Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a "qualified individual with a disability is one who, with or without reasonable modification to rules, policies, or practices, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation barriers, or the provisions of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility requirements for the receipt of services or participation in programs or activities provided by a public entity".  A person with a disability is anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of such major life activities as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, caring for self, performing manual tasks, working or learning.  Attention deficit disorders are considered disabilities under ADA if a major life activity is substantially limited.  A diagnosis by a licensed professional, including psychologists, neuropsychologists, psychiatrists, and other medical doctors specifically trained in ADHD/ADD assessment is required and should include title and license number and date of the evaluation in the report on letterhead stationary.

The following guidelines are provided to assist the the Office of Disability Services in collaboration with each student to determine appropriate accommodations.  Documentation serves as a foundation for supporting a student's request for appropriate accommodations.  Documentation must include:

1.  Evaluations must be comprehensive.  Documentation must show that DSM-IV criteria for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder have been met including documentation of the presence of DSM-IV symptoms, evidence of early onset, impairment in two or more settings, and evidence of current impact on social, academic, or occupational tasks.

2.  Achievement test scores must be included to document the impact of the disability on academic tasks.

3.  Rule out of concomitant conditions, such as learning disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance related disorders, relational problems, etc., must be included.

4.  A specific diagnosis should be included and the process for arriving at the diagnosis should be reported in an interpretive summary.

5.  Documentation must be current.  In most cases, the evaluation should have been completed within the past three years.

6.  If medication is recommended, this should be noted.

Documentation should be submitted to the Office of Disability Services in person, by fax (434-395-2434) or by mail: Disability Support Services,
Longwood, 201 W. High Street, Farmville, VA  23909.