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Required Documentation

To register with the Academic Accommodations Service, students must provide documentation confirming the presence of a disability or bona fide medical condition and stating whether this disability or condition is permanent or temporary. Please note that under the Ontario Human Rights Code, students are not required to disclose their mental health diagnosis in order to access academic accommodations.

Students who need academic accommodations are asked to provide documentation from a qualified professional. This documentation must describe the student’s disability-related academic functional limitations in order to help the Academic Accommodations Service assess and establish the student’s academic accommodations.

The type of documentation and the qualified professionals able to provide it depends on the nature of the disability. (See below.)

Qualified Professionals:

Clinical Psychologist
Clinical Psychological Associate
Neuropsychologist
Health care practitioner familiar with your disability who is licensed to make a diagnosis of ADHD

Documentation Requirements – One of the following:

Psychoeducational assessment completed within the last five years or at the age of 18
Neuropsychological assessment completed within the last five years or at the age of 18
Academic Accommodations Documentation of ADHD

Qualified Professionals:

Clinical Psychologist
Neuropsychologist
Psychiatrist
Health care practitioner familiar with your disability who is licensed to make a diagnosis of ASD

Documentation Requirements – One of the following:

Psychoeducational assessment completed within the last five years or at the age of 18
Neuropsychological assessment completed within the last five years or at the age of 18
Academic Accommodations Documentation of ASD

Qualified Professionals:

Clinical Psychologist
Clinical Psychological Associate
Neuropsychologist

Documentation Requirements – One of the following:

Psychoeducational assessment completed within the last five years or at the age of 18
Neuropsychological assessment completed within the last five years or at the age of 18

Important information:

In Ontario, a Learning Disorder can only be formally diagnosed through a comprehensive psychoeducational assessment completed by a registered clinical psychologist, clinical psychological associate or neuropsychologist. Assessments and documentation by Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and family physicians are not considered appropriate medical documentation for a Learning Disorder.
Outdated assessments and other forms of documentation: Students who have an outdated psycho-educational assessment or other documentation may be granted interim academic accommodations for one term. The cost of an assessment should not deter you from registering; you can discuss possible external funding options with your Learning Specialist
Individual Education Plan (IEP): An IEP is a document issued by your high school listing approved academic accommodations. It confirms only that you were identified as a student requiring supports. Students without disabilities can also receive an IEP. As such, an IEP is not considered medical documentation for academic accommodations at the post-secondary level. Interim academic accommodations may be granted for one term.

Qualified Professionals:

Health care practitioner familiar with your disability who is licensed to make a diagnosis according to the Documentation of Physical or Chronic Condition

Required Documentation:

Occupational Therapist or Physical Therapy Assessment in conjunction with the Academic Accommodations medical certificate that is completed by a family physician or specialized physician
Academic Accommodations Documentation of Physical or Chronic Condition

Academic Regulation 9.5

The Academic Accommodations Service Medical Certificate cannot be used to justify your absence from an examination or late submission of assignments. If you are absent from an examination, you must follow the rules stipulated in the University of Ottawa’s Academic Regulation 9.5.

Medical Assessment

If you are a student currently waiting for a medical assessment and you require special consideration, in compliance with the University of Ottawa’s Academic Regulation 9.5, the Academic Accommodations Service can provide you with interim accommodations.

If you have an @uOttawa email account:

Create your Ventus account

If you do not have an @uOttawa email account:

Contact the Academic Accommodations Service by email at adapt@uOttawa.ca or by telephone at 613-562-5976

Accountability

Notice of Collection of Personal Information

We are accountable to our clients.

Your personal information, collected under the authority of the University of Ottawa Act, is used to assess the eligibility of your registration with the Academic Accommodations Service and to manage your file. (See Handling of personal information and Student Record Policy 14a.)

We are also required to aggregate data on students with disabilities in the form of summary statistics. Data is grouped and tracked across time or across some other variables. No individual is identified, and no identifiers are provided.

If you have questions or comments, please contact the Academic Accommodations Service by email at adapt@uOttawa.ca or by telephone at 613-562-5976.

Confidentiality

All medical documentation provided remains confidential. It is stored in our student management system (Ventus), which is hosted on a secure server. Once academic accommodations for a student are established, the Academic Accommodations Service allows professors to access to the Confirmation of Academic Accommodation letter (CAM letter). The CAM letter outlines exclusively the academic accommodations established for a student—no diagnosis is disclosed.

Registering with the Academic Accommodations Service and receiving academic accommodations will not appear on the official University of Ottawa documents such as test results, academic transcripts, or university degrees.

Policy on Non-Disclosure of Disability

The Academic Accommodations Service will not disclose a student’s diagnosis to a third party, not even at the student’s request. It is the student’s choice to disclose their disability or medical condition on their own.

The Academic Accommodations Service will engage in collaborative discussions with stakeholders intimately implicated in the academic accommodation process. These discussions will focus on the student’s academic accommodation needs without disclosing their diagnosis.

Limits to Confidentiality

In cases where there is a reasonable and specific indication that a client poses a threat to themselves or to others, the Academic Accommodations Service has a duty to inform appropriate services.