At Sarah Lawrence College, students who request accommodations for a disability are required to submit documentation to verify eligibility under Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).  These guidelines are provided in the interest of assuring that evaluation reports are appropriate for documenting eligibility for students who seek accommodations and services for a physical disability or systemic illness.

Physical disabilities include but are not limited to impairments, chronic illnesses, traumatic brain injury, arthritis, and visual, hearing, mobility, and manual limitations.  The ADA defines a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of an individual.  Examples of major life activities include walking, sitting, standing, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, caring for oneself, and performing manual tasks.  A diagnosis of a disorder/condition/syndrome or impairment in and of itself does not automatically qualify an individual for accommodations under the ADA. The documentation must also support each request for accommodation, academic adjustment or modification, or auxiliary aid.

Any physical disability or systemic illness is considered to be in the medical domain and requires the expertise of a physician, including a neurologist, psychiatrist or other medical specialist with experience and expertise in the area for which accommodations are being requested.  The diagnostician must be an impartial individual who is not a family member of the student.

Recommended documentation includes:

• A clear statement of the medical diagnosis of the physical disability or systemic illness;
• A reflection of the current impact the physical disability or systemic illness has on the student’s functioning (the age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon the disabling condition, the student’s request for accommodations, and the current status of the student);
• A summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to make the diagnosis, including evaluation results and standardized scores if applicable;
• A description of present symptoms that meet criteria for diagnosis;
• Medical information relating to the student’s needs, including the impact of medication on the student’s ability to meet the educational demands of the postsecondary environment;
• A statement describing the functional impact of the limitation of the disability on learning or other major life activity and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context for which accommodations are being requested;
• Length of time the diagnostician has treated the student and date of last contact;
• Diagnostician’s name, title, license number, address, and phone number.

This information is confidential and will be used only for the purpose of enabling the College to provide the student with supportive academic and other services related to his/her disability. We will not release any part of the documentation without the student's informed and written consent.

Send documentation to: