Student Disability Center

Serving Students with Disabilities
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Information Regarding Students with Visual Disabilities

UC Davis is committed to ensuring equal access to educational opportunities for students with disabilities. An integral component to that commitment is the coordination of academic accommodations and support services through the Student Disability Center (SDC).

Eligibility

To determine eligibility for services for a visual impairment, the SDC requires current, complete documentation provided by an ophthalmologist, optometrist or treating physician. The University reserves the right to request supplemental information to verify a student’s current functional limitations. Current documentation is required to assess whether the impairment limits a major life activity and to establish the extent of the student's disability-related limitations.

Documentation must include the following information:

  • Date of most recent visit to medical provider/diagnostician
  • Clear evidence of the existence of a visual impairment
  • A summary of assessment procedures and evaluation instruments used to diagnose the impairment
  • Specific functional limitations related to the impairment, especially those involved in attending a post-secondary educational institution
  • A description of treatments and assistive devices and their estimated effectiveness in minimizing the impact of the impairment (i.e. corrective lenses, vision therapy, etc.)
  • Prognosis and anticipated duration of limitations and impairment

The report must be signed by the qualified diagnosing professional.

Accommodation and Support Services

Requests for accommodations are considered on an individual basis by taking into account institutional obligations to provide equal access to educational opportunities, documented current functional limitations, and the student's course requirements. It is the student's responsibility to submit all requests for disability-based accommodations to the SDC each academic quarter.

Mailing Address and Contact Information

Jennifer Gibson, Ph.D., SDC Psychologist & Visual Disability Specialist
Student Disability Center • University of California
One Shields Avenue • Davis, CA 95616-8714
jgibson@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-3184 voice • (530) 752-6833 TTY • (530) 752-0161 fax

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Last updated February 19, 2008
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