Services for Students with Disabilities What Is a Disability?
Under state and federal regulations, an individual with a
disability is defined as anyone with a physical or mental
impairment that substantially limits one or more major life
activities, such as walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, working,
or learning. The ADA further defines disability as broadly
covering people in three categories: (1) people who currently
have a disability; (2) people who have a history of a
disability; and (3) those who are perceived as disabled by other
whether or not they actually have a disability. The last
category refers to the protection of individuals perceived as
disabled from discrimination. Academic accommodations are
provided when an individual has a disability which causes
current and significant functional impairment. Academic
accommodations for students with documented disability
conditions are provided on a case-by-case basis and must be
supported by appropriate documentation. This documentation must
be prepared