Disability Documentation Guidelines

Learning Disability

In order to fully evaluate requests for accommodations, Southwestern Illinois College's Special Services Center will need documentation of your learning disability. Your documentation needs to consist of an evaluation by a qualified professional who needs to describe the current impact of your disability as it relates to accommodation request(s). The guidelines below were developed to assist you in obtaining information in order for us to collaboratively determine reasonable accommodations.

A Qualified Professional Should Conduct the Evaluation

• Verification of your disability needs to be made by a qualified professional, for example, a licensed clinical or educational psychologist, learning disability specialist, neuropsychologist, or medical doctor known to specialize in specific learning disability conditions. The professional completing the evaluation should not be a family member.
• The report should be on the professional's letterhead and include the following: Name, title, the signature of the evaluator, professional's credentials, and the date of the assessment.

Documentation Should Describe the Current Functional Impact of the Learning Disability on Major Life Activities

• Ask your qualified evaluator to provide a report that includes the following:
  1. Diagnosis
  2. psychometric test scores
  3. description of how the learning disability affects major life activities
  4. functional limitations that may affect programs in higher education
  5. suggested academic accommodation recommendations
• Any recommended accommodations by the evaluator(s) should include a detailed explanation as to why each accommodation is needed. While the evaluator's recommendations will be taken into consideration, final determination of reasonable accommodations will be made by the Special Services Center staff.
• A school plan (e.g., individualized education plan or 504 plan) is not sufficient in and of itself, but it is helpful to be included.
• Reasonable accommodations are based on the current level of functioning and current impact of the disability on academic performance. In most cases, this means that the testing is based on appropriate adult assessment norms and is typically conducted within the past five years.
• If your documentation does not address your current level of functioning, a re-evaluation may be required.
• The report should include a clear statement that a learning disability does or does not exist. Individual learning styles, learning differences, and academic problems in and of themselves do not constitute a learning disability.

Assessments Should Address Aptitude, Information Processing, and Academic Achievement

1. Aptitude/Information Processing Testing

   This may include but is not limited to the following:

   • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Revised (WAIS-R)
   • Woodcock Johnson Psychoeducational Battery - Revised: Tests of Cognitive Ability
   • Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale

2. Academic Achievement Tests

   This may include but is not limited to the following:

   • Scholastic Abilities Tests for Adults (SATA)
   • Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK)
   • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT, WIAT II)
   • Woodcock Johnson Psychoeducational Battery - Revised: Tests of Achievement

Questions

If you have any questions, call the Special Services Center at 618-235-2700, extension 5368 or TDD at 618-234-3347 for all campuses. Check with the Special Services Center to make sure you have current Documentation Guidelines.