Health Practitioner Report
Notification of disability is usually required if students seek reasonable adjustments to their educational program. The student will need to provide relevant supporting documentation from a medical practitioner, psychologist or other accredited health or educational specialist.
Some examples of reasonable adjustments include, but are not limited to, additional time in examinations, and study materials in alternate formats. Most institutions require the supporting documentation to be no more than two or three years’ old at the time of registration with their disability service.
Formal documentation, such as a health practitioner's report, ensures that as a disability practitioner you have reliable information on which to base your recommended accommodations. Institutions are encouraged to develop a clear and streamlined process that enables students to provide the appropriate documentation.
A health practitioner's report should aim to include:
- The name, nature and degree of impairment or health condition (physical or psychological)
- The time of onset, expected duration and/or prognosis of the impairment or health condition
- An outline of the limitations and implications arising from the disability or health condition, in relation to post-secondary education and training in general, and the student’s proposed course of study in particular
- Teaching, learning and assessment accommodations that have been found to be useful in other educational programs
- Accommodations recommended now and, if different, in the future
- Any other relevant observations by the health practitioner.
This report is then used as a guide in the development of a Learning Access Plan or similar tool.