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Disability Documentation Guidelines

Disability Documentation Guidelines

Documentation may be submitted at any time. However, students are encouraged to submit requests at least one month before the requested accommodation would be implemented.

  • Documentation must be submitted for each disability. If a student has more than one diagnosis, documentation for each diagnosis is required. Documentation must be on letterhead, typed in English, dated and signed by a qualified professional.
  • The qualified professional must provide a rationale and supportive data to substantiate a diagnosis, an interpretation and discussion of diagnostic findings, a description of the specific functional limitations, and an explanation for how the disability impacts the student in the law school setting.
  • The student should submit any documentation or information that may help OAS determine reasonable accommodations. This may include a letter verifying previous accommodations, an approval form for national standardized exams, and/or an IEP or 504 Plan. A student may not receive the exact same accommodations at Georgetown Law as they received in a previous setting.
  • A student may not present documentation and request accommodations after a grade has been reported. After a grade has been reported, it may be re-examined as outlined in the Student Handbook of Academic Policies.

Guidelines for Specific Disabilities

Learning Disabilities and/or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder diagnoses typically should be provided by way of a comprehensive psychoeducational or neuropsychological evaluation report including a diagnostic interview and the use of appropriate diagnostic instruments. These evaluations generally should be completed using an adult-normed instrument within three years of a student’s registration with the office. The documentation should reflect a substantial limitation for which the student is requesting an accommodation and should include standardized scores and/or percentiles that help establish the need for accommodations. An assessment might include testing of language, attention, achievement, working memory, processing speed, reading fluency/comprehension etc.

Please email accessibilityservices@georgetown.edu to request a list of providers, including those who provide reduced cost options. It can take time to schedule and complete these evaluations. A student who does not have a current evaluation should submit any documentation that may support a request for provisional accommodations. Permanent accommodations will be determined once disability impact is confirmed.

Documentation should be within six months of a student’s registration with OAS. Recent documentation is needed to reflect the current functional limitations that rise to the level of a disability. Documentation should include: 

  • a specific diagnosis/diagnoses and a description of current symptoms across settings, including any relevant observations of the student’s behavior;
  • relevant history of the student’s experience with the disability, specifically the date of onset, duration, and severity of presenting symptoms; and
  • how frequently the student’s disability creates an access barrier to their experience (e.g., daily, 1-3 times/week, 1-3 times/month, 1-3 times/year)
  • current treatment information, medication regimen (including a description of any medication side effects experienced by the student) and severity of symptoms with treatment or medication regimen (e.g., mild, moderate, severe, n/a no tx or med regimen) if applicable.

Documentation should describe the diagnostic criteria, tests administered, and an interpretation of the results. The provider must describe how the current functional limitations impact one or more major life activities. Documentation should indicate whether the disability is permanent, temporary, fluctuating, etc. If a disability is permanent, then the student should submit a report from their most recent evaluation. Documentation of disabilities that are temporary or fluctuating should be from an evaluation within the past 12 months. 

In most cases, an optometrist or ophthalmologist should provide documentation for visual impairments. Documentation should include the current diagnosis, whether the disability is progressive or stable, and visual acuities for distance and near vision. An evaluation should be provided within the last three years given the changing nature of many visual impairments. However, if an impairment is permanent, then a diagnosis from a qualified provider and a description of the functional limitations may be sufficient.