Documenting your Disability

When requesting accommodations or academic supports you will need to provide us with recent and relevant written confirmation of your diagnosis and/or the nature of your disability.

This documentation will help to ensure that you will benefit from every opportunity to succeed. Because the Centre deals with a wide variety of disabilities/ conditions, it is important that you provide your disability counsellor with as much information as possible so that we can understand your needs.

The paperwork you provide needs to describe your disability and related learning needs. This documentation should

1. tell us what your disability is
2. describe the typical symptoms you may experience.
3. show the ways the disability may affect you at university
4. the impact of your disability on your previous schooling, ie; attention, concentration, learning ability, fatigue, absences etc.
5. show the ways the disability may affect you in the program you are choosing
6. recommend accommodations, support services, and strategies to help you
7. the type of medication prescribed and the possible side effect(s).
8. any permanent or temporary impairment.
9. any treatment that may disrupt your academic program.
10. any other special considerations.

You may also ask your medical professional to write a letter outlining the above, however if you wish to apply for government funding available to students with disabilities*, an application process which is separate from applying for services at the Atlantic Centre, you will need the Student Loan Medical Assessment Form, and this form will be sufficient documention for the Atlantic Centre as well.

Students should also keep a copy of their documentation for future reference.

All information shared with the Atlantic Centre will remain confidential to the staff associated with the Atlantic Centre and will be stored securely for a period of 7 years after which the documentation will be shredded.

*Government post-secondary disability funding policy requires that psych-ed assessments are no older than 5 years

Information on this page was adapted from Nova Scotia Department of Education, Medical Assessment Form

This page last modified Monday, 07-May-2012 11:28:08 ADT