Guidelines for Documentation
To qualify for academic accommodations, students who are deaf or hard of hearing must provide the Office of Disability Services with appropriate documentation of the hearing impairment. The following criteria must be included in any documentation provided:
- Documentation must be current (within 3 years). The date of the most recent assessment must be included. The report should be typed on official letterhead and signed by a qualified professional.
- The documentation should include a diagnosis, along with a statement regarding the level of severity, the date and age of onset of hearing loss, pertinent history, method of assessment used to conclude the diagnosis (e.g., audiogram, speech recognition/discrimination evaluations), and whether the hearing loss is stable or progressive (if progressive, a more current diagnosis is required). If an audiogram is included, an interpretation of the results by an audiologist is also required.
- The documentation should provide a description of functional limitations caused by the hearing loss (particularly in an academic environment), an explanation of the types of assistive devices that are used and how effective they are, and suggestions for other accommodations that may be of benefit.
- Recommendations for appropriate accommodations (i.e. classroom or testing accommodations), with rationale for each.
- If other medical/health or disabling conditions are present, additional documentation will be required.
- IEP or 504 Plans will not be accepted as documentation of disability.
