These documents are carefully screened by a professional who determines whether the documentation is sufficient and, if so, if an accommodation is justified. Not everyone who received services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in elementary through high school is eligible for accommodations.
Some disabilities are relatively easy to document, such as physical and sensory impairments.
Physicians may send of letter stating the condition and the extent of the disability. For an individual to qualify for accommodations as a person with a disability, documentation must indicate that there is a functional impairment of a degree that would not be experienced by the average person and that an attempt at compensation has been made. The average person standard does not mean the average university student, but the average person in the normative population. Specific norm-referenced and standardized measures are used to compare an individual's speed of processing with a norm group. There are specific documentation procedures required for different types of disabilities.