Protocol for Learning Disabilities
Princeton University Protocol for Documentation Concerning Learning Disabilities and Requests for Reasonable Accommodations
Princeton University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for enrolled students with documented learning disabilities. The following represents Princeton University’s guidelines concerning requests for reasonable accommodations for learning disabilities. These guidelines are applicable both to undergraduates and to graduate students. While we attempt to adhere to these guidelines, each request is evaluated in its individual context. At all stages of the University’s review of requests for reasonable accommodations, only those with a need to know will share in the deliberations concerning a particular student.
To consider possible accommodations for a learning disability, Princeton University requires documentation of the learning disability (or disabilities) from a certified learning specialist, psychologist, or physician. The name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about license and certification, as well as the area of specialization, must be clearly stated in the documentation. Normally, the documentation must be within the past three years and demonstrate the current impact of the learning disability on the student’s academic performance.
A letter in support of a disorder or disability does not constitute sufficient documentation. Documentation must include a specific diagnosis, supported by the results of a comprehensive battery of appropriate standardized tests. The score reports for all tests and subtests should be included, together with a narrative interpretation of these results. Documentation must include a description of the current functional limitations of the disability in an educational setting. Each accommodation recommended by the evaluator must be supported by a clear explanation of how such an accommodation will effectively compensate for specific learning deficits resulting from the disability.
In addition, we request a separate profile summarizing the student’s academic history, including any special difficulties the student has encountered in a learning environment. The evaluator is welcome to provide any additional comments he or she feels will be helpful. The University may, on occasion, wish to speak directly with the evaluator or with a school official familiar with the student’s history of accommodations.
The mere receipt of documentation does not automatically result in the University's granting of accommodations. The University reserves the right to evaluate the documentation independently. In some instances, the University may offer accommodations that are different from those suggested by the original evaluator.
The University makes every effort to assess the documentation of learning disabilities in a timely fashion, in most cases within a week or two of the receipt of documentation. In some cases, however, the University may wish to include a consultant in the review of the documentation and the request for reasonable accommodations, and in these cases the process of assessment is necessarily longer. The University covers the fee of the consultant.
Students or professional evaluators with questions about Princeton's policy concerning documentation should contact the Office of Disability Services, 327 Frist Campus Center, (telephone: 609/258-8840), or the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, Clio Hall (609/258-3032).