Parents Page

(This page is under construction so we will route you to UMD's Parent information along with providing a few things you should know from our other resources.)

UMD Parent Page
For Parent/ For Student -Concerns, Adjustments, and Transitions
Orientation 2 Power Point for Parents
Tools for Transition

Eight answers to your questions:

1.The most frequently asked question by parents is what kind of documentation do you need (see below for guidelines).
2. New students should make an appointment with their Disability Resources (DR) counselor during the first week of school even though the appointment might not be until the next week.
3. New students need to register with DR if they are going to receive accommodations.
4. Unfortunately DR cannot make wake-up calls to your student.
5. Returning students should make arrangements for accommodations for classes once they've attended the first class.
6. New students need to seek out DR; DR will not be seeking out students.
7. DR follows the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act in providing accommodations, not IDEA.
8. An IEP, IIEP, or Section 504 Plan are helpful in determining accommodations but do not count as documentation.

If your question wasn't answered here try this link.

Documentation Guidelines

Students who seek accommodations at the University of Minnesota Duluth must provide documentation from appropriate licensed professionals to Disability Resources. This information assists in determining if the student has a disability and is therefore eligible to receive reasonable accommodations. The following guidelines are not intended to prescribe or dictate how a condition is diagnosed, but rather to serve as a guide to understanding what information is needed by Disability Resources, and why.

Disability Resources counselors are available to consult with any potential student regarding documentation needs or to better understand these guidelines. Some individuals may have already obtained some type of documentation because it was necessary for other purposes (for example, an evaluation may have been done as part of an "IEP" in secondary school); others must begin the process when the first contact is made with Disability Services.

The cost of obtaining documentation is borne by the student. Disability Resources may require additional information if the initial documentation is inadequate to determine the extent of the disability or to support the need for requested accommodations; the cost of this additional documentation is also borne by the student. If Disability Resources desires a second professional opinion, DR bears the cost.

Advance planning is often necessary to have certain accommodations in place when needed, so it's best to address questions and concerns early in the process. To arrange a consultation with a Disability Resources counselor, call 218-726-8217 (v) or 218-726-7380 (TTY).

In general, the documentation should:

· Be provided by the licensed professional, qualified in the appropriate specialty area; the report should be on letterhead, dated and signed.

· Include both diagnostic information and an explanation of the current functional limitations of the condition. It should be thorough enough to indicate whether or not a major life activity is "substantially limited," that is, it should explain what the extent, duration, and impact of the condition is.

· In most cases, it should be relatively recent; a suggested guideline is less than 3 years old. Documentation of conditions that are permanent or non-varying (e.g., a sensory disability) may not need to be recent, but some chronic and/or changing conditions require even more current information to provide an accurate picture of functioning.

· Be detailed enough to support the accommodations that are being requested. Accommodations are determined by assessing the impact of the person's disability on academic or work performance.

For a variable or progressive condition, include the degree and range of functioning.

· Address the impact of medication or other treatments on major life activities.

Specific Guidelines:

ADHD Documentation Guidelines
LD Documentation Guidelines