Disability Services

Campbellsville University is committed to providing equal educational opportunities and full participation for persons with disabilities. The Disability Services Coordinator advocates an atmosphere in which all students are afforded equal access and the opportunity to be involved in activities available at Campbellsville University. The Coordinator also serves as the liaison for students with the faculty, staff, and administration.

What is a Disability? The ADA defines a person with a disability as anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities: caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working. A person is considered to have a disability if they have a disability, have a record of adisability, or is regarded as having a disability.

If you have a documented disability or condition of this nature, you may be eligible for disability services while a student. Documentation must be obtained from a licensed professional and current in terms ofassessment (within the last 3 years) and submitted to the Office of Disability Services as soon as possible before the term begins.

Accommodations are determined and approved on a case-by-case basis.

Required Documentation (Less Than 3 Years Old): 

1. The official diagnosis
2. The method of diagnosis (interview, personality assessments, mental health instruments, physical exam, etc.)
3. How the disability affects the student's ability to perform academically and his/her daily functioning.
4. Treatment plans (e.g. on-going therapy, medication prescribed, and physical therapy).
5. Recommended accommodations that would assist with academic achievement.
6. The names and titles of the evaluators, as well as the date(s) of testing.

GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFIC DISABILITIES

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) Documentation Students requesting accommodations and/or support services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide documentation of the existence of a disability which substantially limits a major life activity. In order to accurately determine the appropriate accommodations, we suggest that the documentation be current (within 3 years). It may be appropriate to extend the testing limit depending on certain circumstances and based on the student's current functioning. In all cases, the documentation should be appropriate to the anticipated setting.

Documentation should include, but not be limited to the following:

1. Name and Professional Credentials of the Evaluator. Evaluations must be done by a licensed psychologist with training and experience in the evaluation of the adolescent/adult psychiatric disorders and specifically with ADHD.
2. Diagnosis/Assessment. A current medical diagnosis according to DSM-IV criteria with explanation of instruments used to reach the diagnosis. Students are encouraged to pursue and submit the results of psychological/neuropsychological and educational achievement testing. While these results are not required for a diagnosis of ADHD, many students with ADHD also have learning disabilities and these test results are useful for academic and program planning.
3. Impact on Academic Functioning. A complete description of the impact of ADHD on the student'sacademic functioning must be provided. Descriptions of impact upon study skills, classroom behavior, test-taking and organizing research would be examples of academic functioning.
4. Recommended Accommodations. All recommended accommodations must beconsistent with #3

Learning Disability Documentation Students requesting accommodations and/or support services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide documentation of the existence of alearning disability which substantially limits a majorlife activity. In order to accurately determine the appropriate accommodations, the documentation should be current (within 3 years). It may be appropriate to extend the testing limit to 5 years if the testing is reflective of the student's current functioning. In all cases, the documentation should be appropriate to the anticipated setting.

Documentation should include, but not be limited to the following:

1. Qualifications of the Evaluator. Evaluation must be done by a licensed psychologist. Training and direct experience with an adolescent and adult learning disability population is essential. The name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator should be clearly stated in the documentation. This should include informationabout license, certification, area(s) of specialization, employment, and state/province in which the individual practices.
2. Comprehensive Assessment. The neuropsychological or psycho-educational evaluation for the diagnosis of a specific learning disability must provide clear and specific evidence that a learning disability does or does not exist. Assessment, and any resulting diagnosis, should consist of and be based on a comprehensive assessment battery that does not rely on any one test or subtest. This assessment should include a diagnostic interview to determine medical, developmental, psychosocial, family, academic, and employment histories. It should include assessments of:
   • • Cognitive - A complete battery, appropriate for an adult population, with all subtest andstandard scores reported. One of the following would be required: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery - Revised: Tests of Cognitive Ability, Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test.
     • Achievement - A complete battery relevant to area(s) of suspected disability(s), often to include a reading assessment, with all subtestand standard scores reported. Examples of commonly used tools are: Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery-Revised: Tests of Achievement, Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK), Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT), and Nelson-Denny Reading Skills Test.
     • Information Processing - An examination of the student's processing strengths and weaknesses to include areas such as short and long term memory, processing speed, metacognition, etc., gathered from the comprehensive assessment, diagnostic interview, and examiner's observations of test behavior.
3. Diagnosis. Identification of a specific Learning Disability based upon the information from the comprehensive assessment and a diagnostic interview.
4. Clinical Summary. A diagnostic summary based on a comprehensive evaluation process is a necessary component of the report. The clinical summary should include:
   1. Demonstration of the evaluator's having ruledout alternative explanations for academic problems as a result of poor education, poor motivation and/or study skills, emotional problems, attention problems and cultural language differences
   2. Indication of how patterns in the student's cognitive ability, achievement and information processing reflect the presence of a learning disability
   3. Indication of the substantial limitation to learning or other major life activity presented by the learning disability and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context for which accommodations are being requested
   4. Indication as to why specific accommodations are needed and how the effects of the specific disability are accommodated
   5. Any record of prior accommodation or auxiliary aids, including information about specific conditions under which the accommodations were used
   6. Specific recommendations for accommodations as well as an explanation as to why each accommodation is being recommended.

Medical Disability Documentation Students requesting accommodations and/or support services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide documentation of the disability which substantially limits a major life activity. In order to accurately determine the appropriate accommodations, the documentation should be current and reflective of the student's current functioning. In all cases, the documentation should be appropriate to the anticipated setting. Accommodations provided for individuals with temporary disabling conditions may be subject to periodic review. Documentation should include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator. The evaluator should have training and expertise with the particular medical condition identified. The area of specialization as well as thestate in which the individual practices must be included. All reports are requested to be signed and dated.
2. Diagnosis/assessment. A current medical diagnosis including appropriate medical reports, relevant medical history, and a clinical summary should be provided. This assessment should validate the need for services based on the impact of the student's disability on academic performance and level of functioning in an educational setting.
3. Evaluation of impact. Documentation should indicate a substantial limitation and should include any prior history of accommodations needed.
4. Recommended accommodations. All recommended accommodations must beconsistent with #2 and #3.

Neurological Documentation Students requesting accommodations and/or support services under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide documentation of the disability which substantially limits a major life activity. In order to accurately determine the appropriate accommodations, the documentation should be current and reflective of the student's current functioning. In all cases, the documentation should be appropriate to the anticipated setting. Accommodations provided for individuals with temporary disabling conditions maybe subject to periodic review. Campbellsville University healthcare providers may review materials submitted by off campus health care professionals to assist in determining appropriate accommodations.

Documentation of a neurological disability must be provided by a neurologist, neuropsychologist, neurosurgeon, or other appropriately trained medical doctor with expertise related to the particular medical condition identified. The diagnostic report must be submitted on official letterhead with name(s), title(s), professional credentials, address, and telephonenumber of the person providing the documentation. All reports must be signed and dated. These guidelines are provided in the interest of assuring that documentation is appropriate to verify eligibility and support requests for reasonable accommodations, academic adjustments, auxiliary aids and/or services at the postsecondary level.

Documentation must include the following information:

1. Name, title, and professional credentials of theevaluator. The evaluator should have training and expertise with the particular medical condition identified. The area of specialization as well as the state in which the individual practices must be included. All reports are requested to be signed and dated.
2. Diagnosis/assessment. A current medical diagnosis including appropriate medical reports, relevant medical history, and a clinical summary should be provided. This assessment should validate the need for services based on the impact of the student's disability on academic performance and level of functioning in aneducational setting.
3. Evaluation of impact. Documentation should indicate a substantial limitation and should include any prior history of accommodations needed.
4. Recommended accommodations. All recommended accommodations must beconsistent with #2 and #3.

Psychological Disability Documentation Students requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 must provide documentation of the existence of a psychological disability which substantially limits a major life activity.

Documentation Requirements:

1. Currency of documentation.The documentation is suggested to be current, provided within the past year, by a licensed psychiatrist or psychologist. The name and professional credentials of the evaluator will be indicated including license number.
2. DSM-IV diagnosis. A complete DSM-IV diagnosis must be provided with an accompanying description of the specific symptoms the student experiences. This diagnosis should be based upon a comprehensive clinical interview and assessment instruments as needed.
3. Impact on academic functioning. A complete description of the impact on academic functioning of the student's psychiatric symptoms must be provided. Descriptions of impact upon study skills, classroom behavior, test-taking, and organizing research would be examples of academic functioning.
4. Recommendations for academic accommodations.Recommendations foracademic accommodations must be based uponboth #2 and #3 above. Academic accommodations which are recommended must be related to the diagnostic information and its impact upon student functioning.

HOW TO SUBMIT DOCUMENTATION

Please submit any required documentation to the Disability Services office and contact the Office of Disability Services with any questions, requests, or concerns regarding services or accommodations provided to individuals with disabilities.* 

*If disability documentation is submitted to other offices on campus, such as the Office of Enrollment, it is not automatically forwarded to the Office of Disability Services (DS).

Registering students who wish to live on campus should notify the Coordinator of Disability Office and Campus Security at the beginning of the semester if evacuation assistance will be needed. Detailed information on procedures (“Student, Faculty, and Staff Emergency Procedures Handbook”), is available in your dormitory and Office of Campus Security.

Submit all disability documentation directly to the Office of Disability Services. Received documentationis confidential. This information is released and/or discussed only on a need-to-know basis. It is also subject to FERPA guidelines. Outside these guidelines, no information is released and/or discussed without consent from the individual.

Note: Disability-related information submitted to other offices on campus (e.g. Admissions, Housing, Financial Aid) may not be automatically forwarded to the Disability Resource Center. This could delay the evaluation of accommodations.