Requesting Reasonable Accommodations

These include mobility, manual, hearing, and visual impairments. The clinician appears qualified to make the diagnosis within their area of expertise and is not a family member of the student. The evaluation is presented on professional letterhead, is up-to-date, and includes the date of the student's last appointment. The clinician clearly identifies a claimed disability that falls under the ADA. The documentation provides substantial support for the claimed disability, including relevant medical and historical information.

The evaluation details any current medications, treatments, and assistive devices or technologies, along with their estimated effectiveness in mitigating the impact of the disability (e.g., the effectiveness of corrective lenses or the use of crutches), as well as any known side effects from medications that have affected the student. A description of the functional limitations resulting from the disability should be included, specifically addressing a postsecondary residential and educational setting. The documentation must clearly demonstrate the connection between the disability and the need for the requested accommodations.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Student Resource Services at 386-481-2983 or fax us at 386-481-2987. In accordance with the law (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act), Bethune Cookman University is dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations for its disabled students. Specific guidelines exist for obtaining accommodations and services under the ADA. This brochure provides detailed information on what is needed to request and receive those accommodations. Please read this carefully and share it with the professional conducting your testing and evaluation or providing the results of previous evaluations.

1. Qualified Professional

• Evaluations must be conducted by qualified professionals, such as clinical or educational psychologists, neuropsychologists, or licensed counselors, with relevant training in assessing learning disabilities. Family members cannot conduct evaluations. Reports should be typed, dated, signed, and on official letterhead.

2. Current Testing

• Documentation must reflect assessments conducted within the past three years to accurately assess the current impact of the disability on academic performance.

3. Comprehensive Documentation

• Documentation must validate the need for accommodations based on the individual's current functioning. A school plan (IEP or 504) alone is insufficient but can complement a comprehensive evaluation, which should include:

• A diagnostic interview summarizing academic and developmental history.
• Assessment of cognitive ability, academic achievement, and information processing.
• Relevant medical, family, and psychosocial history.

4. Specific Diagnosis
   
   The documentation must provide a clear diagnosis, avoiding nonspecific terms. It should state directly whether a learning disability exists, ruling out alternative explanations.
   
   
5. Test Scores
   
   All test results should include standard scores or percentiles. The documentation must reflect substantial limitations relevant to requested accommodations.
   
   
6. Recommended Accommodations
   
   Each recommended accommodation must be supported by rationale, indicating how the learning disability impacts specific academic activities. The report should clarify any changes in accommodation needs over time.
   
   
7. Clinically Interpretive Summary
   
   A diagnostic summary must integrate assessment data with background information and observations. It should indicate:

• Consideration of alternative explanations for academic issues.
• How cognitive and achievement patterns relate to the learning disability.
• The specific limitations and the need for recommended accommodations.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 offer protections for individuals with disabilities, ensuring equal access to programs and services. The following guidelines aim to ensure that psychological documentation is suitable for verifying eligibility and supporting requests for accommodations, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids.

Documentation must be provided by a qualified professional with relevant training and licensure in differential diagnosis. Acceptable evaluators may include psychologists, psychiatrists, neuropsychiatrists, clinical social workers, licensed counselors, or psychiatric nurse practitioners. A mere diagnosis of a psychological condition does not automatically qualify someone for accommodations under Section 504 or the ADA. The provision of reasonable accommodations is based on how the disability affects the student’s access to academic programs. Documentation must clearly connect the requested accommodations to the functional limitations within an academic environment.

The Report Must:

• Specify a diagnosis according to DSM-5 or ICD codes.
• Describe symptoms that fulfill the diagnostic criteria.
• Detail the effects of the diagnosis on the student in an academic setting and how it significantly limits major life activities as defined by the ADA.
• Provide a clear explanation of how the diagnosis impacts the student’s ability to take notes, complete exams, focus, etc.
• Include any relevant side effects from prescribed medications.
• Offer historical context, along with a summary of the diagnostic interview or psychological assessment, listing the tools used for diagnosis.
• Present specific recommendations for reasonable accommodations based on the functional limitations imposed by the disability, along with a rationale for each.
• Include the evaluator’s name, title, credentials, date, and signature on official letterhead.
• Discuss the prognosis, including potential for improvement or decline.
• Describe how the disability affects learning abilities specific to the post-secondary environment, such as concentration and information processing.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provide protections for individuals with disabilities, ensuring equal access to programs and services. The following guidelines are intended to ensure that documentation for ADD/ADHD is appropriate to verify eligibility and support requests for accommodations, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids.

The determination of reasonable accommodations and services is based on how the disability affects the student’s ability to access the academic program equally. The documentation must demonstrate a connection between the requested accommodations and the functional limitations experienced in an academic setting.

Students seeking accommodations due to an ADD/ADHD diagnosis must submit documentation from a qualified professional that outlines the disability and its impact on their academic performance. This documentation should describe a disabling condition characterized by significant limitations on one or more major life activities.

The Report Must:

• Be dated, typed on official letterhead, and include the name, title, and professional credentials of a qualified evaluator who can diagnose and treat the condition.
• Provide a DSM-V or ICD diagnosis of the disability, along with details regarding any comorbid conditions.
• Include a comprehensive assessment that summarizes the evaluation procedures and instruments used for diagnosis, including any results and standardized scores, such as those from neuropsychological or psychoeducational testing.
• Describe the current impact of the disability, specifically highlighting barriers within the educational environment.
• Offer a rationale for each requested accommodation or assistive device.

Students with temporary injuries, such as a broken leg or arm, concussion, or recovery from surgery, can register with the Office of Student Resource Services (SRS) to receive temporary support.

In special circumstances, provisional accommodations may be granted to students who can demonstrate they are actively pursuing a diagnosis. These provisional accommodations are usually approved for one semester and may be extended to a permanent status upon receipt of the necessary documentation.

The Report Must:

• A letter from a healthcare provider detailing the injury, treatment plan, and prognosis.
• A description of how the injury affects the student’s academic activities.
• Documentation showing active engagement in diagnosis or treatment (e.g., appointment records).
• Suggestions from the provider for necessary accommodations.
• A statement on the expected duration of the condition and accommodation needs.

As a student with a disability at Bethune-Cookman University, you have the right to:

• Choose when and to whom you disclose your disability.
• Access courses, programs, services, and activities offered by the University equally.
• Receive reasonable accommodations and adjustments as needed to ensure equal access.
• Decide whether to utilize the curricular and co-curricular accommodations approved for you.
• Address concerns about access or discrimination through the University’s procedures for filing informal and formal grievances.
• Enjoy all other rights and privileges available to other students at the University.

As a student with a disability at Bethune-Cookman University, you also have responsibilities to:

• Meet the qualifications and maintain the essential standards for courses, programs, and activities.
• Self-identify to the Student Resource Services (SRS) as a qualified individual when accommodations are needed, and seek assistance in a timely manner.
• Provide documentation from a qualified professional that explains how your disability affects your participation in courses, programs, and activities.
• Follow University procedures to obtain reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids and services.
• Notify SRS promptly about any concerns related to classroom accommodations, treatment related to your disability, or access issues on campus.

The Office of Student Resource Services (SRS) has the right to:

• Identify and establish the essential functions, abilities, skills, knowledge, requirements, and standards for courses, programs, services, and activities in collaboration with campus partners, and evaluate students accordingly.
• Request and receive relevant documentation supporting requests for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services. This documentation must come from a qualified evaluator and adhere to the University’s guidelines. Recommendations for accommodations must be clearly supported in the evaluation.
• Seek external review of documentation from a qualified evaluator to assist in determining reasonable accommodations.
• Deny requests for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services if the provided information does not substantiate functional impairments, if the documentation does not adequately support the requested accommodations, or if appropriate documentation is not submitted.
• Reject requests for accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services that would alter essential course requirements, fundamentally change a course, program, or service, or impose an undue hardship on the University.
• Approve and select reasonable and effective accommodations, adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids and services on behalf of the University.

The Office of Student Resource Services (SRS) has the responsibility to:

• Establish and disseminate criteria for the use of disability services.
• Maintain confidentiality of student education records in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other applicable laws.
• Determine eligibility for students with disabilities to participate in the academic accommodations process based on a review of appropriate documentation.
• Ensure that students with disabilities who self-identify and meet University criteria receive reasonable and appropriate accommodations, academic adjustments, and/or auxiliary aids based on their needs.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff regarding essential course and program requirements and appropriate reasonable accommodations.
• Ensure that University courses, programs, services, and activities are offered in the most integrated and appropriate settings.
• Inform students with disabilities about University policies and procedures for filing a formal grievance through the Informal ADA Grievance Policy, the Formal Grievance Procedure, and/or external agencies (e.g., Office of Civil Rights).