Application for accommodations is a voluntary process, and students with disabilities cannot be required to register with DRC. If students choose to withhold information about their disabilities, and thereby forfeit any accommodations that may have been available, they have the right to do so. However, students are strongly encouraged to disclose their disabilities and use the services to support their academic needs.

Accommodations cannot be made retroactively. For example, a student with a learning disability may take his or her exams without extended time. If the exam grades are then poor, however, the student cannot expect any type of remediation. Future exams may be taken with extended time, but past grades will stand.

All students must provide proof of the disability and the need for accommodations before services can be provided. This will usually be in the form of a psychological report or medical statement, and the documentation must be signed by a qualified licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, neuropsychologist or relevantly trained medical physician. Individual Education Programs and Section 504 plans are not sufficient documentation. All documentation must be no more than three years old at the time of application for accommodations.

The documentation must provide current impact of the disability. DRC requires a complete psychological report or medical statement to be current – not more than three years old. Evaluation reports with the initial diagnosis which are older than three years may be provided only to supplement the current documentation in providing important background information. The evaluation must be relevant to the student’s current level of functioning as well. For example, if a student’s level of disability has increased since his previous evaluation, further evaluation will be needed to verify the need for more intensive interventions.

Providing this information and having a history of the disability in elementary or secondary school does not automatically guarantee that one will receive the requested services. The information is evaluated for validity by qualified DRC personnel to determine whether criteria are met and to establish eligibility for services as a student with disabilities, according to University guidelines and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Current documentation should validate the need for services based on the individual's current level of functioning in the educational setting. A current psychological report or medical statement must: