How to Document an Acquired Brain Injury
Students, faculty, staff, and campus guests wishing to request accommodations due to an acquired brain injury can refer to the links below. Currency of Documentation, addresses the need for the documentation to discuss the current impact of a condition or impairment. Documentation Requirements, includes the content of the documentation necessary for determining eligibility for accommodations and services at Drexel University.
Documenting an Acquired Brain Injury
Documenting a brain injury is a comprehensive and necessary component to determining reasonable and appropriate accommodations and services. Currency is determined on a case-by-case basis and is dependent on how recently the injury occurred, the stability of its impact in an educational or employment environment, and the functional limitations it presents. The Office of Disability Services (ODS) will communicate the need for documentation, if appropriate, when an individual makes accommodation requests. Current documentation supports reasonable and appropriate auxiliary aids, accommodations, and service requests made by students, employees, and campus guests.
Documentation Requirements for Acquired Brain Injuries
Acquired brain injuries are considered a medical or clinical diagnosis. Individuals qualified to
diagnose these disorders are practitioners who have been trained in the assessment of head injury or
brain injuries. Recommended practitioners include physicians, neurologists, licensed clinical,
rehabilitation, or school psychologists, neuropsychologists, and psychiatrists. Practitioners need to adhere to their profession's professional code of ethics as it relates to qualifications, dual relationships, and conflicts of interest.
The diagnostician must be an impartial individual who is not a family member of the student/employee.
The following guidelines are provided to assist the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at Drexel University in collaborating with each student/employee to determine appropriate accommodations while attending or working at Drexel. Documentation serves as the foundation that legitimizes an individual’s request for appropriate accommodations. Documentation should include the following:
1. A clear statement of the diagnosis, including pertinent symptomotology, fluctuations in the
individual’s condition.
2. Documentation must reflect the current impact the head injury has on the individual’s functioning.
The age of acceptable documentation is dependent on the disabling condition, the individual’s
request for accommodations, and the current status of the individual.
3. Information pertaining to the individual’s current level of functioning in the academic or work
setting.
4. A clear explanation of how the individual’s symptoms cause significant limitations for this
individual, within the post-secondary environment or work setting. The degree of the limitation
should be addressed.
5. A summary of cognitive and achievement measures used and evaluation results, including
standardized scores or percentiles used in assessing the individual’s current functioning within an
educational environment or work setting.
6. Medical information related to the individual’s needs, including the absence of an alternate
medical condition, which accounts for the displayed symptoms, as well as the impact of
medication on the individual’s ability to meet the demands of the academic or work environment.
It should also be noted whether or not the individual was evaluated while taking medication.
7. The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) defines a disability as a physical or mental
impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.
8. Documentation for eligibility should be current. The age of acceptable documentation is
dependent upon the disabling condition, the current status of the individual, and the individual’s
request for accommodation.
9. Further assessment by an appropriate professional may be required if co-existing learning
disabilities or other disabling conditions are indicated.
10. All medical documentation needs to be submitted to the ODS in English.
A supplemental form is available in the ODS to assist people with disabilities attempting to document an acquired brain injury.
All documentation is confidential and should be submitted to:
Office of Disability Services, Drexel
University
3141 Chestnut Street, 81-210
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 215.895.1401 TTY: 215.895.2299 Fax: 215.895.1402