J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College students seeking academic accommodations for psychological disability are required to submit documentation verifying eligibility under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All documentation is confidential and is never considered a part of the academic transcript. The following guidelines are provided in the interest of identifying reports appropriate for the provision of reasonable accommodations.

• Documentation must be based on DSM-IV criteria and show clear and specific evidence of a disability, which would substantially limit access to learning.
• Documentation must have been completed within the last three years.
• Medications should be stated if their use or adjustment may have any impact on access to learning. adjustments in medication may substantially affect learning and attendance.
• Professionals conducting and rendering diagnosis of a psychological disability must be qualified to do so. Licensed psychologists, licensed neuropsychologists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed counselors and/or licensed physicians are typically involved in clinical assessment.
• Diagnostic reports must contain the names, titles, and license information of the evaluator(s), and the dates of evaluation(s).
• Reports must be submitted on professional letterhead. Prescription pads and copies of letterhead are not acceptable.
• Documentation must contain recommendations for reasonable accommodations suitable to a postsecondary academic setting. Specific suggestions to best assist the identified student are also very helpful.

Guidelines for Documentation of Specific Learning Disability [Back to top]

J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College students seeking academic accommodations for Specific Learning Disability are required to submit documentation verifying eligibility under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All documentation is confidential and is not considered a part of the academic transcript. The following guidelines are provided in the interest of identifying evaluation reports appropriate to document eligibility.

Testing must be comprehensive and contain at least the following domains:

Aptitude: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Revised [WAIS-R] or Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery - Revised: Standard Cognitive Battery are preferred.

Achievement: Current levels of achievement in reading, mathematics and written language are required. Preferred instruments are the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational
Battery - Revised: Tests of Achievement; the Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults; the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test; or a compendium of instruments including the Test of Written Language - 2 [TOWL-2], Woodcock Reading Mastery Test - Revised, and Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test. The Wide Range Achievement Test - R2&3 should be supplemented. An evaluation of the student's current record of academic achievement and standardized testing may be applicable.

Information Processing: Specific areas of information processing such as short and long term memory, sequential memory, processing speed, auditory and visual perception must be assessed. Subtests from the WAIS-R or Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery: Standard and Supplemental Cognitive Subtests are acceptable.

Testing must be current, which typically means within the last three years for older
adolescents and young adults. Comprehensive documentation for an evaluation completed after high school graduation or the eighteenth birthday which is not more than ten years old is considered acceptable for immediate reasonable accommodation. Disabilities Services is responsible to advise students that other institutions may require more stringent and timely documentation. Assessment constitutes the basis for determining reasonable accommodations, so it is in the best interest of the student to provide recent and comprehensive documentation.

Clear and specific evidence and identification of a learning disability must be stated on the basis of the following attributes:

1. Average to above average or superior intellectual ability. To best serve the adult community college population, definition of average shall be one standard deviation below and above the mean. For most assessment instruments this range is between the standard scores of 85 and 115.
2. Statistically significant intra-cognitive processing deficits, or
3. Statistically significant aptitude achievement discrepancy[ies].
4. Measured achievement in an instructional or employment setting: and
5. Statement of appropriate adaptive behaviors.

• Statements such as individual "learning styles" and "learning differences" in and of themselves do not constitute a learning disability.
• Professionals conducting and rendering diagnoses of specific learning disability must be qualified to do so. Trained and licensed psychologist, neuropsychologists, learning disabilities specialists, and educational therapists are typically involved in assessment. Experience in working with an adult population is essential.
• Evaluators should be able to demonstrate that the selection of assessment instruments is based upon suitability, as to reliability and validity, for use with an adult population.
• Reports must include the names and titles of evaluators; names of all tests administered; test scores and related data in standard score format, including subtest scores; and date of evaluation.
• Reports must contain recommendations for reasonable accommodations suitable to a postsecondary academic setting.
• Presentation of proof of accommodation from another postsecondary institution accompanied by documentation is acceptable for immediate accommodation at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College

J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College students seeking academic accommodations for medical disability are required to submit documentation verifying eligibility under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All documentation is confidential and is not considered a part of the academic transcript. The following guidelines are provided in the interest of identifying documentation appropriate to provide reasonable accommodations for a physical, medical, or perceptual disability.

• Documentation must be from a licensed physician and show clear and specific evidence of a disability, which would substantially limit access to learning.
• Documentation must have been completed within the last three years.
• Medications should be stated if their use or adjustment may have any impact on access to learning.
• Letters or other documents must be on letterhead and contain the names, titles, and license information of the physician, and the dates of assessment. Prescription pads and copies of letterhead are not acceptable.
• Documentation must contain recommendations for reasonable accommodations suitable to a postsecondary academic setting. Specific suggestions to best assist the identified student are also very helpful.

J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College students seeking academic accommodations for Attention Deficit Disorder are required to submit documentation verifying eligibility under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All documentation is confidential and is never considered a part of the academic transcript. The following guidelines are provided in the interest of identifying evaluation reports appropriate to document eligibility.

• Documentation must be based on DSM-IV criteria for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
• The process of diagnosis should be reported using test scores and/or appropriate data.
• Data related to or used to rule out concomitant conditions should be included.
• Medication recommendations, if any, should be stated.
• Professionals conducting and rendering diagnoses of attention deficit disorder must be qualified to do so. Licensed psychologists, licensed neuropsychologists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed counselors, and/or licensed physicians are typically involved in assessment. Experience in working with an adult population is essential.
• Diagnostic reports must contain the names, titles, and license information of the evaluator(s), and the dates of evaluation(s).
• Reports must be submitted on professional letterhead. Prescription pads and copies of letterhead are not acceptable.
• Reports should contain recommendations for reasonable accommodations suitable to a postsecondary academic setting.
• Students submitting documentation for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder from a physician or psychologist in which there has been no comprehensive evaluation will be limited to accommodations for tape recording, extra time for tests, and priority seating.