Accessibility Services

ADD is a neurobiological condition that affects attention, focus, and impulse control. For some, these challenges are so persistent that they disrupt daily life, including school, work, and social interactions.

Who can diagnose ADD?

• Physician, psychologist, or psychiatrist.
• A letter from a physician or psychiatrist is sufficient, but a psycho-educational assessment (completed after age 18 or within the last 3 years) from a psychologist is preferred.

What should the documentation include?

• Clinician’s name, title, phone number, and address.
• Date(s) of the examination.
• A summary of all tools and procedures used in the assessment.
• Test scores (e.g., percentiles) with a detailed explanation of results, including strengths and weaknesses if applicable.
• Specific recommendations for academic accommodations to address challenges.
• Documentation must be on official letterhead, dated, and signed. A signed original is preferred.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) includes a group of brain development conditions that affect social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviours to varying degrees. Since 2013, the DSM-V diagnostic manual has grouped all autism-related conditions under the ASD umbrella, which includes conditions like Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS.

Who can diagnose ASD?

• Physician, psychologist, or psychiatrist.
• A letter from a physician or psychiatrist is sufficient, but a psycho-educational assessment (completed after age 18 or within the last 3 years) from a psychologist is preferred.

What should the documentation include?

• Clinician’s name, title, phone number, and address.
• Date(s) of the examination.
• A summary of all tools and procedures used in the assessment.
• A written summary of your educational, medical, family history, and behavioural observations.
• Test scores (e.g., percentiles) with a detailed explanation of results, including strengths and weaknesses if applicable.

Chronic health conditions are medical issues that significantly impact a student’s ability to learn and participate in an educational setting. Examples include cystic fibrosis, diabetes, HIV, cancer, severe allergies, asthma, fibromyalgia, kidney disease, and chemical sensitivities.

Documentation Needed
To qualify for accommodations, provide documentation from a family physician or medical specialist. A medical diagnosis alone isn’t enough—your documentation must explain how your condition affects your academic experience.

Who can provide documentation?

• Family physician or medical specialist.
  • Assessments should be recent and ideally completed within one year of your initial request for services.

What should the documentation include?

• Clinician’s name, title, phone number, and address.
• Date(s) of the examination.
• A clear statement of your diagnosis, current symptoms, and any treatment.
• If applicable, a description of the severity, expected progression, or stability of your condition.
• Information about how medication impacts your academic abilities.
• A detailed explanation of how your condition affects your learning and functioning in a post-secondary setting.
• Specific recommendations for accommodations to reduce academic barriers.
• Documentation must be on official letterhead, dated, and signed. A signed original is preferred.

Deaf students typically have severe to profound hearing loss. Many use sign language as their primary way to communicate, though some may rely on oral communication or residual hearing with the help of hearing aids.

Hard of Hearing students may have mild to severe hearing loss and primarily communicate through speech. They might miss up to 50% of class discussions, especially in noisy environments or when voices are soft. Hearing aids, personal FM systems, and other accommodations can support their needs.

Who can diagnose hearing loss?

• Audiologist.

What should the documentation include?

• Clinician’s name, title, phone number, and address.
• Date(s) of the examination.
• An audiological assessment and report, including a medical diagnosis of hearing loss, its prognosis, and its functional impact.
• Recommendations for specific accommodations to address barriers caused by hearing loss.
• Documentation must be on official letterhead, dated, and signed. A signed original is preferred.

Learning disabilities affect how individuals acquire, organize, retain, and use verbal or nonverbal information. These challenges occur in individuals with average or above-average abilities for thinking and reasoning and are distinct from global intellectual deficiencies.

To access accommodations, you’ll need a psycho-educational assessment completed by a psychologist.

Who can diagnose learning disabilities?

• Psychologist.
• The psycho-educational assessment must be recent—no older than 5 years if conducted before the age of 18.

What should the documentation include?

• Clinician’s name, title, phone number, and address.
• Date(s) of the examination.
• A summary of all tools and procedures used in the assessment.
• A written summary of your educational, medical, family history, and behavioural observations.
• Test scores (e.g., standard scores, percentiles, confidence intervals) with a detailed explanation of strengths and weaknesses.
• A description of cognitive and aptitude-achievement discrepancies or the clinician's rationale for their diagnosis.
• A clear statement on how the learning disability significantly impacts your academic progress.
• Specific recommendations for accommodations to help overcome barriers and improve performance.
• Documentation must be on official letterhead, dated, and signed. A signed original is preferred.

Mental health disabilities affect thinking, emotions, and behaviour. Common diagnoses include depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, OCD, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. These conditions can impact a student’s ability to participate fully in an academic setting.

Who can diagnose mental health disabilities?

• Psychiatrist, physician, or psychologist (depending on the condition).
• Documentation should be recent—ideally dated within three months of your initial request for services.

What should the documentation include?

• Clinician’s name, title, phone number, and address.
• Date(s) of the examination.
• A clear statement of the condition, including the DSM diagnosis, and a summary of past and present symptoms.
• A summary of the assessment tools and procedures used for diagnosis.
• Medical information about how the condition impacts your academic abilities, including the effects of any medication.
• Specific recommendations for accommodations to address disability-related challenges as supported by the assessment and diagnosis.
• Documentation must be on official letterhead, dated, and signed. A signed original is preferred.

Neurological conditions affect the central nervous system, leading to challenges in areas like memory, cognitive functioning, sensory and motor skills, speech, language, social skills, and more. Conditions such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, head injuries, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Tourette’s syndrome, and fetal alcohol syndrome are just a few examples.

Who can diagnose neurological conditions?

• Neurologist, psychologist, neuropsychologist, psychiatrist, or physician (depending on the condition).

What should the documentation include?

• Clinician’s name, title, phone number, and address.
• Date(s) of the examination.
• A summary of all tools and procedures used in the assessment.
• A written summary of your educational, medical, family history, and behavioural observations.
• Test scores (e.g., percentiles) with a detailed interpretation, including strengths and weaknesses.
• A description of any cognitive or aptitude-achievement discrepancies, or the clinician's rationale for their judgment.
• A statement on how your condition (e.g., brain injury) interferes with your academic progress.
• Suggestions for specific accommodations to minimize the impact of the condition on your performance.
• Documentation must be on official letterhead, dated, and signed. A signed original is preferred.

Physical disabilities impact movement and function due to nervous system impairments, musculoskeletal conditions, or amputations. These conditions can include arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injuries, spina bifida, amputations, paraplegia, quadriplegia, obesity, and more.

Who can diagnose physical disabilities?

• Physician or specialist related to the condition.

What should the documentation include?

• Clinician’s name, title, phone number, and address.
• Date(s) of the examination.
• A clear statement of the physical disability, along with a summary of current symptoms and treatment details (if applicable).
• A description of the severity, longevity, or expected progression of the condition.
• Medical information on how the condition affects your academic performance, including the impact of any medication.
• A description of how the condition and treatment (if applicable) affect your ability to function in an academic setting.
• Specific recommendations for accommodations to help reduce academic barriers.
• Documentation must be on official letterhead, dated, and signed. A signed original is preferred.

Visual disabilities refer to conditions that significantly affect a person’s ability to see. This can include poor vision that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses, a limited visual field, or progressive eye diseases that lead to decreased vision over time. A student with a visual disability may experience difficulty participating in everyday activities in an educational setting due to their vision limitations.

Who can diagnose visual disabilities?

• Ophthalmologist or optometrist.

What should the documentation include?

• Clinician’s name, title, phone number, and address.
• Date(s) of the examination.
• A clear statement of the vision limitations, including best-corrected vision, current symptoms, and any possible treatments (if applicable).
• Information on the severity, longevity, or expected progression of the vision loss.
• Medical information on how the vision impairment impacts the student’s ability to meet the demands of their studies.
• A description of how vision loss and treatments affect academic performance.
• Specific recommendations for accommodations to reduce barriers to academic success.
• Documentation must be on official letterhead, dated, and signed. A signed original is preferred.