Office for Students with Disabilities

Deaf/Hearing Impaired Documentation Guidelines

You must provide medical documentation of your specific disability in order to verify accommodation eligibility under Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Documentation needs to be current in order to reflect present functioning. Additional documentation may be requested based upon your current status and your request(s). All documentation is confidential and is on file at OSD.

You are responsible for making an appointment with an Accommodation Specialist to discuss their documentation and eligibility for accommodations, which are determined each semester. OSD will make the final determination of eligibility for accommodations.

OSD cannot review an accommodation request until documentation is complete.

An audiologist can provide information regarding diagnosis and treatment of those individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired. If the condition involves a progressive loss, a more current diagnosis is required.

Recommended documentation must include:

• A detailed summary of audiometric procedures and/or audiological testing indicating the nature and the degree of hearing loss, and any speech recognition/discrimination evaluations, if appropriate.
• A summary of assessment procedures used to make the evaluation and a narrative summary of results.
• A current diagnosis of the hearing impairment. Include level of severity and date and age of onset of hearing loss.
• Pertinent history.
• Narrative of whether the hearing loss is stable or progressive.
• Whether assistive devices such as hearing aids or FM systems are used and how effective they are.
• A description of your functional limitations in an educational setting and how the hearing loss may affect class participation.
• Suggestions of reasonable accommodations that might be appropriate at the postsecondary level are encouraged. These recommendations should be supported by the diagnosis. Please note that Disability Services will make the final determination of eligibility for accommodations.
• Name, address, phone number and title and/or credentials of the specialist.

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