Alfred State has a twofold purpose for requesting students with disabilities to provide documentation:
- The student needs to provide documentation that clearly demonstrates the individual is a person with a disability, and
- That without accommodation(s) he/she would not have equal access and thus would be subject to discrimination.
In order for a student with a disability to qualify for protection under the law, he/she must demonstrate that he/she is a person with a disability that creates a substantial limitation to one or more major life activities. Documentation that establishes the existence of a disability substantiates that the individual is eligible for protection under the law. The student is then entitled to equal access.
Documentation also needs to establish that the individual has a need for accommodation(s).
Documentation should be current, preferably within three years; however, the age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon the disabling condition, the current status of the student, and the student’s request for accommodations.
Acceptable documentation, provided by a credentialed professional, should outline the nature of the disability, along with a detailed explanation of the functional impact of the disability on the pursuit of postsecondary education.
Documentation will be used by the coordinator/counselor in the Office of Accessibility Services to evaluate requests for accommodations, assistive technology, and/or support services. The coordinator/counselor will review the documentation and decide reasonable and appropriate accommodations.
In the absence of appropriate documentation, the college may require additional assessment, the responsibility of the cost to be borne by the student.
Criteria for acceptable documentation are listed by disability.