UMB GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR DOCUMENTING A DISABILITY The University requires students to present documentation that supports their claims of disability (ies). Documentation is required so that appropriate reasonable accommodation(s) can be made on an individual basis. The provision of all reasonable accommodations and support services is based upon assessment of the impact of a student's disabilities on her/his academic performance at a given time in the student's life. Therefore, it is in the student's best interest to provide recent (no older than five years) and appropriate documentation relevant to the student's learning environment which may depend upon the nature of the graduate/professional school/academic program. Documentation that is outdated (older than five years) or inadequate in scope or content, or does not address the student's current level of functioning or need for accommodation will need to be supplemented by additional assessment. In these instances, the University will require that an updated evaluation report be submitted. The purpose of the updated report is to determine the student's current need for accommodations within the graduate or professional school setting. The update should also include a rationale for ongoing services and recommendations for accommodations. The cost of the updated assessment may be paid by the student's health insurance if (s)he has purchased the Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Maryland insurance plan offered by the University. Otherwise, payment of the cost of testing will be the responsibility of the student. Guidelines that should be followed to ensure that acceptable documentation is obtained from the student's health care provider are listed below. Adherence to these guidelines ensures that the University is consistent in the types of information that is collected from each qualified student with a disability. While certain of these guidelines have been created as a result of years of review of students' documentation, others were adopted from the Association on Higher Education and Disability's Guidelines for Documentation of Learning Disability in Adolescents and Adults, July 1997: 1. All reports/evaluations must be submitted on the letterhead of the professional performing the assessment. 2. The report/evaluation must be typed, dated and signed by the professional conducting the assessment. 3. The name, title and professional credentials of the health professional performing the evaluation, including information about license or certification (e.g. licensed psychologist) as well as the area of specialization and place of employment should be clearly stated in the documentation. Examples of qualified health professionals include, but are not limited to: medical doctors, clinical or educational psychologists, school psychologists, neurophysiologists, learning disabilities specialists, rehabilitation counselors, physical therapists, occupational therapists and other professionals, provided they are qualified to evaluate specific disabilities. 4. The report/evaluation must stipulate the major life activity or activities impacted by the disability. 5. The report/evaluation must validate the need for services based upon the student's current level of functioning in the educational setting. 6. It is not considered appropriate for professionals to evaluate members of their own family. A similar prohibition would apply to each professional for whom the conduct of an evaluation might reasonably be considered a conflict of interest.
The University reserves the right to change or modify these guides as more information is discovered and new or additional knowledge becomes available under the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act. [Prepared by: University of Maryland Baltimore Office of Student Services] top .
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