In the process of requesting and obtaining accommodations for a disability, assessment, and documentation is often a necessary step. Dr. Chase regularly provides testing, diagnostics, and evaluations for disabilities, including those related to mental health conditions, learning disabilities, and neurological disorders. Accommodations may be related to examinations (e.g., Bar Exam, MCAT, ACT, GRE, etc.), living situations, service animals, workplace conditions and job functions, or academics. Petitions for disability-related income also require formal evaluation.
Primary education institutions, both public and private, require many legal requirements to be met in order for a student to be deemed eligible for educational accommodations. School districts have dedicated resources and professionals for bringing educational services and accommodations to those with disabilities.
However, it is often difficult to obtain expedient, comprehensive testing from a school district. Furthermore, schools do not diagnose clinical disorders or identify specific treatments which may be applicable to a student outside the scope of the school.
Higher education institutions are increasingly strict about their requirements for accommodation eligibility. A student must demonstrate strong evidence of a disability in order to receive resources, interventions, and academic accommodations. Learning impairment can be caused by primary learning disorders or secondary learning disorders, which are psychiatric or neurologic conditions that negatively impact one’s academic performance to a significant extent.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the definitive body of laws regulating the access and provision of accommodations in the workplace, public transit, places of commerce, educational settings, and more. ADA includes legislation referred to as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA specifies the criteria by which functional disability is determined in academic domains.
This involves a duly detailed appraisal of a student’s cognitive aptitude (intelligence) and any disparities in specific academically relevant skills. If one’s educational competencies are in any way discrepant from the anticipated level, given their intellectual ability, a learning disability may be diagnosed, or a learning impairment caused by a psychiatric or neurologic disorder may be identified and diagnosed.