Physical & Medical Disabilities

Documentation Guidelines

Students with physical or systemic disabilities and temporary conditions must provide documentation that:

  • Is comprehensive and current, within three (3) years of the student's request for accommodation(s)
  • Professionals conducting assessments, rendering diagnoses of specific disabilities, and making recommendations for appropriate accommodation(s) must be qualified to do so (e.g., physician)
  • Identifies an unequivocal diagnosis of a specific disability
  • Discusses functional limitations caused by the disability in an academic environment or the environment in which the student is requesting accommodation(s)
  • Recommends accommodation(s) to compensate for the identified functional limitations
  • Lists current medication, dosages, and existing (not possible) side effects

Accommodations

Accommodations are decided on a case-by-case basis and may include, but are not limited, to the following: 

  • Priority registration
  • Extended time for examinations
  • Examinations in a distraction-reduced environment    
  • Consideration for absences
  • Frequent breaks
  • Writing directly on the test, without a scantron
  • Note taking
  • Food and beverages in class
  • E-Text
  • Enlarged tests
  • Use of a computer
  • Reader
  • Scribe
  • Moving classes to accessible locations

Contact us

  • To register for services.
  • To request additional accommodation(s).
  • When unable to work out DS approved accommodations with faculty.
  • When accommodations do not seem to be helping or the physical condition has worsened.
  • When there is a problem. Be honest with the DS staff and faculty. We cannot be of assistance if we do not know a problem exists.

Examples of Physical Disabilities

  • Mobility Impairments, which range in severity from limitations on stamina to paralysis, including:
    • Amputation
    • Arthritis
    • Cerebral palsy
    • Neuromuscular disorders
    • Paralysis
  • Visual Impairments, which range in severity and limitations depending upon the type
  • Systemic disabilities are conditions affecting one or more of the body's systems including:
    • Cancer
    • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
    • Diabetes
    • Epilepsy/seizure disorder
    • Lupus Erythematosis
    • Multiple chemical sensitivity
    • Seizure Disorder
  • Other Physical Disabilities
    • Students with a wide variety of other physical disabilities, including temporary conditions, may be eligible to receive services and/or accommodation(s) as long as the physical disability has a definitive physical cause and significantly impacts one or more major life activities that affect the student’s academic performance

 

PHYSICAL & MEDICAL DISABILITIES DOCUMENTATION FORM (PDF)

Other Forms