Document Requirements

Medical or Mental Health Disability 

UMass Chan has developed documentation guidelines to assist students with various disabilities and conditions with requesting the necessary documentation from their treatment providers. Please see the Forms tab of our webpage.

Please forward documentation that meets the below guidelines to Katrina Durham in the Office of Management.

1. 1. Documentation must be provided by a clinician qualified to diagnose in the appropriate area of specialization.
   2. Documentation must be on letterhead, typed, dated, and have an original signature.
   3. Documentation must be based on a current evaluation (usually within six months) and historical documents
   4. Documentation must include:

• A specific diagnosis with the diagnostic code (ICD or DSM).
• A description of the functional limitations resulting from the disability
• A description of current treatments and assistive devices and technologies with estimated effectiveness in ameliorating the impact of the disability.
• Clear support of the direct link to and need for the requested accommodation(s).
• Form for verification of physical disability.pdf
• Form for verification of psychological disability.pdf

Learning Disability 

Tests used to identify disabilities are to be current, valid, reliable, nationally normed and standardized assessments, including but not limited to the following:

Cognitive Assessments

• Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
• Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale
• Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities

Achievement Assessments

• Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement
• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test
• Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be best accommodated by submitting documentation containing:

1. Documentation must be provided by a professional qualified to diagnose in the appropriate area.
2. Documentation must be on letterhead, typed, dated, and have an original signature.
3. Documentation is based on a current evaluation (usually within three years) and historical documents.
4. Documentation must include:

• A current diagnosis that meets DSM-5 criteria.
• A description of the functional limitations resulting from the disability with clear evidence of symptoms across multiple settings (academic, social and or vocational).
• A description of current treatments and assistive devices and technologies with estimated effectiveness in ameliorating the impact of the disability.
• Clear support of the direct link to and need for the requested accommodation(s).
• Form for verification of ADHD.pdf
• Please note:  Accommodations for USMLE step exams are outside of this process and require additional documentation.  See Guidelines