Mission

The mission of the Department for Disability Support Services is to provide to individuals with disabilities support services that will enable them to access programs, services, facilities, and activities of the university; to enhance disability awareness among students, staff, and faculty; and to provide academic courses.

Learning Disabilities

Table of Contents:

  1. Qualifications of the Evaluator
  2. Recency of Documentation
  3. Substantiation of the Learning Disability
  4. Evidence & Rationale Supporting the Need for Accommodations

Students with learning disabilities make up the largest group of students requesting support from DSS. As with ADD/ADHD, testing accommodations are the most common academic adjustment requested by students with learning disabilities. Requests for testing accommodation MUST be made 2 working days prior to the test. For final exams, the request must be made 5 days prior to the scheduled exam time. The forms necessary to arrange alternative testing are located on the bulletin board outside DSS. A student who misses a scheduled test with DSS must clear rescheduling of the test or exam with the faculty member. DSS will not administer an exam at an alternate time without clearance from the instructor. Students who arrive late for exams must complete the test in the remaining scheduled time.

Academic counseling and guidance are also available to the student. Some individuals will take advantage of meeting with their counselor on a weekly basis to monitor academic progress.

Tutorial services are available to all students at East Carolina University through academic departments and the Department for Undergraduate Studies. Personal or private content specific tutoring is considered the financial responsibility of the student. DSS will assist the student in locating a qualified individual for hire. Tutoring may be accessed through either the academic department or The Academic Support Center located in B-104 Brewster Building. DSS may have suggestions for non-fee based class assistance.

Documentation Guidelines for Learning Disabilities

Proper diagnosis and documentation of learning disabilities is critical to implementing effective support and accommodations. The following guidelines for documentation are adapted from the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD).

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, individuals with learning disabilities are guaranteed certain protections and rights of equal access to programs and services; thus the documentation should indicate that the disability substantially limits some major life activity. The following guidelines are provided in the interest of assuring that LD documentation is appropriate to verify eligibility and to support requests for accommodations, academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids.

The appropriateness of documentation takes the following four areas into consideration: 1) qualifications of the evaluator, 2) recency of documentation, 3) appropriate clinical documentation to substantiate a significant discrepancy between ability and achievement, and 4) evidence to establish a rationale supporting the need for accommodations.

1. Qualifications of the Evaluator Top

Professionals conducting assessments, rendering diagnoses of learning disabilities, and making recommendations for appropriate accommodations must be qualified to do so. Comprehensive training and direct experience with an adolescent and adult LD population is essential.

The name, title and professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about license or certification (e.g., licensed psychologist) as well as the area of specialization, employment and state/province in which the individual practices should be clearly stated in the documentation. For example, the following professionals would generally be considered qualified to evaluate specific learning disabilities provided that they have additional training and experience in the assessment of learning problems in adolescents and adults: clinical or educational psychologists, school psychologists, and neuropsychologists. Use of diagnostic terminology indicating a learning disability by someone whose training and experience are not in these fields is not acceptable. It is not considered appropriate for professionals to evaluate members of their families. All reports should be on letterhead, typed, dated, signed and otherwise legible.

2. Recency of Documentation Top

The provision of all reasonable accommodations and services is based upon assessment of the impact of the student's disabilities on his or her academic performance at a given time in the student's life. Therefore, it is in the student's best interest to provide recent and appropriate documentation relevant to the student's learning environment.

Flexibility in accepting documentation is important, especially in settings with significant numbers of non-traditional students. In some instances, documentation may be outdated or inadequate in scope or content. It may not address the student's current level of functioning or need for accommodations because observed changes may have occurred in the student's performance since the previous assessment was conducted. In such cases, it may be appropriate to update the evaluation report. Since the purpose of the update is to determine the student's current need for accommodations, the update, conducted by a qualified professional, should include a rationale for ongoing services and accommodations.

3. Substantiation of the Learning Disability Top

Documentation should validate the need for services based on the individual's current level of functioning in the educational setting. A school plan such as an individualized education program (IEP) or a 504 plan is insufficient documentation, but it can be included as part of a more comprehensive assessment battery. A comprehensive assessment battery and the resulting diagnostic report should include a diagnostic interview, assessment of aptitude, academic achievement, information processing and a diagnosis.

Minimally, the domains to be addressed must include the following:

  1. Aptitude:
  2. Academic Achievement:

The following tests are considered appropriate in the substantiation of a learning disability:

Aptitude Measurement

The Slosson Intelligence Test - Revised and the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test are primarily screening devices which are not comprehensive enough to provide the kinds of information necessary to make accommodation decisions.

Measures of Academic Achievement

Specific achievement tests are useful instruments when administered under standardized conditions and interpreted within the context of other diagnostic information. The Wide Range Achievement Test - 3 (WRAT-3) is not a comprehensive measure of achievement and therefore is not useful if used as the sole measure of achievement.

Individual "learning styles," "learning differences," "academic problems," "test difficulty or anxiety," and "weaknesses" in and of themselves, do not constitute a learning disability. It is important to rule out alternative explanations for problems in learning such as emotional, attentional or motivational problems that may be interfering with learning but do not constitute a learning disability. The diagnostician is encouraged to use direct language in the diagnosis and documentation of a learning disability, avoiding the use of terms such as "suggests" or "is indicative of." If the data indicate that a learning disability is not present, the evaluator should state that conclusion in the report.

Standard scores and/or percentiles should be provided for all normed measures. Grade equivalents are not useful unless standard scores and/or percentiles are also included. The data should logically reflect a substantial limitation to learning for which the student is requesting the accommodation. The particular profile of the student's strengths and weaknesses must be shown to relate to functional limitations that may necessitate accommodations. The tests used should be reliable, valid and standardized for use with an adolescent/adult population. The test findings should document both the nature and severity of the learning disability. Informal inventories, surveys and direct observation by a qualified professional may be used in tandem with formal tests in order to further develop a clinical hypothesis.

4. Evidence and Rationale Supporting the Need for Accommodations Top

It is important to recognize that accommodation needs can change over time and are not always identified through the initial diagnostic process. Conversely, a prior history of accommodation does not, in and of itself, warrant the provision of a similar accommodation.

The diagnostic report should include specific recommendations for accommodations as well as an explanation as to why each accommodation is recommended. The evaluators should describe the impact the diagnosed learning disability has on a specific major life activity as well as the degree of significance of this impact on the individual. The evaluator should support recommendations with specific test results or clinical observations.

The final determination for providing appropriate and reasonable accommodations rests with the university.

IN SUMMARY, documentation of a Learning Disability must be current, comprehensive and include:

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