Documentation Guidelines

The Office for Students with Disabilities will follow a timeline that allows for up to two weeks (from the date we receive the report) to review the report and/or diagnostic evaluation: after which, the student will recieve email communication to enroll in an OSD Intake Canvas Course. Following the completion of the course, we will schedule an appointment to meet with the student and discuss the request and appropriate accommodations (if necessary).

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Disability Documentation Guidelines

In order to provide reasonable, effective and appropriate academic accommodations to students at Valencia College who have disabilities, The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) requires students to provide recent, relevant and comprehensive medical documentation of the disability and the disability’s impact on the student’s participation in a course, program, or activity.

“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)

The student will also have the opportunity to discuss the impact of the disability on his or her academic performance, as well as discuss what accommodation has worked and what has not been effective.

Therefore, 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-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 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 dated and signed by the physician or evaluator.

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

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?”
Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program.

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?”
Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program.

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?”
Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program.
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?”
Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program (sign language interpreter, real time captioning, note takers, etc.).
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?”
Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program..

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?”
Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program.

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?”

Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program.

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?”
Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program.

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?”
Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program.

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?”
Recommended reasonable accommodations that will provide effective access to the student’s academic program.

Documentation Submission Process

Provide appropriate documentation of the disability for which accommodations are being requested. Use the steps below to submit documentation to the Office for Students with Disabilities:
Log into your ATLAS account
Go to the “Students” tab
Go to the “Student Resources” area
Expand the “Academic Resources” section
Click on the “Office for Students with Disabilities Document Upload Form

Complete the form

Form will import your Name, VID, ATLAS email address.
You will need to add your phone number
You will need to select region
Select the region you will attend when you return to on-campus courses.
You can add up to 4 separate documents
Each document must be under 25 MB
You can upload different types of files (i.e. .pdf, .docx, .jpeg, etc.)
If you do not have access to a scanner, you can take photos with your cell phones and upload the photos. Photos must be clear enough to read information.
Once documentation is submitted, you will receive an email receipt confirming your submission.
Please allow up to two weeks for your documentation to be reviewed
A representative from the Office for Students with Disabilities will contact you about the next step in the process.
Meet with a representative for an intake meeting (if documentation is approved).

Until all steps of the registration process have been completed, the student will be considered pending with OSD and will not be eligible for services or accommodations. Incomplete files will be kept for one term and then destroyed. The student may, however, begin the process again at any time.

Office for Students with Disabilities