Office of Accessibility Services

 

• Disability documentation should be current and from a qualified professional who is properly licensed to diagnose the impairment/medical condition, has direct experience working with the student, and has been involved with ongoing treatment. Documentation provided by a family member or family friend is not acceptable.
• Although an IEP or Section 504 plan from high school may help identify services that have been used by a student in the past, they generally are NOT sufficient documentation to support the existence of a current disability and need for accommodations in post-secondary environment. Refer to Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education or Transition of Students With Disabilities To Postsecondary Education: A Guide for High School Educators for more information.
• While sufficient/reliable documentation is required to begin this process, the Office of Accessibility Services makes the final determination of reasonable and appropriate accommodations at UCM.

Documentation serves three purposes:

1. To establish that the student can be considered a person with a disability, and therefore, eligible for protection against discrimination because of a disability.
   
   
2. To supplement information from the student regarding the impact of the disability.
   
   
3. To support and assist in the identification of reasonable accommodation designed to facilitate equitable access to university environments on a case-by-case basis.

Sufficient and Reliable Documentation Requirements:

Provider Credentials and Contact Information:

• Come from a properly licensed/credentialed professional, with specific training or expertise related to the condition diagnosed, who has diagnosed or treated the student through an established or ongoing professional relationship.
  • Licensed providers who have a personal relationship with the student (e.g., family member, friend) are not appropriate.
• Be provided on official letterhead with complete and valid business/practice/clinic contact information (phone number, email address, and mailing address).
• Include the provider's full name, professional title, license number, state of licensure, and area of specialization.
• Include the provider’s official electronic or handwritten signature and the date.

Statement of No Personal Relationship: 

• Confirmation that the provider does not have a personal relationship (e.g., family member, friend) with the student.

Established Professional Relationship: 

• Description of the length and nature of the treatment or evaluation relationship with the student.

Diagnosis Information: 

• A clear diagnostic statement, including DSM-5/ICD codes and narrative description.
• The date of original diagnosis and the date of most recent clinical contact or evaluation used to inform the documentation. 
• A description of diagnostic methods used, and the expected duration or stability of the condition. 
• For specific learning disabilities, copies of tests scores based on adult norms should also be included. 

Current Functional Limitations: 

• A detailed description of the student’s current functional limitations resulting from the condition, focusing on how these limitations impact the student’s major life activities in a post-secondary environment. Include the severity, frequency, duration, and pervasiveness of symptoms, as well as any relevant triggers.

Treatment and Mitigation: 

• Information on current treatments, medications, therapies, or other mitigating measures the student is using, their effectiveness, and any relevant side effects that may impact functioning or require accommodation.

Currency of Information: 

• All the information provided should reflect the current impacts of the student’s condition and their current needs. 

When specific accommodations are recommended, they must:

• 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.
• Include rationale for each recommendation connecting the student’s specific symptomology to the need.

Documentation may be submitted in, but not limited to, the following formats:

• Professional letter from the licensed or credentialed professional
• Neuropsychological assessment
• Psycho-educational evaluation
• Psychometric test results from general measures of aptitude and academic achievement based on adult norms.
• Audiogram, vision screening results

Privacy/Confidentiality:

The Office of Accessibility Services is the custodian of disability records obtained for the purpose of providing accommodations. Students are discouraged from sending disability related/medical records to Admissions or academic departments.

All information and documentation submitted to the Office of Accessibility Services is kept separate from academic records and considered private under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Under FERPA, disability and medical information is confidential and will not shared except where disclosure is required by law or is necessary to facilitate legitimate University processes, including granting appropriate accommodations, addressing direct threats, or investigating claims or charges.

HIPAA privacy and confidentiality guides do not apply to documents submitted to the Office of Accessibility Services as they are not used for treatment or billing.

More information about your rights under HIPAA and how your health information must be kept private and secure can be found on the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights website: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-individuals/guidance-materials-for-consumers/index.html.

Documentation can be submitted by email (preferred), delivered in person, or sent by traditional mail.

When sending documentation by email please attach as commonly used file formats.

Email: access@ucmo.edu

In-Person: Elliott Student Union, 224

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

Once submitted, documentation will be carefully reviewed on a case-by-case basis and providers will be contacted to verify the accuracy of the information provided. Typically, documentation will be reviewed and verified within one business week; however, in some cases, providers may need more time to respond. Once the review and verification are completed, you will be notified through your UCM student email.

Students are required to schedule an intake meeting and engage in an interactive interview before accommodations can be established. Although documentation may demonstrate eligibility, it does not provide a holistic understanding of the student or the impact of their disability. The intake meeting is crucial in understanding how an impairment/medical condition affects the student and impacts one or more major life activities. 

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.