What is the ADA?

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act states that "no otherwise qualified individual with disabilities in the United States...shall, solely by reason of his/her disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance" The ADA furthered this provision against discrimination by including all institutions, private or otherwise.

What is a disability?

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a disability is something that interferes with the daily function of your life. This can include physical, cognitive (such as traumatic brain injury), mental illness, hearing and vision as well as learning disabilities.

Can I get the same accommodations I had when I was in High School?

The accommodations that you will receive are those that will help you to get the most out of your classes and college experience. To be able to receive services, you must first come to Disability Services and request services. During the intake interview, accommodations that are suited to your needs and disability will be drawn up. Students in grades K-12 are covered by IDEA laws and colleges/universities are covered by ADA, a very different law. Not all modifications allowed in the public schools are transferable to college level courses.

Semester Registration Form

General Documentation Requirements

In order to fully evaluate requests for accommodations or auxiliary aids and to determine eligibility for services, the Disability Services office (DS) needs documentation of your disability. The documentation you provide should include an evaluation by an appropriate professional that makes evident the current impact of the disability as it relates to the accommodation(s) requested and include a description of any and all functional limitations. Those accommodations prescribed by DS are provided so that students have equal access to activities and programs at UT Pan American. Professionals conducting assessments and rendering diagnoses must be qualified to do so. Such documentation should be on letterhead and contain the professional's signature and license number. Documentation must be current.

The general guidelines listed below are developed to assist you in working with your treating/diagnosing professional(s) to prepare the information needed to evaluate your request(s). If, after reading these guidelines and reviewing disability specific information provided below, you have any questions, feel free to call the office at 956-316-7005.

Documentation should include the following information:

1. Current functional impact of the condition(s) The current relevant functional impacts on physical (mobility, dexterity, endurance, etc.), perceptual, cognitive (attention, distractibility, communication, etc), and behavioral abilities should be described as a clinical narrative and/or through the provision of specific results from the diagnostic procedures/assessment.
2. Treatments, medications, accommodations/auxiliary aids, services currently prescribed or in use. Provide a description of treatments, medications, accommodations/auxiliary aids and/or services currently in use and their estimated effectiveness in minimizing the impact of the condition(s). Include any significant side effects that may impact physical, perceptual, behavioral or cognitive performance. If you feel that any additional accommodations/auxiliary aids are warranted, please list them along with a clear rationale and related functional limitations. Any accommodations/auxiliary aids will be taken into consideration, but not automatically implemented.
3. The expected progression or stability of disability over time If possible, provide a description of the expected change in the functional impact of the condition(s) over time. If the condition is variable, describe the known triggers that may exacerbate the condition.

A diagnostic statement identifying the disability When appropriate, include International Classification of Diseases (ICD) or Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) codes, the date of the most recent evaluation, or the dates of evaluations performed by referring professionals. If the most recent evaluation was not a full evaluation, indicate when the last full evaluation was conducted.