD impair the student’s ability to learn?”

Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to determine the diagnosis. A summary from a professional practitioner who has been treating the student is also acceptable.
  • Information regarding medications prescribed and possible side effects that may impact academic performance.
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does the Asperger’s or Autism Spectrum disorder impair the student’s ability to learn?”

Blind or Low Vision

  • Letter or report from an ophthalmologist or optometrist.
  • Letter or documentation from an agency specializing is working with and assisting individual who are blind or have low vision, i.e. Division of Blind Services. Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the student’s vision loss in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does vision loss or blindness impair the student’s ability to learn?”
  • A 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

  • Letter or report from an audiologist or otolaryngologist.
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the student’s hearing loss in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does the deafness or loss of hearing impair the student’s ability to learn?”
  • A hearing loss 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, and high or low tone hearing loss or deafness, and acoustic trauma hearing loss or deafness.

Orthopedic

  • Letter from a physician qualified to diagnose and treat the condition.
  • Identifying the specific orthopedic condition is preferred.
  • Information about side effects of medications prescribed for treatment
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the student’s medical disability in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does the disability impair the student’s ability to learn?”

Other Health Disabilities

  • Letter from a physician qualified to diagnose and treat the condition.
  • Identifying the specific medical condition is preferred.
  • Information about side effects of medications prescribed for the treatment.
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the student’s medical disability in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does the disability impair the student’s ability to learn?”

Psychological/Emotional/Behavioral

  • Letter from a physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, licensed social worker, or licensed mental health counselor, qualified to diagnose and treat the condition.
  • Identifying the specific psychological/emotional/behavioral disability is preferred.  Information about side effects of medications prescribed for treatment.
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the student’s psychological/emotional/behavioral disability in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does the disability impair the student’s ability to learn?”

Specific Learning Disability

  • Psycho-educational evaluation or neuro-psychological evaluation.
  • Evaluations based on adult norms are preferred.
  • If evaluations are more than 5 years old or based on children’s norms, an addendum may be requested. This to confirm academic barriers are still present and/or if additional academic barriers are presented.
  • IQ evaluation narrative, scores, and sub-test scores are helpful in determining reasonable accommodations. * o Recommended IQ evaluation:
    • Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV)
    • Reynolds (RAIS)
  • Academic Achievement evaluation narrative, scores, and sub-test scores are required in determining reasonable accommodations.
    • Recommended Test for Achievement:
      • Woodcock-Johnson WJ-lll (Achievement Test)
        • Cognitive Processing narrative, scores, and sub-test scores are helpful in determining reasonable accommodations.
    • Recommended Test for cognitive processing:
      • Woodcock-Johnson WJ-lll – Cognitive Battery
      • Brief screening measurements are not sufficient.
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the student’s learning disability in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does the specific learning disability impair the student’s ability to learn?”

Speech/Language

  • Letter from a physician or practitioner qualified to diagnose and treat the disorder.
  • Identifying the specific speech/language disorder is preferred.
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the student’s speech/ language disability in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does the disability impair the student’s ability to learn?”

Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Psycho-educational evaluation or neuro-psychological evaluation is helpful in determining reasonable accommodations.
  • IQ evaluation narrative, scores, and sub-test scores are helpful in determining reasonable accommodations.
  • Academic Achievement evaluation narrative, scores, and sub-test scores are helpful in determining reasonable accommodations.
  • Cognitive Processing narrative, scores, and sub-test scores are helpful in determining reasonable accommodations.
  • Evaluations based on adult norms are preferred.
  • If the above evaluations are not available, a letter from a physician or practitioner qualified to diagnose and treat a TBI.
  • Information regarding functional limitations or barriers connected to the student’s TBI in the academic environment is crucial; i.e. “How does the TBI impair the student’s ability to learn?”

Incomplete or Insufficient Documentation of Disability

  • Hand written 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, they may be used as a supplement to more current documentation. 
  • Documentation written by family members is not sufficient.
     

Documentation Submission Process

See registration process.

 

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