School of Health Sciences Access for Individuals With Disabilities Policy

PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to ensure individual with disabilities full and equal access to all programs within the School of Health Sciences.

POLICY

The school is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, persons with disabilities will not be subject to discrimination or denied full and equal access to academic programs, employment, activities, benefits, and services offered by the college based on their disability. This policy applies to all students, employees (faculty, staff, or student), patients, volunteers, and visitors.

PROCEDURE

Definitions
1. Disability – A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment.
2. Qualified Individual – An individual who, with or without reasonable accommodation, has the requisite skills, experience, and knowledge, and can meet all essential requirements of their program or perform all essential functions of their job/position.
3. Programs – Includes all academic programs, employment, activities, benefits, or services offered by the college.
4. Reasonable Accommodation – A modification or adjustment that:
  1. Will enable a qualified individual to participate in a program and does not make a fundamental alteration to program requirements; or
  2. Will enable an individual to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions; or
  3. Will allow equal access to college programs; and
  4. Does not create an undue hardship for the college.
  5. All accommodations are subject to maintaining the integrity of the didactic, laboratory, and clinical skills. Where there are concerns, a joint effort and dialogue by the student, Student Disability Resource Center, Instructor, Academic Program Director/Department Chair, Assistant Dean, and Dean may be necessary to identify the accommodations that can be made, while maintaining instructional integrity and clinical safety.

Essential Functions - Candidates for programs in the School of Health Sciences must have:
1. Problem solving ability: possess good cognitive, memory and problem-solving skills, able to think abstractly, have the ability to generalize information from one task to another, have the ability to stay focused on a specific task for one hour, and be able to complete tasks in a timely manner.
2. Communication ability (verbal, written, non-verbal) to convey information accurately and perform the tasks and assessments of the profession, be able to initiate conversation, stay on topic and stay on task, have the ability to pick up on non-verbal cues of patients.
3. Motor capabilities to perform the tasks and assessments of the profession.
4. Sensory capability to perform the tasks and assessments of the profession.
5. Behavioral skills and professionalism.

Rights and Responsibilities
1. Individuals with disabilities have the right to an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from all programs, including employment, offered by the college. Individuals who choose to exercise these rights:
  1. Have a right to reasonable accommodations.
  2. Are responsible for initiating the accommodation process in a timely manner by identifying themselves as needing reasonable modifications to the environment, policy, or practice, and/or needing reasonable auxiliary aids or services.
  3. Are responsible for providing appropriate documentation that describes the current need for an accommodation, any history of past accommodations in a similar context, and the impact of their disability in the college environment in sufficient detail to provide a rationale for the requested accommodation.
  4. Are expected to actively participate in the identification and discussion of reasonable accommodations.
  5. Have the same obligation as non-disabled individuals to meet and maintain the college’s performance standards, essential functions, technical standards, and codes of conduct.
  6. Have the same obligation as non-disabled individuals to meet the clinical requirements set forth by the school’s clinical affiliation agreements to assure patient and student safety, such as, but not limited to immunizations and/or proof of immunity from certain communicable diseases, a physical exam evaluating the individual’s physical and psychological ability to meet the essential job functions or program’s technical performance standards, CPR certification, drug testing, submit to a criminal background check, N95 fit testing, and tuberculosis screening.
  7. Will be evaluated based on their ability to meet the essential elements of their academic program or perform their essential job functions.
  8. Have the right to be informed of procedures for initiating further appeal of or complaint about a college decision.
2. The college has a responsibility to identify and maintain standards that are fundamental to its programs while still ensuring access for qualified individuals with disabilities. In meeting these obligations, the college:
  1. Will identify and establish the abilities, skills, and knowledge necessary for initial and ongoing participation in its programs, including employment, and evaluate individuals on that basis.
  2. Will inform individuals about the availability of accommodations.
  3. May request and review documentation in support of an accommodation request and may refuse a request that is unsupported by appropriate documentation.
  4. May select between equally effective methods of accommodating an individual with a disability.
  5. Will make reasonable modifications to the environment, policy, or practice, and/or provide reasonable auxiliary aids or services.
  6. May refuse a requested accommodation that fundamentally alters an essential element or fundamental aspect of a program, including job responsibilities, or creates an undue hardship for the college.
  7. Will inform the individual of the availability of any appeals or complaint processes.