Documentation Guidelines & Forms
Documentation Guidelines
In addition to information gathered directly from you (the student), the basis for determining appropriate accommodations and auxiliary aids and services is provided by clinical documentation that is informative and relevant. OSAS conducts an individualized assessment of the documentation, and in consultation with the student, determines reasonable accommodations and/or auxiliary aids and services.
Important note: a qualified evaluator is considered a health care professional who is licensed to treat the condition being assessed. Additionally, family members are not considered appropriate evaluators for a student, regardless of professional qualifications.
At a minimum, complete documentation should clearly address:
- Functional impact(s)/limitation(s) on the student, particularly as it applies to the academic setting. If relevant to the nature of the condition, the documentation should address the functional impact on the student living or dining within a community setting (i.e. campus housing and dining facilities).
- Frequency, duration, and severity of the impact(s), as well as exacerbating factors.
- Medication, and any side-effects, and/or treatment plan, as well as specific required maintenance regimens.
- (Optional) Recommended accommodations, along with rationale tied to functional impacts/limitations experienced by the student.
Types of Documentation
We recognize that documentation of a student’s disability, history of experiences, and history of accommodations may come in a variety of forms. To help provide clarity, and ease of access for the student and the healthcare provider, USC offers a selection of Disability Verification Forms (DVFs). These may be used by the student and their clinician to create documentation for the student to submit to OSAS. The DVFs provide prompts to help clinicians ensure they are providing relevant, essential, and helpful information on behalf of the student.
In general, OSAS would anticipate the following forms of documentation from students disclosing particular types of disabilities:
Please feel free to contact us directly with any questions you have about this information, or about your individual records. We are happy to provide guidance, and will gladly review any documentation you are able to provide us with your accommodation request in mind.
Important Note: Documentation of a student’s disability is not part of the student’s academic record. All information related to a disability is treated as confidential and may be disclosed only with the student’s written consent or to those with a genuine “need to know,” consistent with USC’s policy and federal laws.