Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, individuals with disabilities are guaranteed certain protections and rights of equal access to programs and services.

Documentation Standards

Documentation establishing the presence of a disability and explaining the nature and degree to which the disability affects major life activities including learning is essential for RCPD staff to accurately assess a condition and determine what accommodations would most effectively facilitate full participation at MSU. Students and employees with disabilities must provide medical/psychological documentation indicating the presence of a disability that substantially limits a major life activity.

The provision of reasonable accommodations and services is based upon an assessment of the impact of the individual's disabilities on academic or job performance at a given time. Therefore, RCPD requires recent documentation relevant to the individual’s learning/living/working environment. Information regarding disability is confidential and used on an as-needed basis by Ability Access Specialists directly involved in the accommodation process.

RCPD Documentation Forms

To aid the documentation process, RCPD offers guidelines and fillable forms below to facilitate the provision of needed clarity and detail from treating professionals. Submission of these fillable forms or equivalent will speed the registration process.

• Deaf/Hard of Hearing Documentation
• Blindness/Visual Impairment Documentation
• Mobility and Motoric Documentation
• Brain Injury Documentation
• ADHD Documentation
• Learning Disabilities Documentation
• Psychiatric Documentation
• Autism Spectrum Disorders Documentation
• Chronic Health Documentation
• Other Conditions including little person/dwarfism, speech, and hands/arms
• Service/Assistance Animal Request Form
• Service/Assistance Animal in University Housing Documentation Form

Next Steps- Determining Accommodations

After documentation of a disability has been provided and a needs assessment is completed, reasonable accommodations are determined. RCPD will provide students with a Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations (VISA) and employees with a Statement of Employee Accommodation Determination(SEAD). The VISA and SEAD documents provide, (a) verification of disability and registration status with the RCPD (b) an outline of reasonable accommodations.

Review the Get Started page for additional information about registering with RCPD, accommodations, and resources.