Students requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or 1973 must provide documentation of a diagnosed learning disability that limits a major life activity. Documentation and recommendations must be appropriate to the postsecondary setting. The report must describe the current impact of the attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder on the student’s academic performance.
Accommodations are individually determined each semester. Once the Ross Center receives documentation, it is the student’s responsibility to make an appointment with the Ross Center to discuss eligibility and receive academic accommodations that semester.
Confidentiality Statement
Ross Center for Disability Services will not release any information at any point in the disability accommodation process regarding an individual’s diagnosis or medical information without his or her informed written consent or under compulsion of legal process. Information will be released only on a “need to know” basis, except where otherwise required by law. All documentation will be stored in a secure place.
Relevant Terminology
AD/HD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder): Include but are not limited to inattention or hyperactivity-impulsivity behavior existing since childhood and persisting for at least six months to a degree that is maladaptive or immature for required academic performance.
Major life activity: Examples of major life activities include walking, sitting, standing, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, caring for oneself, and performing manual tasks.
Current functional limitation: A substantial impairment in an individual’s ability to function with respect to the condition, manner, or duration of a required major life activity.
Documentation Guidelines
Documentation must be current showing history: The assessment of AD/HD must be current, valid and comprehensive, and reflect present functioning. The evaluation must be completed by a qualified, licensed professional who has experience with adolescents and/or adults with AD/HD. Documentation must be typed and include the name and qualifications of the evaluator.
Actual test scores and data must be provided and specify the diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Assessment instruments should be selected based on reliability and validity for use with an adult population. It is not acceptable to administer only one assessment for diagnosis.
The documentation must indicate the student’s history of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, give evidence of current impairment, must give a specific diagnosis using DSM-IV criteria in 5 axes, and must contain an interpretative summary. The necessary sections of the evaluation are listed below:
