Documentation Guidelines
Documentation Guidelines for Academic, Housing, and Campus Accommodations
OALA considers information from multiple sources when determining eligibility for disability-related accommodations and evaluating requested accommodations. Supporting information helps OALA understand a student’s disability-related functional limitations, the barriers the student experiences, and the need for access within the academic, residential, or campus environment.
Sources of information may include the student’s description of their experience, prior accommodation or educational records, relevant medical or clinical documentation, and information gathered through the interactive process. The type and amount of information needed may vary depending on the student’s circumstances and the accommodation requested.
Students are encouraged to submit the information they currently have available. OALA will review the available information and, when additional information is necessary to evaluate a request, will identify the specific information needed.
Examples of Supporting Information
Supporting information may come from multiple sources and may include:
- Documentation from a qualified healthcare, mental health, or other appropriate professional
- Records from Baylor Health Services or the Counseling Center
- Hospital, emergency department, or other medical records
- Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
- Section 504 Plans
- K-12 Summaries of Performance
- Prior accommodation records
- Neuropsychological, psychoeducational, or psychometric evaluations
- Audiograms or hearing assessments
- Vision assessments
- Other educational, medical, or clinical information that provides insight into the student’s disability-related functional limitations, barriers, or access needs
This list is not exhaustive, and no single type of documentation is required in every circumstance. Information that was created for a different setting, such as an IEP or Section 504 Plan, may still provide useful information regarding a student’s history, functional limitations, prior accommodations, and access needs. OALA will consider the relevance of that information in the context of the student’s current request and postsecondary environment.
Guidance for Healthcare and Other Qualified Providers
When documentation from a healthcare or other qualified professional is provided, it is most helpful when the documentation includes information relevant to the student’s disability and need for access in the postsecondary environment. Helpful information may include:
- The provider’s name, credentials, area of practice, and relationship to the student
- The disability, condition, or impairment being addressed, to the extent necessary to substantiate the student’s disability-related functional limitations and barriers
- The current functional impact of the disability, particularly as it relates to the academic, residential, or campus environment
- Information regarding the duration, frequency, or variability of the disability-related functional limitations and their impact on access
- Relevant history, observations, assessment findings, or other information that helps substantiate the relationship between the disability-related functional limitations and identified barriers
- Recommendations regarding accommodations or access needs that may address the identified barriers, including the rationale for those recommendations
A specific diagnosis or provider recommendation does not, by itself, determine whether a particular accommodation will be approved. OALA considers the student’s request and all available information through an individualized and interactive process and determines reasonable accommodations based on the disability-related barriers and the context in which access is needed.
Current and Relevant Information
Supporting information should be relevant to the student’s current disability-related functional limitations, barriers, and accommodation request. OALA does not apply a single documentation-age requirement to every student or disability. The relevance of older or historical information will depend on the nature of the disability, whether the student’s functional limitations have changed, the accommodation being requested, and the context in which access is needed.
When existing information does not adequately describe the student’s current functional limitations or establish the relationship between those limitations and the requested accommodation, OALA may request additional information.
When Additional Information Is Needed
Information may be sufficient to establish that a student has a disability but not provide enough information to evaluate a particular accommodation request. When additional information is necessary, OALA will work with the student to identify the specific information needed to continue the individualized review.
Students are encouraged to submit the information they currently have rather than delaying an application while attempting to obtain additional documentation. When appropriate based on the individual circumstances, OALA may consider provisional or temporary accommodations while additional information is being obtained.
Students who experience barriers obtaining documentation or who are uncertain about what information may be helpful should contact OALA for assistance.
Documentation From Family Members
To support an objective and independent evaluation of accommodation requests, OALA generally does not accept professional documentation authored by a student’s parent, family member, or other individual with whom the student has a close personal relationship as sufficient independent professional documentation, even when that individual is otherwise licensed or qualified to diagnose or treat the condition.
This expectation is intended to preserve professional objectivity and avoid concerns associated with dual relationships or potential conflicts of interest. When professional documentation is necessary to substantiate disability-related functional limitations, barriers, or an accommodation request, students should obtain documentation from an appropriately qualified professional who can provide an independent assessment. Exceptions will be considered only in limited or exceptional circumstances when obtaining independent documentation is not reasonably possible. OALA may require additional or independent information when necessary to adequately evaluate the request.
The acceptance of documentation for review does not require OALA to rely upon that documentation as sufficient to substantiate a disability-related functional limitation, barrier, or requested accommodation.
Privacy of Disability-Related Information
Documentation and other disability-related information submitted to and maintained by OALA for accommodation purposes are maintained as part of the student’s education record and are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Under federal law, education records protected by FERPA are excluded from the definition of protected health information under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. OALA maintains disability-related information in accordance with FERPA, Baylor policy, and other applicable law.
Access to disability-related information is limited to appropriate Baylor personnel with a legitimate educational interest or when disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law. When information must be shared to evaluate, coordinate, or implement an accommodation, OALA limits the information disclosed to what is appropriate for that purpose.
Accommodation notification letters identify the accommodations approved by OALA and do not disclose the student’s diagnosis or supporting disability documentation.