Learning Disabilities Documentation

It is the policy and practice of Hampton University to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and state and local requirements regarding students with disabilities. Under these laws, no qualified individual with a disability shall be denied access to or participation in services, programs, and activities of Hampton University. Academic accommodations are provided to students with documented learning disabilities so that optimum performance is achieved within the University’s academically competitive environment.

A learning disability is generally defined as a significant discrepancy between achievement and ability or an intra-cognitive discrepancy attributable to other handicapping conditions, or to environmental deprivation. The term disability is divided into three parts. An individual must satisfy at least one of these parts in order to be considered disabled under the law: (1) have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of that person's major life activities, (2) have a record of such an impairment, or (3) be regarded by the covered entity as having such an impairment. Documentation for learning disabilities is required for academic accommodations. The University does not provide testing for disabilities. Students are responsible for their own testing and for providing the documentation to the University.

Since assessment constitutes the basis for determining reasonable accommodations, it is in the student's best interest to provide recent and appropriate documentation. This will serve as the basis for decision-making about the student's need for accommodations in a college environment. Documentation verifying a learning disability should:

1. Be prepared by a professional qualified to diagnose a learning disability (i.e. a licensed psychologist, learning disabilities specialist, neuropsychologist). Experience in working with an adult population is essential. Collaboration with speech and language clinicians, reading specialists and other educational professionals may be appropriate and necessary for a comprehensive assessment of a student's needs. However, these professionals are not generally considered qualified to diagnose a learning disability.
2. Include background information about the individual and descriptions of the testing procedures followed, instruments used, test results, interpretation, and recommendations.
3. Include test results in the following areas: IQ, reading, mathematics, spelling, written language, and language and cognitive processing skills.
4. Include a clear diagnostic statement based on the test results and personal history.
5. Be dated no more than three years prior to admission or the request for services by undergraduates, five years for adult returning students.
6. Include test scores/data. This is important since certain University policies and procedures (i.e. petitioning for permission to substitute courses) require actual data to substantiate eligibility.

The following instruments are generally accepted as appropriate for the diagnosis of a learning disability in adults: WAIS-R, Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery, Parts 1 and 2, Halsted-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery for Adults, Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test, Detroit Tests of Learning Aptitude, Nelson-Denny Reading Test, Test of Written Language (TOWL), Wide Range Achievement Test, Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test.

There must be clear and specific evidence of a learning disability. Individual "learning styles" and "learning differences" alone do not constitute a learning disability. Once a disability has been verified, accommodations will be provided on an individual basis.

PHYSICAL DISABILITIES DOCUMENTATION

In the case of physical disabilities, a typed report on the physician’s letterhead describing the physical disability, date of diagnosis, its symptoms, and recommendations for accommodating the disability should be submitted to the 504 Compliance Office.

Questions regarding disability documentation or testing policies and procedures should be addressed to the Director of Testing Services/ Section 504 Compliance Officer, 212 Wigwam, Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia 23668, (757) 727-5493.

Please note that confidential disability documentation should not be sent to any office on the campus other than the Office of Section 504 Compliance or Student Health Services.