Documentation Requirements

 

Accessibility and Disability Resources (ADR) partners with Xavier faculty, staff, and students to ensure every aspect of the student experience is accessible, equitable, and inclusive for individuals with disabilities. Accommodations are provided in response to specific functional limitations that intersect with academic demands, enabling equal access.

According to the ADA, a disability is defined as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment.” There is no exhaustive list of qualifying impairments. Importantly, accommodations must be reasonable and should not “fundamentally alter” the essential nature, components, or requirements of a course.

To fully assess a student’s request for academic accommodations or auxiliary aids, documentation of the student’s disability is needed. This may include educational or medical records, assessments by healthcare providers, mental health therapists, school psychologists, teachers, or other educational documents such as a 504 Plan, Individualized Education Program (IEP), Summary of Performance, or relevant health information from the student’s provider.

The student’s self-report plays a critical role, as the student can best describe how their disability creates specific barriers. ADR collaborates with the student to identify accommodations that will effectively provide access. In some cases, additional documentation may be necessary to support the connection between the disability and the requested accommodations.