Visual Disability Guidelines

Low vision or Blindness:

Documentation should be current (within one year). Doctor’s notes on prescription pads are not sufficient for documentation of a disability. Documentation will be kept confidential and will be utilized only to determine the student’s eligibility for accommodation or services, and the type of accommodations or service required.

Documentation may include the following:

• Qualified, impartial professional with expertise in the area for which accommodations are being requested; not a family member
• Letterhead (name, license/certification/degree, area of specialization, employment, address, phone), signature and date.
• Medical, developmental, and educational histories
• A clear statement of vision-related condition with summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to make the diagnosis. Description of condition, including the extent of the student’s visual fields and the degree of his or her visual acuity. The age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon the disabling condition, the current status of the student and the student’s request for accommodations.
• Information relating to the student's needs: the status of the individual’s vision (static or changing); and environmental factors that facilitate or impede access to visual information or input.
• Narrative or descriptive text about the student’s abilities which might be helpful in understanding the student’s profile including: use of corrective lenses, assistive technologies, or ongoing visual therapy.
• A statement of the functional impact or limitations of the vision loss on learning or other major life activity and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the context of academic and residential life settings.
• Specific recommendations for accommodations and services that would facilitate the student’s reasonable and appropriate access to the College’s academic programs and residential life settings, including rationale for each accommodation.