Eckerd College students needing academic accommodations as a result of a disability must submit reliable third-party documentation to the Office of Accessibility. Guidelines for documentation are listed below.
When the Office of Accessibility receives your documentation, you will be contacted via your Eckerd email. You will be directed to make an appointment with the Office of Accessibility to complete paperwork and to meet with an Accessibility staff member.
When you meet with the Accessibility staff member, you will be shown how to login to the program you will use to manage your accommodations, reserve test accommodations, and renew your accommodations each term. Each term, Accessibility staff will review and approve your accommodations, and your current professors will be notified via email of your accommodations. The nature of a disability will not be disclosed to faculty without a student’s expressed permission.
Accessibility staff members ensure that students who request and qualify for support services receive appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Accommodations are determined based on reliable third-party diagnoses and recommendations and are individualized to the needs of the student. Examples of accommodations provided to students with disabilities include extended testing time, a testing area with reduced distractions, note-taking assistance, and ADA-compliant housing.
Contact the Office of Accessibility as soon as possible to allow adequate time to plan for accommodations.
Eligibility
Students seeking support services for a diagnosed disability must provide recent, objective documentation that verifies eligibility under the Americans with Disabilities Amended Act of 2008 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Eligibility for reasonable accommodations under these statutes requires that the physical or mental impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities (e.g., learning, self-care, speaking, hearing, seeing, walking).
Office of Accessibility guidelines require that the evaluation and documentation be provided, in English, by a licensed professional who is not related to the student and is qualified to diagnose and treat the student’s particular disability. The documentation must clearly describe the ways in which the disability currently impacts a student’s functioning. In many cases, this means that the evaluation must have been completed within three years. However, the Office of Accessibility reserves the right to modify this timeframe depending upon the type of disability. If documentation needs to be updated or if additional documentation is required, the cost of obtaining the required documentation is the responsibility of the student. An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan is insufficient documentation, but can be included as part of a more comprehensive assessment battery.
Documentation Guidelines
Learning Disabilities
The following guidelines are provided to assist students in the process of obtaining appropriate documentation that substantiates eligibility for services and provides suggestions for reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids. Testing must be comprehensive (including more than one appropriate test) to obtain a reliable diagnosis. At the very least, each of the following domains should be addressed:
A. Aptitude – The age-appropriate Wechsler Intelligence Scale is preferred, although the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability or the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, Fifth Edition are both acceptable.
B. Achievement – A battery of tests is required to determine current levels of functioning in reading, mathematics and written language. Examples of acceptable measures include the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-II) or the Stanford Test of Academic Skills.
C. Information Processing – Measures of short- and long-term memory, sequential memory, auditory and visual perception/processing, processing speed, executive functioning and motor abilities must be included. Typical measures used include subtest information from the WAIS-IV or the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability.
Generally, the documentation should be no more than five years old, and must include the following:
- An evaluation conducted by a licensed psychologist or other relevant professional with training and experience in the assessment and diagnosis of adolescents and adults with ADHD and/or learning disabilities. The report must be written in English, must be on letterhead, and must include the date of evaluation, evaluator’s name, title, credentials, license number, signature, and date of signature.
- A summary of the diagnostic interview, including relevant information from the student’s educational, familial and medical history.
- A list of the tests administered, including subtests. Standard scores should be provided in addition to percentile scores and/or grade equivalents.
- DSM-5 diagnoses (if any) and a description of any specific evidence that the disability results in a substantial limitation to learning (or other major life activity).
- Detailed information about the specific nature of the student’s current limitations and how these limitations might affect the student’s daily life in the college environment (e.g., learning, testing and living).
- Information about medications (and side effects), assistive devices/services and other treatments currently prescribed or in use that are likely to impact the student’s functioning.
Other Disabilities
The following guidelines are provided to assist students in the process of obtaining appropriate documentation that substantiates eligibility for services and provides suggestions for reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids.
The documentation should be current, and may need to include the following:
- An evaluation conducted by an appropriate specialist (e.g., psychologist, psychiatrist, rehabilitation medicine, neurologist, ophthalmologist, orthopedic surgeon, rheumatologist, audiologist, etc.) who has training and experience in the assessment and diagnosis of the student’s disability. The report must be written in English, must be on letterhead, and must include the date of evaluation, evaluator’s name, title, credentials, license number, signature, and date of signature.
- A clear and credible DSM-5 or ICD-9-CM diagnosis, including a description of the diagnostic criteria.
- Detailed information about the specific nature of the student’s current limitations and how these limitations might affect the student’s daily life in the college environment (e.g., learning, testing and living).
- A description of the expected progression or stability of the disability over time and ways in which functioning might be impacted.
- Information about medications (dosage and existing side-effects), assistive devices/services and other treatments currently prescribed or in use that are likely to impact the student’s functioning.
- For disabilities in which a change in functioning is likely within one year of the evaluation, include the time period for which the accommodations are being recommended (generally no longer than one year without re-certification of need).
- Recommendations for academic and/or housing accommodations, adaptive devices, assistive services and strategies to compensate for the functional limitations, accompanied by an objective rationale.
