Federal disability statutes, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, require that persons with qualifying disabilities receive equal access to education in curricular and co-curricular activities at Truckee Meadows Community College. All requests for services and accommodations must by accompanied by supporting documentation of a disability. Anyone requesting services and accommodations is responsible for providing documentation at their own expense.
The purpose of providing documentation is two-fold:
- To establish that a person has a qualifying disability, and
- To describe and document the functional impact created by the disability and the need for accommodation.
The latter supplements information gathered during the DRC's preliminary interview, and allows us to evaluate each person's needs based on the diagnostic information received. Through this process, we develop an individualized accommodation list that addresses the functional impact of a student's disabilities in the higher education setting.
The DRC may request additional information regarding affected major life activities and the extent to which the impairment(s) affect those activities from a qualified evaluator. This may be necessary when the presented documentation is deemed insufficient by a professional DRC staff member to support a requested accommodation. A request for additional information may occur before the preliminary interview, during the intake interview, when new accommodations are requested by the student, or if the status of the student's condition may have changed.
General Guidelines for Documentation of a Disability
In order to fully evaluate requests for accommodations or auxiliary aids, Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) requires formal documentation of the disability. Please submit a recent evaluation by a professional qualified to speak with authority on the disability, that describes the level of limitation and current impact of the disability, as it relates to the accommodation request(s). All contact information and documentation received is kept confidential. Information concerning details included in the documentation will be not be released without written consent.
Documentation provided will be used by the DRC when evaluating requests for accommodations and/or auxiliary aids. Detailed documentation is especially valuable in supporting requests for specialized accommodations or services outside the more common ones approved by the DRC.
The guidelines below have been developed to assist you in working with your treating professional(s) to gather the information needed to support your requests. If, after reading these guidelines, you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.
For individuals who have recently been receiving services from a public school system, the information requested would most likely be contained in the Psycho-Educational Evaluation from your most recent Triennial Review (which should be no more that three years old). Some of the supplemental information may also be contained in an IEP, 504 Plan or Transition Plan. You must request this information separately (from your special education department) from your high school transcripts. If you are a current or former student at a Washoe County school, you may request your records through their website.
For individuals transferring from another college, information related to your disability will not be sent with a transcript request. You must request that information separately from the disability services office at the school(s) you have previously attended. The information Truckee Meadows Community College is requesting may or may not have been a part of your previous college's evaluation process. You should check the information against the guidelines below.
As appropriate to the disability, documentation should include: