Additional Documents Required – Diagnosed Learning Disability

In addition to submitting your application for admission and all supporting documentation for that application, the following documents are required to be considered for modified admission:

  1. A Recent Psychoeducational Report: It is in your best interest to provide recent, comprehensive documentation about your learning disability so that informed decisions can be made about eligibility for special consideration during the admission process and for academic accommodation in the university environment. We prefer to receive psychoeducational assessment reports that have been completed within three years of your anticipated start-date at York. However, we will accept psychoeducational reports documenting the presence of learning disabilities completed by a psychologist or under the supervision of a psychologist or psychological associate in the province of Ontario within the past five years. (In the case of mature students, a report completed while they were attending secondary school is acceptable).
  2. Recent Sub-test Scores: The report should include the sub-test scores from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) or from acceptable alternatives such as the Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery.  These scores assist us in developing an effective educational plan and often are not included in the overall report.
  3. “Identification, Placement and Review Committee” (IPRC) Recommendations pertaining to you for each year in secondary school (if available).
  4. A Letter from the Special Education Personnel at your High School or College stating the nature, extent and rationale for academic accommodations that were deemed appropriate during the last two years of secondary school.
  5. A personal written statement of approximately 500 words. This statement should describe your learning disability, how the learning disability affected the grades you achieved, the type of support you expect at York, as well as your academic and career goals.
  6. Academic letter(s) of recommendation
  7. Official high-school transcripts
  8. Any additional documentation as requested by the Office of Admissions.

Additional Guidelines For Learning Disabilities Documentation

If you seek support services from the York University Learning Disabilities Program (LDP), you must submit documentation to verify eligibility on the basis of diagnosed learning disabilities.

The following guidelines are provided in the interest of assuring that assessment/evaluation reports contain information relevant to document eligibility. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, nor is it meant to restrict assessment in any way.

  1. A clear diagnostic statement identifying a learning disability should be made. If another diagnosis is applicable, this should be stated as well.
  2. Testing should be comprehensive. No single test should be used in isolation for the purpose of diagnosis. Several domains should be addressed, including but not necessarily limited to:
    • Aptitude – The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) listing the sub-test scores is the preferred instrument. The Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery –  Tests of Cognitive Ability is an acceptable alternative.
    • Achievement – A review of your academic history and an assessment of the current levels of functioning in reading, mathematics, and written language. Acceptable instruments include: Canadian Test of Basic Skills; Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery –  Tests of Achievement; Stanford Test of Academic Skills (TASK); or specific achievement tests such as the Test of Written Language, Woodcock Reading Mastery Test, or the Stanford Diagnostic Math Test.
    • Information Processing – Relevant areas of information processing (e.g. short and long-term memory, sequential memory, visual/auditory perception, attention, fine-motor dexterity, processing speed) should be assessed using subtests from the WAIS or Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery – Tests of Cognitive Ability, or other appropriate instruments of the psychologist’s choice.
  3. Testing should be relatively current. We will accept assessments that have been completed within five years of your anticipated start date at York University, but we will accept reports that were completed earlier if you are not applying under the “Modified Admissions Process.”
  4. Test scores/data should be included. This information helps us in planning an appropriate support plan and may be necessary to substantiate eligibility for special requests for course substitutions or reasonable accommodations.

Note: Students with psychoeducational reports that fail to meet the criteria listed above may be required to undergo further diagnostic assessment prior to receiving support services from the LDP.