One piece in understanding the fullest picture of a student’s experience is gathering documentation about a student’s diagnosis/condition. Documentation provides information about the functional impact of a disability, especially as it relates to a requested accommodation. We will always try to work with what students are readily able to send us and will only ask for more information if we need it to determine appropriate accommodations or eligibility. In most cases, once documentation is submitted, DSO will review the student’s submission and invite them to schedule an appointment to discuss next steps. In some cases, documentation can also be submitted after the initial appointment with DSO.
Documentation serves three purposes:
- To establish that the student can be considered a person with a disability, and therefore eligible for protection against discrimination on the basis of disability.
- To supplement information from the student regarding the impact of the disability.
- To inform the development of reasonable accommodations (auxiliary aids and services), designed to facilitate equal access to Olin environments, on a case-by-case basis.
Documentation should include:
We accept a wide range of documentation depending on a student's particular condition. In most cases, "documentation" is a letter from a health care provider who is familiar with a student’s condition and can respond accurately based on certain criteria, listed below. In some situations, we ask for additional information, such as a neuropsychological evaluation, to determine appropriate accommodations.
If a student has existing documentation that meets our general criteria, begin by submitting that, and we will be in contact to ask for additional information if necessary. Below are basic documentation criteria that DSO finds helpful to include in documentation from a health care provider:
- A diagnosis of the disability/health condition*
- A description of the current impact/limitations of the disability/health condition with specific focus on barriers to the educational and/or housing environment
- A discussion of whether the disability/health condition is permanent or temporary
- If temporary, please provide information on the expected duration of the disability/health condition and timeline for re-evaluation.
- Identification from a qualified healthcare provider, containing:
- Contact information
- License number
- Signature or electronic signature
*Students do not have to have an official diagnosis to be eligible for accommodations at Olin. This is just the language that is often used in treatment and documentation. In many cases, a student will have an official diagnosis, but not having an official diagnosis does not bar a student from receiving services.
What if a student does not have documentation, or if the documentation is outdated?
DSO wants to meet with any student who has a need, regardless of the state of their documentation. Sometimes we meet students while they are actively seeking care from a provider but have not had their appointment yet or are waiting for a provider to send documentation for care. Students should feel free to still contact DSO and let them know about their current circumstances. On a case-by-case basis we can often provide "provisional" accommodations to support students in the interim, based on information about a condition that is readily available.
Documentation that is five years or older is not considered outdated at Olin. In the case where documentation is not outdated, DSO will do their best to work with what a student already has available to them. However, we will strongly encourage or sometimes it may even be necessary for us to request that a student reconnect with their medical provider for re-evaluation. Current documentation is important to the interactive process and it helps us understand the functional impact of a diagnosis or condition and how it may impact a student’s experience at Olin. Furthermore, any student who is planning to continue their education in a post-undergraduate will often have time restrictions on documentation and will need to be re-evaluated before they can receive any accommodations at a different institution or through a testing site.
Can students submit an IEP Plan as documentation? What about a 504 plan?
IEPs from a student's high school often do provide sufficient detail about a student’s educational experience as it relates to a disability or need in high school. In our experience, documentation from 504 plans can range widely in details and may not always be sufficient as documentation. Therefore, to determine accommodation needs that are appropriate to Olin College, we may need additional information. The more recent your IEP or 504 is, the more likely it is to sufficiently meet our documentation criteria.