Evidence of Disability

With guidance from the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), the CSD considers the following evidence for determining a student’s disability and the provision of specific accommodations:

Student’s Self Report

You are a vital source of information regarding how you may be impacted by your condition(s). Your experience of disability, barriers and effective accommodations is critical information. This information is collected when you register with the CSD through MyAccess and when you communicate with your Disability Service Provider (DSP).

Observation and Interaction

In some cases, disability is apparent either in terms of presentation or effect, and your Disability Service Professional (DSP) is an experienced expert, able to make appropriate and reasonable judgments that contribute toward the determination of disability.

Documentation from External or Third Parties

Documentation from a qualified medical, psychological, or educational professional should provide information on the current impact/limitations of the condition in a postsecondary environment.

Documentation serves three purposes:

  1. To establish that a student can be considered a person with a disability, and therefore eligible for protection against discrimination based on disability.
  2. To supplement information from the student regarding the impact of the condition.
  3. To inform the development of reasonable accommodations and/or academic adjustments.

Examples of Documentation may include:

  • formal assessments or reports
  • letters from qualified evaluators or health care providers
  • high school documentation (IEP, 504 Plan, Summary of Performance), etc.

Your DSP uses documentation to better understand your experience of the condition(s), identify impacts in an academic, residential, or dining setting, and make informed decisions to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations.

Additional Considerations

  • Evidence should be current and relevant to the requested accommodations.
  • Reasonable accommodations are determined based on the nature of the condition(s) and resulting impact in the postsecondary environment. A student’s program of study and the courses a student is enrolled in will also inform the types of accommodations that are appropriate.
  • Prior receipt of accommodations (e.g., in high school or in another University setting) will inform the process of determining appropriate accommodations at UConn; however, they do not guarantee receipt of the same accommodations.
  • Please note that the documentation you provide to the CSD may not be sufficient to receive accommodations at other postsecondary institutions, or for certain high stakes assessments (i.e., GRE, LSAT, etc.).
  • While the law requires that priority consideration be given to the specific methods requested, it does not imply that a particular accommodation must be granted if it is deemed not reasonable or other suitable methods are available.
  • Professionals (e.g., physicians or other medical professionals) conducting assessment, rendering diagnoses of specific conditions, and making recommendations for appropriate accommodations must be qualified to do so.