Office of Accessibility Services

General Guidelines for Disability Documentation

Documentation should provide our office a clear understanding of how your disability impacts you in a post-secondary academic environment.

While providing reliable documentation is the required first step, please note that the Office of Accessibility Services makes the final determination regarding which accommodations are reasonable and appropriate at the University of Central Missouri.

The Purpose of Your Documentation

1. Establish your eligibility for protection against discrimination under the ADA.
2. Supplement your own self-report about how your disability impacts your daily life.
3. To help identify reasonable accommodations designed to facilitate equitable access to the university environment.

The Difference Between a Diagnosis and a Disability

It is important to understand that under the ADA, receiving a diagnosis is not synonymous with having a disability. In addition to confirming a physical or mental impairment, documentation must provide evidence that an impairment substantially limits major life activities in a post-secondary academic environment.

Readily Observable Disabilities

If your disability and the need for accommodation are obvious or readily observable (for example, if you use a wheelchair, a white cane, or a hearing aid), extensive documentation is not required.

High School Records: IEP and Section 504 Plans

In K-12 education, the legal framework (IDEA) focuses on ensuring student success. In college, the ADA focuses on ensuring equal access. Because of this shift, and because the college environment is significantly different from high school, an IEP or 504 plan is generally not sufficient on its own to establish current ADA eligibility.

If you are submitting an IEP or 504 plan to establish a history of accommodations, please also include the original evaluation or diagnostic reports used to create them.

Note: For specific learning disabilities you may also need to provide updated evaluation or diagnostic reports that reflects your current functional limitations as an adult learner.

For more information, refer to the Department of Education's guides: Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education or Transition of Students With Disabilities To Postsecondary Education: A Guide for High School Educators 

Requirements for Sufficient Documentation

If your disability is not readily observable, please share these guidelines with your qualified provider. Documentation must be current, typed on official clinical letterhead, signed, and dated.

Provider Qualifications

• Expertise: Must come from a properly licensed professional with specific training related to your diagnosis.
• Contact Info: Must include valid business contact information, the provider's full name, title, license number, state of licensure, and area of specialization.
• Relationship: The provider must confirm they have an established professional relationship with you. They cannot have a personal relationship with you (e.g., a family member or friend).

Clinical Information Needed

• Diagnosis & Methodology: A clear diagnostic statement (including DSM-5/ICD codes), the date of the original diagnosis, and the diagnostic methods or tests used. 
• Current Functional Limitations: A detailed description of how the condition currently impacts major life activities in a college setting. This should note the severity, frequency, duration, and any relevant triggers.
• Treatment & Mitigation: Information on current treatments or medications, including any side effects that might require accommodation.

Note: Any specific accommodations recommended by the provider must be based on the provider's clinical assessment, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment findings. Recommendations must also include a clinical rationale directly connecting your disability and current functional limitation to the requested support.

Currency of Information

Documentation should reflect your current functional limitations. While lifelong or stable conditions (like permanent physical disabilities) do not necessarily require updated documentation, conditions that can fluctuate or change over time (such as psychiatric conditions, ADHD, or specific learning disabilities) typically require evaluations from within the last 3 to 5 years and based on adult norms.

Forms of Documentation Accepted 

Acceptable forms of documentation include but are not limited to:

• Professional letters from licensed providers
• Neuropsychological or psycho-educational evaluations
• Psychometric test results (based on adult norms)
• Audiograms or vision screening results

Privacy and Confidentiality

The Office of Accessibility Services is the custodian of disability records obtained for the purpose of providing accommodations. 

Disability and medical information provided to our office will be considered separate from academic records. Disability and medical information is strictly confidential. Disability and medical information will not be shared except where disclosure is required by law or when necessary to facilitate legitimate University processes (such as implementing accommodations or addressing direct safety threats).

Documentation Submission Standards

The most appropriate file format is a high-resolution PDF of typed clinical documentation on official clinic letterhead.

How to Submit

While you are welcome to submit your own documentation, we highly recommend having your provider or their facility email it directly to our office. Please note: Our office does not utilize a fax machine.

Email (Preferred): access@ucmo.edu

In-Person: Elliott Student Union, 224

By Mail:
University of Central Missouri
Office of Accessibility Services
Elliott Student Union 224
511 South Holden St.
Warrensburg, MO 64093

Release of Information (ROI)

We strongly encourage you to sign a Release of Information (ROI) with your provider or the facility when requesting your documentation. This formal authorization allows them to share information or clarify details with our office if needed, preventing unnecessary bottlenecks in your review process.

File Formats Not Accepted

We cannot accept the following formats:

• Digital Images: Screenshots of patient portals, apps, emails, chats, or photographs taken of paper documents.
• "Editable" Documents: Word documents (.doc, .docx), Apple Pages files, or plain text files (.txt).
• Inaccessible Files: Heavily pixilated or blurry files, corrupted files (showing as 0kb), or files that require a password to open.
• Informal Notes: Handwritten letters or prescription pad slips.

The Review Process

Once received, your documentation will be carefully reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine your ADA eligibility. This review is typically completed within one business week; however, during peak times (such as the start or end of a semester, or during orientation events), we may require additional time.

Note: Any documentation not submitted directly by the provider or their facility will require an additional verification step. Our office will  contact the provider or their facility directly to verify the accuracy of the information. Please be aware that this additional step is required and will result in a longer review period.

When the review is finalized, you will be notified of your next steps via your official UCM student email.

The Intake Appointment (The Interactive Process)

If your documentation sufficiently demonstrates your ADA eligibility, the next mandatory step is to schedule an Intake Appointment with our office.

While documentation provides the necessary medical and legal baseline for eligibility, it does not give us a holistic understanding of who you are as a student. This interactive interview is a crucial, required part of the accommodation process. It gives you the floor to share your unique experiences, discuss how your disability impacts you, and collaborate directly with us to establish the most effective accommodations for your academic journey.

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are NOT permitted on campus property until official approval from the Office of Accessibility Services is granted. 

Disability Documentation for ESA:

UCM has a strict "no pet" policy, the student must provide evidence that the animal serves as a companion and provides therapeutic benefits that alleviate or mitigate symptoms of their disability.

There is NO official registry or certification for ESAs, despite online organizations/providers claiming to provide certificates, registrations, licensing documents, or letters for ESAs. These are NOT legitimate, and according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), "...such documentation from the internet is NOT, by itself, sufficient to reliably establish that an individual has a non-observable disability or disability-related need for an ESA".

Documentation should follow the guidelines outlined in Step 1. Additionally, it must also:

• Be based on the provider's clinical assessment, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment findings related to the student’s specific condition and the impact on the student in the post-secondary environment.
• Specifically recommend the ESA.
• Explain how the animal's presence and support directly alleviate specific symptoms or effects of the student's disability. 
• Establish the connection (nexus) explaining why the animal is necessary for the student to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy university housing.

ESA Health/Vet Records:

These should be from a veterinarian/animal clinic/hospital and include:

• Reliable contact information.
• Current health and vaccination records.
• Spay/neuter records.
• Records of all treatments typical for your type of animal.

Owner Acknowledgment of Responsibility and Roommate/Suitemate/Housemate Acknowledgment:

Students are required to read the Animals on Campus Policy
 and The University of Central Missouri supports the use of service animals and emotional support animals on campus by those with disabilities in appropriate circumstances and in accordance with this policy. 

Animals on Campus Policy

Per the University Student Handbook:

• Only Service Animals and University approved Emotional Support Animals are permitted in Housing facilities. Guests are NOT allowed to bring animals into Housing facilities.
• Service Animals: Only individuals who have a disability and a trained service animal as recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should have a service animal in the halls. Individuals who require a service animal may wish to register with the Office of Accessibility Services.
• Emotional Support Animals: Emotional Support Animals are not trained service animals. However, emotional support animals will be permitted in Housing facilities with prior approval from the Office of Accessibility Services pursuant to University procedures and standards and regulations of the University’s Animals on Campus Policy.
• In accordance with the University policy on Animals on Campus: Service and Emotional Support Animals must be controlled by the owner/handler and pet sitting/care of the animal by others is not permitted. Students must take the animal with them or board them OFF campus if leaving campus for extended periods of time (overnight/weekends/University break periods/holidays). Behavior problems of the ESA could lead to removal of the ESA from campus.

First and second year students are required to live in university housing. Students whose circumstances meet one of the exemptions or have changed since signing the Housing Agreement may apply for an exemption to this requirement. A list of exemptions may be obtained from the Office of University Housing.

Residential Requirement Policy

Students seeking housing accommodation(s) and/or exemption(s) due to a disability must register with the Office of Accessibility Services.