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Documentation Guidelines/Rights and Responsibilities

• Documentation Guidelines

  Individuals with disabilities who attend or plan to attend a post-secondary institution in Colorado may need reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids in order to have equal access to the programs and services offered. The laws that require post-secondary institutions to provide these services to otherwise qualified students include: Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). To receive accommodations in the post-secondary environment, a student must notify the institution's Disability Services Office (or other designated office) and initiate the process for determining their eligibility for accommodations.

  Purpose

  These documentation guidelines have been provided to support students in obtaining appropriate documentation from qualified professionals. While appropriate documentation of a disability is only one part of determining eligibility for accommodations, the provision of this documentation supports the disability service provider to understand the impact of the disabilities, access needs, and potential accommodations. Institutions might also request documentation for the following reasons:

  • to verify the existence of a disability;
  • to support the request for each specific accommodation;
  • to review the nature of the disability or disabilities and its' impact in the post-secondary environment; and
  • to assist in the collaborative determination of eligibility for auxiliary aids and services to minimize the impact of the disability.

  error_outline An Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 Plan, or General Education Initiative from a secondary school may not provide thorough information for the documentation of disability and needed accommodations. Please refer to the institution's documentation guidelines for the required information. There are differences between high school and college documentation and accommodations. Please refer to the Differences Between High School and College form for more information.

  Disability Resource Center (DRC) provides academic, programmatic, and physical accessibility and services to students with
  disabilities. DRC frequently assists students with many different medical conditions and diagnosed disabilities including
  attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, seizure disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety,
  arthritis, gastrointestinal conditions, deafness, hearing loss, and blindness. It is important to note that this is not an exhaustive
  list; thus, we welcome all students with disabilities to seek out our services.
  Eligibility for accommodations and services are established through information obtained from the student’s self-report and
  submitted documentation. The documentation must be on letterhead, typed, dated, and signed. The information must be from
  a qualified/licensed professional (e.g., physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health counselor, etc.), who is unrelated to
  the student, and whose credentials permit the evaluation of the disability. The following guidelines are provided to assist
  students in obtaining documentation to establish the need for reasonable accommodations:

  1. A clear statement of the medical and/or psychiatric diagnosis (i.e., ICD-10, DSM-5) with a description of the student’s
     current symptoms (if applicable, specify if the diagnosis is in partial or full remission);
  2. Date of the initial diagnosis and/or date of the most recent visit with the student for this diagnosis;
  3. Information regarding the functional impact or limitations of the condition or disability on the student’s learning and other
     major life activities;
  4. The impact of medication on the student's ability to meet the demands of the postsecondary environment, if relevant;
  5. The expected duration, stability, and/or progression of the disability;
  6. For students who experience flare ups or intermittent symptoms, describe the current severity, duration, and frequency;
  7. For students with a documented learning disability: documentation ideally includes a comprehensive evaluation of
     intelligence and academic achievement, with standardized scaled scores and composite scores to support the diagnosis or
     eligibility classification. This is commonly included in a psychoeducational evaluation conducted by a school psychologist or
     a licensed psychologist;
  8. Suggest recommendations for accommodations and/or services that the student may require and describe how the
     student’s disability necessitates the need for the specific requested accommodation.

  Further assessment or additional documentation may be necessary, if the documentation does not support the requested
  accommodations. Please contact DRC at (970) 351-2289 if you have any questions. All documentation is considered
  confidential and should be sent to:

  • • University of Northern Colorado
    • Disability Resource Center
    • Michener L-80
    • Campus Box 139
    • Greeley, CO 80639
    • 970-351-2289
    • Fax: 970- 351-4166
    • drc@unco.edu

  Types of documentation that may be helpful to include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • • Educational, psychological, or medical records;
    • Reports and assessments conducted by healthcare providers, clinical psychologists, licensed social workers, or school
      psychologists;
    • Documents that outline use of academic accommodations such as an Individualized Education Program (IEP), Section
      504 Plan, and psychoeducational evaluations.

• Rights and Responsibilities

  Rights and Responsibilities of Students Requesting
  Disability Services at the University of Northern Colorado

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  Students with disabilities at UNC have the right to:

   

  • Equal access to courses, programs, services, activities, and facilities offered through the university.
  • Equal opportunity to receive appropriate and timely accommodations during their entire
    academic career at UNC, unless accommodations are offered as temporary (for one semester
    at minimum).
  • Appropriate confidentiality of all information regarding their disabilities and to choose to
    whom information about their disabilities will be disclosed, except disclosure that is required
    or permitted by law.

  
  Students with disabilities at UNC have the following responsibilities:

  • Document from an appropriate professional how the disability limits their participation in
    courses, activities, programs, services, jobs and facilities. Students granted temporary
    accommodations must meet with a DRC staff member to discuss accommodations and
    service eligibility for future semesters. Accommodations that are requested must be supported by current documentation. Additionally, revisions to your original accommodation letter may
    require additional documentation.
  • Identify themselves as an individual with a disability when seeking accommodations from
    faculty by submitting their accommodation requests online via DRC Online each semester.
  • If any accommodation related issue arises, students must seek information and assistance
    from DRC within a reasonable amount of time.
  • Regularly check and monitor student Bearmail account (@bears.unco.edu). Communication
    from the DRC office will be directed to this account.
  • Academic accommodations are typically determined based on needs in a classroom or online
    learning environment. These accommodations do not automatically apply to experiential
    learning environments. It is each student's responsibility to engage with the DRC in the
    interactive process of determining specific accommodations for program components such
    as clinical rotations, internships, student teaching, and any other experiential learning
    environment.
  • Follow policies and procedures for obtaining reasonable accommodations and services as set
    forth by the Disability Resource Center. The student understands that DRC reserves the right
    to update and change policies.

  
  I understand my rights and responsibilities and understand that failure to follow these may
  delay my ability to receive accommodations. I am aware of DRC policies and procedures.