Eligibility & Documentation for ACCESS Center Services

​To receive services, students with disabilities must register with the Access Center and provide documentation of the disability.

Students with disabilities must establish eligibility for Access Center services by presenting documentation that meets the following criteria.

 

Eligibility

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 covers:

  • Individuals who have a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits a major life activity such as walking, seeing, breathing, and working
  • Individuals who have a record of such an impairment, such as cancer in remission
  • Individuals regarded as having a disability, e.g., a non-impairing​ facial disfigurement
  • Individuals having an association with a person with a disability, e.g., a spouse, child, or parent
 

Diagnosis

  • Must be determined by a licensed physician or primary heath care provider, psychologist, audiologist, speech therapist, learning disability specialist, or other appropriate professional.
  • Must be based upon history, patient and family interviews, testing, medical, and/or neurological examination.
  • Documentation must be provided by a qualified professional such as a learning disability specialist, based on appropriate testing.
  • For disabilities such as psychiatric disabilities, specific diagnostic classifications such as DSM-IV must be supplied where appropriate.
  • The director shall have ultimate authority to determine disability status, subject to established appeal procedures.
 

Impact of the Disability(ies)

Documentation must include an evaluation of the impact of both the diagnosed condition and any prescribed medications.

  • Evaluation must include an explanation of the functional limitations of the disability and address how the impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities.
  • Documentation should include specific detail regarding the disability(ies) and the manner and degree to which any functional limitation(s) impede performance (e.g., reading, writing, walking, speaking, seeing, or abstract reasoning).
  • Documentation must indicate whether the condition is short-term (less than 90 days) or long-term (more than 90 days).
  • Specific detailed information on limitations must be provided so the staff can make appropriate recommendations for academic adjustments.
 

Documentation

  • Documentation must be submitted on original letterhead of the professional who diagnosed the disability(ies). Fax copies are not acceptable.
  • Documentation must be current as of the date of diagnosis or assessment, not the date of submission.
  • Documentation requirements may be modified where the disability(ies) and need for accommodation are obvious.
 

Requirements

The City Colleges requires current documentation of your disability(ies). Examples of disabilities and required documentation include:
  • Visual Impairment — current vision report
  • Deaf/Hard of Hearing — current audiogram
  • Mobility Impairment, Medical Disability, ADHD — current medical records
  • Learning Disability — psychological evaluation