Documentation Guidelines

Documentation Overview

The Office of Accessibility will engage in an interactive process with students to identify reasonable accommodations, which includes a review of the Academic and/or Housing Request Form and appropriate documentation, as well as a meeting with the Director of Accessibility Services. After you have submitted your request form, we will contact the student to schedule an appointment. Along with their accommodation request, students should also provide any available documentation that indicates a history of disability diagnosis(es) and/or accommodations.

Documentation should establish the need for an accommodation due to the presence of a substantially limiting condition(s) impacting the student's access to the learning or living environment. If students have access to documentation, they should submit it along with the request form, however, appointments can still be made if the student is in the process of submitting documentation. Documentation may be submitted via email, mail, fax, or in-person: 

Office of Accessibility Services
SUNY Geneseo
1 College Circle, Erwin Hall 22
Geneseo, NY 14454
Email: access@geneseo.edu
Phone: (585)-245-5112
Fax: (585)-245-5091

We recognize some students may not have access to documentation for a variety of reasons. No student should delay meeting with the OAS out of concern for not having access to documentation. Students who do not have documentation may still submit a request form and schedule a meeting. 

Documentation may include: 

  • Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), 504 plans, or a Summary of Performance (SOP)
  • Letter of Accommodation from a previous postsecondary institution
  • Recent psychological or psychoeducational evaluations
  • Letters from doctors or psychologists/hospital reports. These must be prepared by a professional (unrelated to the student) who is licensed to practice within a field directly related to, and associated with, the student's disability, and: 
    • Be printed on official letterhead and include name, license number, contact information, and a signature
    • Include a clear statement of diagnosis identifying the disability and date of diagnosis 
    • Contain information supportive of the student's request for specific academic/housing supports, auxiliary aids, and accommodations, with clearly defined logic related recommended accommodations to the student's current functional limitations.

Previously approved accommodations from high school or another institution, and/or recommended accommodations from a provider does not necessarily guarantee the same accommodations will be approved by the OAS. External documentation is meant to provide supplementary information as part of the comprehensive review process.