The Office of Disability Services (ODS), in collaboration with Student Health Services, may provide assistance to students who experience a temporary medical condition that impacts their ability to perform major life functions as a college student (academic and non-academic). While temporary medical conditions do not rise to the level of a disability as outlined in the ADA Amendment Act of 2008 (duration of less than six months), students who are recovering from surgery, an injury, or a severe illness, may be eligible for temporary assistance in academic and non-academic areas due to the significant impact of the temporary medical condition on major life functions while in its active state. Medical documentation is required and reasonable temporary services are determined on an individual, case by case basis.
Process
In order for students to receive academic or non-academic assistance, students must self-identify, and engage in an initial interview with a Health Services staff member. The Health Services may implement short term assistance based on the severity of the condition and the expected medical resolution. If the condition does not resolve within a short time period, or if the condition is sufficiently severe, the Health Services staff may refer the student immediately to ODS staff for a consultation.
The student will be asked to access Accommodate, software management system, on the OneLogin page to complete the disclosure document and upload the medical evaluation (directions below). The student must provide the most recent evaluation from a licensed or otherwise qualified medical professional that includes an assessment, description of the medical condition and the current impact as it relates to the request for temporary services.
Please use your Muhlenberg username and password to access OneLogin.
- Click on “Company: Everything” to see all tiles available.
- Click on “Accommodate” tile.
- You should be at the home page. Click on Accommodation > Accessibility Request or use the shortcut “Disability Disclosure Form”
ODS staff will schedule an appointment to conduct a detailed interview with the student to obtain a history of the medical event and discuss the current impact of the condition on academic and non-academic performance.
Eligibility Verification and Documentation
Documentation serves as a foundation that legitimizes a student’s request for appropriate temporary services. To qualify for temporary services, a student must provide documentation of the temporary medical condition as determined by a licensed physician and/or other specialist who is skilled in the diagnosis of such a medical condition.
The following guidelines are provided to assist the physician or specialist in creating the documentation required in order to determine appropriate temporary services. Please note: A brief statement written by a physician on a prescription pad or a copy of the visit summary is not sufficient documentation.
- Submission on professional letterhead with the date of the evaluation/report, signature, title, and professional credentials
- A clear statement of the temporary medical condition diagnosis of orthopedic/mobility disability or systemic illness and the anticipated length of the condition
- Current impact of the temporary medical condition or systemic illness has on the student’s functioning (the age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon the condition, the student’s request for temporary services and the current status of the student)
- A summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to make the diagnosis, including evaluation results and standardized scores if applicable
- A description of present symptoms that meet criteria for diagnosis
- Impact of any medications or therapies on the student’s ability to meet the demands of the postsecondary environment
- A statement of functional impact of limitation of the temporary medical condition on learning and other major life activity and the degree to which it impacts the individual in the learning context or which temporary accommodations are being requested.
Some temporary medical conditions, due to their changing nature, may warrant additional up-dated documentation and more frequent evaluation. They may also become a permanent condition and rise to the level of a disability. Temporary and permanent accommodations and services are always determined on a case-by-case basis.
