Disability Documentation Guidelines

Documentation criteria

Documentation on file for the applicant must:

• Be typed or printed on official letterhead and be signed by an evaluator qualified to make the diagnosis (include information about license or certification and area of specialization).
• Clearly state the diagnosed disability or disabilities.
• Describe the functional limitations resulting from the disability or disabilities.
• Be current — i.e., completed within the:
  • last 5 years for learning disabilities (LD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual disability (ID)
  • last 12 months for psychiatric disabilities and traumatic brain injury

This requirement doesn’t apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature.

• Include complete educational, developmental and medical history relevant to the disability for which testing accommodations are being requested.
• Include a list of all test instruments used in the evaluation report and relevant subtest scores used to document the stated disability; all test instruments must have adult norms. (This requirement doesn’t apply to physical or sensory disabilities of a permanent or unchanging nature.)
• Describe the specific accommodations requested.
• Adequately support each of the requested testing accommodation(s).
  

Guidelines for specific disabilities

• ADHD
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Blindness/Low Vision
• Deaf/Hard of Hearing
• Intellectual Disabilities
• Learning Disabilities
• Physical Disabilities and Chronic Health Conditions
• Psychiatric Disabilities
• Traumatic Brain Injury

Insufficient documentation

Requests for accommodations may not be approved if documentation does not conform to ETS's documentation criteria. See some of the main reasons why documentation is deemed insufficient by ETS.
 

See also:

• Updating Documentation for LD and/or ADHD