Office of Accessibility Services

General Guidelines for Disability Documentation

Documentation should provide our office with 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 will need to provide updated evaluation or diagnostic reports that reflect 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 and Transition of Students With Disabilities To Postsecondary Education: A Guide for High School Educators. 

Requirements for Sufficient Documentation

If your disability is not readily apparent or 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 originate from a qualified/licensed professional with specific training related to your diagnosis, and who has a thorough understanding of you and your disability, developed through an established therapeutic or treatment relationship and ongoing care. 
• Professional Credentials: Must include the provider's full name, title, license number, state of licensure, area of specialization, and valid professional contact information. NOTE: Documentation from providers who have a personal relationship with you (e.g., relatives or family friends) is not acceptable, even if the provider is licensed to make the diagnosis.  

Clinical Information Needed

• Currency of Information: Reasonable accommodations are provided to mitigate the current impact of a disability. The effects of many dynamic, episodic, or invisible impairments can fluctuate or change over time and across different environments (e.g., mental health/psychiatric conditions, neurological/brain-based disorders, specific learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental disorders). Documentation should be based on current clinical assessments/evaluations/testing, utilizing appropriate age-based norms for adults.
• Diagnosis & Diagnostic Criteria: A clear diagnostic statement of your impairment (including DSM-5 or ICD codes), the date of the original diagnosis, and the diagnostic criteria/methods/tests used, and the date of the clinical assessment/evaluation used to inform the documentation. 
• Functional Limitations: A description of your functional limitations resulting from the impairment, including the identification of your major life activities substantially limited, and how they are impacted. This should include a description of the severity, frequency, duration, and any relevant triggers for you specifically.
• Treatment & Mitigation: Information on your current treatments, medications, or therapies used and their effectiveness, including any side effects that might require accommodation.
• Note: Accommodations recommended by the qualified provider must be based on their clinical assessments, diagnostic evaluations, and treatment findings. Recommendations must include the clinical rationale demonstrating how and why the accommodation is necessary to alleviate or mitigate the impact of your disability, except when the disability and the need for the accommodation are obvious or readily observable.

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.

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 are 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 typed clinical documentation on official clinic letterhead.

While you are welcome to submit your own documentation, we highly recommend having your qualified provider or their clinic/facility email a high-resolution PDF directly to our office. Please note that our office does not utilize a fax machine.

How to Submit

• 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.

File Formats Not Accepted

• ​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, 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 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 participate in an intake meeting with our office.

While documentation provides the necessary medical and legal baseline for eligibility, it does not give us the entire picture 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) in Campus Housing

At the University of Central Missouri, we recognize that assistance animals can play a vital role in a student’s well-being. To ensure a smooth transition and maintain community standards, Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are not permitted on campus property until the Office of Accessibility Services grants official approval.

Understanding Assistance Animals

It is important to distinguish an assistance animal (which includes ESAs) from a pet.

• Not a Pet: An assistance animal is an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability.
• Purpose: ESAs provide emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability.

Documentation Requirements for ESA Accommodations

The Office of Accessibility Services evaluates all requests in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Fair Housing Act (FHA).

ESA documentation must be comprehensive. To be considered, your documentation must satisfy all requirements outlined in our General Guidelines for Disability Documentation (Step 1), while also providing the following specific clinical details:

• Clinical Narrative: A summary of assessment, evaluation, and treatment findings that demonstrates the medical necessity of the animal.
• Integration into Treatment: A clinical rationale explaining how the animal is integrated into your overall treatment plan and why it is necessary for you to function in a campus housing environment.
• Disability-Related Relationship: A clear description of the relationship between your disability and the specific assistance or support the animal provides.
• Impact Statement: A clinical explanation of how the absence of the animal in your campus housing would impact your ability to manage your disability effectively.

Important Guidance for Students

To ensure your documentation meets federal and university standards, please review the following:

The Professional Relationship

• Documentation must originate from a qualified and properly licensed professional with specific training related to your diagnosis.
• The provider must have a thorough understanding of you and your disability developed through an established, ongoing therapeutic or treatment relationship.
• We strongly encourage students to consult with their current, long-term treating physician or therapist. A reliable provider must have personal knowledge of your disability that goes beyond a mere business transaction for a letter.

Avoid "ESA Mills" and Online Registries

• There are no official certifications, licenses, or registries for ESAs, despite claims made by many websites and unethical online platforms.
• Letters obtained for a fee after brief consultations, questionnaires, or "one-time" assessments are generally insufficient. These services typically do not demonstrate a legitimate, established treatment relationship or the ongoing care required by federal guidelines.

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.