Disability Documentation Guidelines

Documentation

Documentation is needed to help us determine the disability impact and reasonable accommodations.  Depending on the requested accommodation(s), different documentation may be needed. 

In general, documentation should include the qualifications of the healthcare provider; the diagnosis and history of the disability; the current impact of the disability on daily functioning, including academics; any treatments, medications, and/or assistive devices/services currently prescribed or in use, and a description of the mediating effects and potential side effects from such treatments; and recommendations. The Disability Documentation Form provides a framework for the treating healthcare provider to include this information.

High school IEPs, 504 Plans, and/or Summaries of Performance by themselves can lack the detail needed at the college level, and sometimes additional documentation is needed.

Generally Insufficient Documentation: Because Disability Services does not diagnose impairments, assess their severity, or identify the functional limitations of a disability, office medical records, medical chart notes, and prescription pad notations are generally not sufficient for determining eligibility. Submitting this type of documentation could prolong the decision process.

Classroom Accommodations

Use the Disability Documentation Form​ (PDF)

The treating health care provider should complete the Disability Documentation Form for any type of disability except learning disabilities. Students with learning disabilities should submit their most recent psycho-educational evaluation supporting the diagnosis, including the diagnostic test scores. This form is used in conjunction with the Housing and Meal Plan Addendum when requesting disability accommodations for on-campus housing and dining.

Documenting a Learning Disability

Generally, documentation includes the most recent full-scale psychological/psycho-educational evaluation supporting the diagnosis, including the results of the diagnostic tests, the tools used to make the determination, and the recommendations. Students with learning disabilities (i.e., specific learning disabilities in reading, written expression, and/or math) should *not* use the Disability Documentation Form.

Housing and Dining Accommodations

Use the Disability Services Housing & Dining Accommodations Request Form (PDF)

Students requesting disability-related housing or dietary accommodations need their treating health care provider to complete the Housing & Dining Accommodations Request Form.  Submit  the complete form to Disability Services for review once you have made the decision to apply to on-campus housing. 

Emotional Support Animal Requests

Use the Guidelines and Request Form for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) in On-Campus Housing (pdf)

ESAs in On-Campus Housing

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is an animal prescribed to an individual with a disability by a healthcare or mental health professional to play a significant part in a person's treatment process. Students must follow general procedures to request on-campus housing, including relevant applications through Housing and Residence Life. The Guidelines and Request Form for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) in On-Campus Housing, linked below, details the process. Students requesting an ESA must submit the completed Student Section and the completed Provider Section (completed by their treating health care provider).

Generally, documentation acquired from websites or health care professionals who have had no contact with the student except for limited encounters that were specifically intended to produce an ESA letter are not considered to be reliable.

Deadlines: Requests for Housing accommodations, including requests for ESAs, must follow deadlines. ESA documentation should be submitted to Disability Services as follows:

• Fall semester requests: submit to DS by May 1st
• Spring semester requests: Submit to DS by Nov 1st​

Personal Attendant Form

Personal Attendant Form (PDF)

Some students require a personal attendant for activities of daily living and to manage their disability while on campus.  Contact Disability Services early if you plan to use a personal care attendant while on campus. The student has the sole responsibility of obtaining and employing a personal care attendant. It is important that the use of a personal care attendant be included on the documentation forms submitted to Disability Services. If you plan to live on campus and your personal care attendant needs access to your residence hall, you will also need to inform Housing and Residence Life because of the requirements to allow the attendant access to a residence hall. Early planning with both Disability Services and Residence Life is essential to making the transition to living on campus with a personal care attendant.

In addition to providing appropriate disability documentation, students requiring personal care attendants must also submit the completed Personal Attendant Form to Disability Services.

Visiting Students

Visiting students taking a class at UNC Charlotte may provide documentation of their current accommodations or diagnosis from their current home institution. Often visiting students are enrolled in summer courses, and this allows the student to get connected to Disability Services in a timely fashion for documentation review, registration, and discussion of accommodations needs.

How to Submit Documentation

At the college level, it's important for students to initiate the process with Disability Services themselves. Through the secure DS Student Portal, we provide a way for students new to Disability Services *and* provide information about their disability in their own words by completing the brief webform. 

• Preferred for New Students - Submit Online: Students new to Disability Services submit documentation using the secure DS Student Portal. Must have a NinerNET Student ID number.
• Fax: 704-687-1395
• Mail:

Office of Disability Services
UNC Charlotte, Fretwell 230
9201 University City Boulevard
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001

Important

Include your student ID number on your documentation. Not including your student ID number will delay the process. Students are strongly encouraged to keep copies of any documentation they submit to our office. 

Help Safeguard Documentation

Don't include your social security number on any documents submitted to Disability Services. Only your UNC Charlotte student ID number is necessary for processing.