Request Process and Documentation Guidelines

Overview

The Office of Accessibility (“OOA”) is committed to providing accommodations to students with disabilities and temporary impairments to ensure that the student is provided with equal access to their academic and campus life activities. All accommodation requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and through an interactive process with each student.

In determining reasonable accommodations, OOA considers each student’s condition, history, experience, specific request(s) for accommodations, and the unique characteristics of the course, program, or policy in order to determine whether or not such specific accommodations are reasonable.

These guidelines were created to assist students in identifying what information and documentation is needed to help inform the process of determining reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

Please note that all documentation provided will be reviewed by OOA. If further documentation is required by OOA to establish the disability or the connection between the disability and the requested accommodation, the student is responsible for obtaining the additional documentation.

Documentation Guidelines

Documentation should be dated and on signed letterhead from the licensed professional with the following information provided:

• Name & Title, license number with state (if applicable), the address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address and signature of the evaluator or medical professional.

The documentation provided to OOA should also include the following:

• Information regarding the student’s current condition or diagnosis and any relevant history. The documentation should provide information regarding how the condition impacts the student in their current academic and campus life environment.
• Information regarding the student’s presenting conditions or diagnosis (ongoing difficulties and behaviors) that substantially impact functioning in the post-secondary setting.
• Information regarding the student’s history of any prior accommodations received (if applicable). This could be information about accommodations received in high school or another University setting.
• Specific recommendations regarding academic and/or campus life accommodations, auxiliary aids and/or services based on the impact of the condition(s) in the postsecondary environment.
• Information regarding the student’s current medications/treatment. This information should include:
  • Student’s current medication(s) including dosage and frequency
  • Discussion of any known adverse side effects due to medications (if any)
  • Description of the student’s current treatments or other interventions including frequency (e.g., psychotherapy, medication management, allergy injections, chemotherapy, etc.)
  • Description of any auxiliary aids used by the student (e.g., hearing aids, assistive listening devices, visual aids, etc.)

Temporary Impairments Documentation Guidelines

The Office of Accessibility (OOA) provides reasonable accommodations to students with temporary medical conditions or impairments.

To qualify for temporary accommodations, a student should provide documentation of the temporary medical condition or impairment as determined by a physician or other health care provider or licensed professional. Reasonable accommodations are determined based on the nature and impact of the temporary condition on a case-by-case basis and through an interactive process with the student and OOA.

Documentation should be dated and on signed letterhead from the licensed professional with the following information provided:

• A clear statement of the temporary medical condition, symptoms, frequency of any appointments and the expected length of the condition.
• Current impact the condition has on the student's daily functioning and learning and any barriers the student is currently facing due to the medical condition or impairment
• The physician's recommended accommodations
• Name & Title, license number with state (if applicable), the address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address and signature of the evaluator or medical professional.

Some temporary medical conditions or impairments may require additional updated documentation in the future. The student is responsible for providing the updated documentation should it be requested by OOA.

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Where to Submit Documentation

Documentation should be uploaded to the student’s accessibility profile through my.fairfield.

If a student is having difficulty uploading the documentation to their profile, they can confidentially submit the documentation to the OOA via: