This page was developed when I was training doctoral students at the Georgia Institute of Technology in psychological assessment and providing documentation for disabilities (between 2006 to 2013).
TOPICS & READINGS
(1) Disability: Definitions and documentation criteria
The University System of Georgia criteria for the documentation of disabilities can be found in the Academic Affairs Handbook, specifically, Section 3.11 - Students with Learning Disorders; Section 3 Appendices D and E - Disability Documentation Guidelines; and Section 4.1.5 - Students with Disabilities of the Board of Regents Policy Manual.
Regents Center for Learning Disorders Documentation Forms & Checklists: ADHD Verification Form [PDF]; AD/HD Checklist [PDF]; Asperger's Documentation Checklist [PDF]; Learning Disability Documentation Checklist [PDF]; Psychological Disorders Checklist [PDF]
Educational Testing Service disability documentation criteria
(2) Accommodations in higher education
Association for Higher Education and Disability. (2012). Supporting Accommodation Requests: Guidance on Documentation Practices from the Association on Higher Education And Disability. [PDF]
Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. (2010). Reasonable accommodations for people with psychiatric disabilities.
Gordon, M., & Keiser, S. (2000). Underpinnings. In Gordon, M., & Keiser, S. (Eds.), Accommodations in Higher Education under the Americans with Disabilities Act: A No-Nonsense Guide for Clinicians, Educators, Administrators, and Lawyers, 3-29. Guilford.
Kiuhara, S.A., & Huefner, D.S. (2008). Students with psychiatric disabilities in higher education settings: The Americans with Disabilities Act and Beyond. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 19, 2, 103-113.
Stretch, L. S., & Osborne, J. W. (2005). Extended test time accommodations: Directions for future research and practice. Practical Assessment, Research, & Evaluation, 10, 8. [PDF available here]
Zuriff, G. E. (1997). Accommodations for test anxiety under ADA? Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 25, 2, 197-206. [Abstract].
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U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy http://www.dol.gov/odep. They have some great information about job accommodations and the laws related to employers being required to provide accommodations. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has an Effective Accommodation Practices (EAP) Series which outlines specific accommodations based on the disability.
KEY POINTS - OVERVIEW
The Americans with Disabilities Act authorizes appropriate educational accommodations for students who meet the criteria for several conditions, including Learning Disorders, ADHD, and psychiatric disorders.
Professionals conducting assessments should be thoroughly familiar with the criteria for the documentation of disabilities and the process by which students are granted accommodations. The University System of Georgia criteria for the documentation of disabilities can be found in the Academic Affairs Handbook, specifically, Section 3.11 - Students with Learning Disorders; Section 3 Appendices D and E - Disability Documentation Guidelines; and Section 4.1.5 - Students with Disabilities of the Board of Regents Policy Manual.
The Georgia Tech ADAPTS office reviews professional documentation and grants and administers students' disability accommodations.
KEY POINTS ABOUT THE DEFINITION OF A DISABILITY
The following points have been excerpted from the Disability Documentation Guidelines of the University System of Georgia.
An individual must demonstrate that his/her condition meets the definition of a disability under the Rehabilitation Act, 1973 and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 1990, and its Amendment (2009). The ADA defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
Substantially limits, under ADA, refers to significant restrictions as to the condition, manner, or duration under which an individual can perform a particular major life activity as compared to most people.
Whether a condition is substantially limiting to support an accommodation request is a decision made by qualified professional(s) based upon multiple sources of information.
A clinical diagnosis is not synonymous with a disability. The specific symptoms that are present should be stated in the documentation. Evidence that these symptoms are associated with substantial impairment in a major life activity is required for provision of accommodations. A detailed description of current substantial limitation in the academic environment is essential to identify appropriate academic accommodations, auxiliary aids, and services. Specific requests for accommodations need to be linked to the student’s current functional limitations, and the rationale for each recommendation clearly stated.