DISABILITY DOCUMENTATION GUIDELINES
Rehabilitated Drug Addiction
Professionals who are qualified to diagnose, treat and provide documentation
for individuals who have been rehabilitated for drug addiction include physicians
with a specialty in addiction, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed
mental health professionals, or State Health Department certified addiction
counselors who are supervised by psychologists or psychiatrists. The diagnostician
must be an impartial individual who is not a family member of the student.
The following guidelines are provided to assist the service provider in collaborating
with each student to determine appropriate accommodations. Documentation serves
as the foundation that legitimizes a student's request for appropriate accommodations.
Recommended documentation includes:
- A clear statement indicating the student is in recovery or has completed a rehabilitation program;
- A summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to make the diagnosis;
- A summary of qualitative and quantitative information which supports the diagnosis;
- Medical information related to the student's needs to include the impact of medication on the student's ability to meet the demands of the postsecondary environment;
- A statement of the current functional impact or limitations of the disability on learning or other major life activity and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context for which accommodations are being requested.
We gratefully acknowledge Disability Support Services of the University of Baltimore (MD) for these guidelines.