Disability Documentation Overview
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) engages in an interactive process with each student to determine appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids and services for their academic, housing, and campus access needs. As a part of the process, students need to provide evidence of the need for disability-related accommodations. To qualify as a person with a disability, a student must have a physical and/or mental impairment which substantially limits them in one or more major life activities. Please note that a medical diagnosis and recommendation for a particular accommodation do not establish a disability-related need for the accommodation.
Guidelines for Documentation
Written documentation should be typed in English and be on letterhead, signed, and dated. Documentation should be provided as an attachment to students’ Accommodations Request form, but can also be submitted to SAS by fax (203-432-8250) or email (as a .pdf to sas@yale.edu). Some accommodation requests will need further documentation, and SAS will inform students what additional documentation is needed. Ideally, documentation will include the following:
- CREDENTIALS should be provided by an appropriately licensed or credentialed professional who has relevant experience and no personal relationship with you.
- DIAGNOSIS/SYMPTOMS UNDER REVIEW should include a description of the diagnostic criteria, evaluation methods, and dates of administration, along with observation/clinical impression notes. If not diagnosed currently, it should include what are symptoms that are being reviewed at this time.
- FUNCTIONAL LIMITATIONS should include the current impact of the disabling condition(s), and describe the severity and frequency of the condition on one or more major life activities.
- PROGNOSIS should clearly describe the chronic or episodic nature of the disability, outline conditions or situations that trigger reoccurrence.