MSU-Bozeman has a proud history of accommodating persons with disablities, and the staff at Disabled Student Services (DSS) is committed to providing you with the direction , advice and services needed to allow you the opportunity to participate fully in the rich and varied life at Montana State University. DSS is committed to facilitating Montana State University's goal of making its programs, services, and activities accessible to student with disabilities. Toward this end, DSS strives to enhance awareness of and sensitivity to the needs of persons with disabilities at MSU and to ensure full access to educational opportunity for persons with disabilities as required under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In order for DSS to determine a student's eligibility for services, the following documentation must be provided:

• All students must complete and submit a verification form. There are two verification forms. If you have a learning disability, ADHD, Cognitive Brain Injury, or psychological disaorder, please print the form entitled Disability Verification. Use the Disability Verification (Physical & Psychological) form for all other disabilities. Both verfication forms contain a section that must be completed by an appropriate professional. Please print and enclose the "Request for Documentation Review"



• Students with hearing impairaments must also provide an audiological report completed within one year prior to the date of application to MSU-Bozeman.



• Students with learning disabilities must also provide the following documentation. Students with ADHD must include a report with the information astericked below:



*1) An individually administered comprehensive intelligence test;

2) A comprehensive individually administered achievement test measuring current achievement in basic reading skills, reading comprehension, math reasoning, and math calculation; and a functional assessment of standardized test of written expression (i.e., WJ-III, WJ-R). The Wide Range Achievement Test-3 is not a comprehensive measure of achievement and, therefore, is not useful if used as the sole measure of achievement.

3) An assessment of sepcific areas of information processing (e.g., short and long term memory, sequential memory, auditory processing, processing speed). Information from subtests on the WAIS-R or WAIS-III, the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability or other instruments relevant to the presenting learning problem(s) may be used to address these areas.

*4) Information provided must include an evaluation/report that indicates a specific diagnosis of disability and recommendations for accommodations specific to the disabling condition.



• Students with other disabilities: (i.e., psychological, cognitive brain injury, etc.) may be requested to submit additional documentation that will assist DSS in authorizing appropriate services
  
  

The following guidelines are provided to assure that evaluation reports are appropriate to document eligibility:

Testing must be comprehensive. It is not acceptable to base a diagnosis on only one of several subtests. Minimally, domains to be addressed must include (but are not limited to):

• Aptitude: In evaluating aptitude, specific areas of information processing, memory, auditory and visual perception/processing, processing speed and reasoning must be assessed.
  
  The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery Revised (WJ-R) or Woodcock-Johnson III: Tests of Cognitive Ability with subtest scores or the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale III (WAIS III are preferred instruments.
  
  The Wechsler Intelligence Scale of Children (WISC) is not an acceptable assessment of instrument of an adult population.



• Achievement:
  
  Current levels of functioning in reading; mathematics and written language are required.
  
  The Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery-Revised (WJ-R), Woodcock-Johnson III: Tests of Achievement or the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test II (WIAT II) are the preferred instruments.
  
  The Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) is not a comprehensive measure of achievement and is therefore not suitable as a sole measurement of achievement.
  
  
• Testing must be current:
  
  Since an assessment constitutes the basis for determining reasonable accommodations, it is in a student's best interest to provide recent and appropriate documentation. In most cases, this means within the past three to five years as long as an adult evaluation was given. This assessment serves as the basis for decision-making about a student's needs for accommodations in a college environment that is academically very competitive.



• Documentation must contain a clear diagnosis of a disability:
  
  Individual "learning styles" and "learning differences" in and of themselves do not consitiute a learning disability.



• Test scores/data must be included ( standard scores-aged based):
  
  This is important since certain University policies and Procedures (i.e., petitioning for permission to substitute courses) require specific data to substantiate eligibility.
  
  
• Professionals conducting assessment and rendering diagnoses of learning disabilities mut be qualified to do so:
  
  Experience working with an adult population is essential. The following professionals would generally be considered qualified to evaluate specific learning disabilities: clinical or educational psychologists, school psychologists, neuropsychologists, learning disabilities specialists, and speech language pathologists. It is not considered appropriate for professionals to evaluate members of their own families.



• Diagnostic reports must include the names and titles of the evaluators as well as the date(s) of testing.

Note: The DSS coordinator is available to consult with diagnosticians regarding any of these items.

All documentation is strictly confidential. Documentation should be sent to:

Disabled Student Services
P.O. Box 173960
MSU-Bozeman
Bozeman, MT 59717-3960

Phone: (406)994-2824, Fax: (406)994-3943, TTY: (406)994-6701

Return to regular view	Text-only	Updated: 09/10/2008