Toto, I have a feeling > Who Does LD Testing?
Neither the Americans with Disabilities Act nor Section 504 make it incumbent upon institutions of higher learning to evaluate and assess students with disabilities or suspected disabilities. This is, of course, in contrast with the student's entitlement to assessment and services in public schools.
In the logic of civil rights (as opposed to educational entitlement), the individual must assert and claim their right to equal access. As such, they cannot then put the burden of proof on the institution, employer, or business. One must identify oneself as a qualified person with a disability and be prepared to provide the documents that verify that claim.
Disability Services for Students at The University of Montana-Missoula provides a list of qualified professionals in the Missoula area for students to choose from. This occurs when information is too old to accurately reflect the student's functioning, if the student has not been previously diagnosed with a disability, or if the professional who did the assessment would not be otherwise qualified in that area. For example, a speech pathologist would not likely be qualified to assess for learning disabilities. Nor would a teacher for blind and low vision students be qualified to assess communication disorders in most cases. (Note: DSS will not accept documentation if the professional making the assessment is related to the student.)
The most important thing that sets DSS at UM apart from other DSS offices is that we are staffed primarily by professionals with disabilities. We have experienced discrimination in the form of paternalism, and the double bind of low expectations and the attitude that we must not be that disabled if we are successful at what we attempt. Our experiences shape our attitudes toward disability, equality, and how we promote access in our office and across campus and they place us in the midst of the disability rights movement.
