Loyola University Chicago

Services for Students with Disabilities (SSWD) must have documentation of your disability on file to provide you with academic and housing accommodations.  General guidelines about documentation are listed below.  Specific guidelines for a particular disability may be found by clicking the appropriate link:

• ADD/ADHD
• General Guidelines
• Learning Disability
• Medical Disability
• Psychological Disability 

General Guidelines

Documentation must be:

• Current, in most cases within three years of the current date
• Submitted by a qualified professional/service provider on official letterhead
• Relevant to the student's needs at the university
• Comprehensive

Documentation must include:

• A diagnostic statement including the most recent evaluation
• The current impact of, or limitations imposed by, the condition
• Treatments, medications, devices or services currently prescribed or used to minimize the impact of the condition
• The expected duration, stability or progression of the condition
• The type of accommodations and services previously made for the individual. if no accommodations have ever been made, the documentation should explanation that fact.
• Recommendations for accommodations, as well as recommendations for treatment

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 is the responsibility of the student.

In addition to the basic documentation for a condition listed above, recommendations from the treating professional are welcome and will be given consideration in evaluating a request. Recommendations should:

• Provide a clear description of the recommended accommodations
• Connect the recommended accommodations to the impact of the condition
• Provide possible alternatives to the recommended accommodations
• Include a statement of the level of need (or consequences of not receiving) the recommended accommodations

Reasonable accommodations depend upon the nature and degree of severity of the documented disability. While the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that priority consideration be given to the specific methods requested by the student, it does not imply that a particular accommodation must be granted if it is deemed not reasonable and other suitable techniques are available.

Note: Pending the receipt of appropriate documentation, the university reserves the right to deny services or accommodations.