HDS - Disability Services - Documentation Guidelines

Disability Services

Documentation Guidelines

A person is considered to have a "disability" if she or he has an impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as seeing, hearing, walking, breathing, learning, working, or speaking. Since different individuals with the same or similar conditions may be affected or limited in different ways, listing each and every individual disabling condition is not possible. However, the following list includes conditions that may be considered disabilities:

Cancer
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Diabetes
Epilepsy
Head Injury
Lupus
Multiple Sclerosis
Hearing or Vision Impairments
Mobility Impairments, including Repetitive Strain Injuries and Arthritis
Learning or Cognitive Disorders
Psychiatric or Emotional Illnesses
Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorders

If you think your condition may be considered a disability, but you have not been diagnosed, please feel free to contact the HDS disability coordinator, Zary Amirhosseini, 617.496.2660, to discuss your situation and possible academic support services.

Procedures for Documenting a Disability

A student seeking an accommodation for a disability should contact the disability coordinator, Zary Amirhosseini, 617.496.2660, for a confidential appointment. To determine appropriate services, accommodations, and implementation for the academic year, students should notify the disability coordinator by August 16 prior to fall registration, by December 20 prior to spring registration, or immediately following any injury or illness.

Before or shortly after meeting with the disability coordinator, the student should complete and return the Disability Services Request Form (PDF; Adobe Reader required).

Planning proactively by seeking information and assistance is strongly encouraged and doing so is to your advantage. Reacting to challenges as they arise or failing to make known a documented disability may result in less effective support. Accommodations generally cannot be considered or applied retroactively from the date you disclose your condition to the HDS disability coordinator.
Provide the HDS disability coordinator with supporting documentation from an appropriate clinician, or other appropriate evaluator, that states the specific diagnosis and duration of the condition. Recommendations by the clinician or evaluators regarding the impact of the disability on academic or functional tasks as well as appropriate accommodations are especially helpful.

Harvard reserves the right to request additional diagnostic information from the student's clinician(s) or evaluator(s), or from University Health Services (UHS), if the documentation is unsupportive of the accommodations requested or if the documentation is inconclusive. Incomplete documentation may result in delay of services.
Communicate with the HDS disability coordinator if the accommodations you are receiving are not satisfactory, if an adjustment in services needs to be made, or if your needs have changed. As the recipient, you should continue reviewing the quality and effectiveness of the services you receive.

Confidentiality and Sharing of Disability Information

Documentation and information regarding disabilities and requests for accommodations are treated confidentially and shared only with those who have a legitimate need to know. Discussing particulars of a case may be essential in order to coordinate accommodations with other offices or academic areas within HDS. Students with disabilities are equal participants in the decision-making process and in how information is shared.

Situations can exist in which the student would benefit from informing other HDS offices about his/her disability. This is always the student's choice. Records pertaining to requests for accommodations are maintained separately from academic records; both are confidential.

Rights and Responsibilities

No service or accommodations can be provided unless a disclosure with appropriate documentation has been made to the HDS disability coordinator. Disclosing a disability alone does not guarantee accommodation. To receive accommodations, students need to contact the HDS disability coordinator, who will facilitate services between the student, faculty members, and providers.

Guidelines for Appeal

Students have the right to appeal a reasonable academic accommodation decision. The appeal process begins with a conversation with the disability coordinator. If there is no resolution, the next step is to submit a written appeal to the assistant dean for academic affairs. The decision of the assistant dean is final; however, if there has been a procedural error or violation of policy, the associate dean for academic affairs will review the case.