GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

To register for disability services with the Office of Disability Services, students must complete and return an Application for Services and are required to provide diagnostic documentation from a licensed clinical professional familiar with the history and functional implications of their respective disabilities. It is not acceptable for such documentation to include a diagnosis or testing performed by a member of the student's family. It is the student's responsibility to provide appropriate documentation of disability to ODS and to formally request a letter of accommodation from ODS personnel.
Disability documentation must adequately verify the nature and extent of the disability in accordance with current professional standards and techniques, and it must clearly substantiate the need for all of the student's specific accommodation requests. Each disability type has its own documentation requirements. All documentation must be submitted on the official letterhead of the professional diagnosing the disability. The report should be in narrative form, typed, dated and signed and include the name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about licensure and certification.
If the original documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of the disability or reasonable accommodation, the University has the discretion to require additional documentation. Any cost incurred in obtaining additional documentation when the original records are inadequate is borne by the student. If the documentation is complete but the University desires a second professional opinion, the University bears the latter cost.
Students requesting accommodations for the manifestations of multiple disabilities must provide documentation of all such conditions.
A High School IEP or 504 plan is not sufficient documentation of a disability.
A history of accommodations does not in itself warrant the provision of similar accommodations at UA. Also, medication cannot be used to imply a diagnosis. The final determination of eligibility for services rests with the University of Alabama.
This document will be made available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact the Office of Disability Services, (205) 348-4285 (Voice) or (205) 348-3081 (TTY) for assistance.

Please forward all documentation to:

Office of Disability Services
University of Alabama
133B Martha Parham East
Box 870185
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0185

This document will be made available in alternative formats upon request. Please contact the Office of Disability Services, (205) 348-4285 (Voice) or (205) 348-3081 (TTY) for assistance.