Guidelines for Providing Documentation of Disability

Students and staff who seek accommodations at the University of Minnesota must provide documentation from appropriate licensed professionals to Disability Services (DS). This information assists DS in determining if the employee or student has a disability and is, therefore, eligible to receive reasonable accommodations. The following guidelines are not intended to prescribe or dictate how a condition is diagnosed, but rather to serve as a guide to understanding what information is needed by DS, and why.

A DS Specialist is available to consult with any potential client regarding documentation needs, or to better understand these guidelines. Some individuals may have already obtained some type of documentation because it was necessary for other purposes (for example, an evaluation may have been done as part of an “IEP” in secondary school); others must begin the process when the first contact is made with DS.

The cost of obtaining documentation is borne by the student or employee. DS may require additional information if the initial documentation is inadequate to determine the extent of the disability or to support the need for requested accommodations; the cost of this additional documentation is also borne by the employee/student. If DS desires a second professional opinion, then DS bears the cost.

Advance planning is often necessary to have certain accommodations in place when needed, so it’s best to address questions and concerns early in the process. To arrange a consultation with a DS Specialist, call 612-626-1333 (V/TTY).

In general, the documentation should:

• be provided by a licensed professional, qualified in the appropriate specialty area; the report should be on letterhead, dated and signed.



• include both diagnostic information and an explanation of the current functional limitations of the condition. It should be thorough enough to indicate whether or not a major life activity is “substantially limited,” that is, it should explain what the extent, duration, and impact of the condition is.



• in most cases, it should be relatively recent; a suggested guideline is less than 3 years old. Documentation of conditions that are permanent or non-varying (e.g., a sensory disability) may not need to be as recent, but some chronic and/or changing conditions require even more current information to provide an accurate picture of functioning.



• be detailed enough to support the accommodations that are being requested. Accommodations are determined by assessing the impact of the person's disability on academic or work performance.



• for a variable or progressive condition, include the degree and range of functioning.



• address the impact of medication or other treatments on major life activities.