Documentation Guidelines
General Information about Documentation
Our main goal in Student Accessibility Services (SAS) is to work collaboratively with you to ensure you have equitable access to your education and all aspects of university life at SLU. We are governed by federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504, which require universities to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities.
Think of documentation as the shared information that helps us understand your access barriers and partner with you effectively. It serves two key purposes in our interactive process:
- Verify Eligibility: Documentation helps confirm that you have a disability making you eligible to utilize SAS services and receive accommodations as part of a legally protected group.
- Inform Accommodation Decisions: It provides essential details about the specific barriers you encounter in the university environment due to your disability. This information is crucial for working together during your Access Meeting (AM) to identify reasonable and effective accommodations tailored to your situation at SLU.
How SAS Evaluates Requests for Disability Accommodations
Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at St. Lawrence University engages in an interactive process with each student to determine appropriate accommodations. These accommodations and academic adjustments are based on documentation submitted by the student from a licensed and qualified provider, along with a student interview. When necessary, SAS will seek information from campus stakeholders regarding the requirements essential to the course, program, service, facility, or activity for which the student is requesting an accommodation. This information helps SAS evaluate whether the requested accommodation or an alternative option is reasonable and appropriate to ensure equal access and opportunity to all aspects of the university environment.
FERPA and confidentiality of records
Disability-related information is treated as private information, meaning that information will be shared only with a limited number of individuals who “need to know” to assist in the review of the accommodation request, the determination, and the implementation of accommodation(s) where applicable.
Provisions of the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) govern access to a student’s educational records. Student Accessibility Services information and records are available to university officials or offices with a “legitimate educational interest” under FERPA. For example, certain persons may need to be aware of requested accommodations, an individual’s limitations leading to the need for an accommodation, and/or the outcome of accommodation decisions. These persons can include, but are not limited to faculty members, first aid and safety personnel, residential staff and those assisting with implementing accommodations.
General disability-related information is distinguished from confidential medical information obtained from individuals and/or their medical providers regarding specific diagnosis(es). SAS is involved in gathering and maintaining confidential medical information for purposes of evaluating and determining accommodations and receiving specific training and guidance about safeguarding this confidential information in accordance with applicable laws. Confidential information is not shared by SAS with faculty members, parents, residential staff, academic advisors or other campus personnel without express permission of the individual or as other permitted or required by law.
Students with no documentation
SAS can work with students who have never been formally diagnosed with a disability or cannot afford to get documentation. We recommend the student schedule an information session with the SAS to discuss their specific situation, explore options for support, and identify options to move forward with obtaining documentation.