the original major life activities and expanded the definition to include “major bodily functions.”
The Amendments Act retained the original ADA basic definition of a disability as:
1) Having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; 2) Having a record of such an impairment; or 3) Being regarded as having such an impairment.
The NDDSC reflects the Association of Higher Education and Disability’s (AHEAD) “Sources and Forms of Documentation” (2012) in its criteria for documentation guidelines.
Along with the more objective determination of a disability and its impact provided by external documentation, institutions recognize input from the individual with a disability as also an important source of information on the impact of the disability and on the effectiveness of accommodations. This is gathered through the student’s self-report and observation and interaction with the student.
Disability documentation gathered from various sources to support the student report and interactions can include:
1) A clear diagnostic statement that describes the condition.
2) A description of the diagnostic criteria and/or evaluation methods and/or tests used, and/or clinical narrative and/or observations, and specific results, which are congruent with the particular disability.
3) A description of the current functional limitations and how those limitations affect the student in a major life activity. A “functional limitation” is defined as an adverse effect on a major life activity caused by the disability. Functional limitations should be described in terms of how significantly the activity is affected by the disability, the frequency with which the activity is affected, and how pervasive the disability is in the performance of the major life activity.
4) A description of medications and their effectiveness in relation to the functional impact of the disability. Information about any significant side effects from the current treatment or medication and its effect on physical, perceptual, behavioral, and cognitive performance is helpful.
5) A description of the expected progression or stability of the disability including the expected changes over time, information on the cyclical or episodic nature of the disability and any known suspected environmental triggers.
6) The credentials of the evaluator/provider relevant to the diagnosed disability. The professional should be licensed or otherwise properly credentialed.