Physical Health Disorders

Professionals conducting the assessment, rendering a diagnosis, and providing recommendations for reasonable accommodations must be qualified to do so (i.e., licensed medical practitioner). 

Physical Health Disorders Verification Form (PDF; opens in new window)

There are a variety of health conditions that may affect a student's academic functioning while in college.  Examples of physical health disorders include, but are not limited to: Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, Lyme disease, or rheumatoid arthritis. Documentation submitted in relation to a physical health disorder must state a student’s current functional limitations, and may require periodic updates if there are changes in the student’s functioning. The nature of the specific physical health disorder and its impact on the student should be reflected in the documentation submitted to SDR by addressing the following:

• Evidence of current physical health impairment, including presenting symptoms and their duration and severity

• Symptoms of physical health disorder must interfere with or reduce the quality of functioning in the educational environment and possibly home, social, work, or other setting

• Symptoms of physical health disorder cannot be attributed to or better explained by another disability diagnosis

• Individual’s history relevant to current physical health impairment

• Symptoms of physical health disorder and associated functional limitations in the academic environment and possibly other settings should warrant reasonable accommodations, which are presented in terms of a summary and recommendations (i.e., symptom and suggested reasonable accommodation to mitigate symptom)