Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Background

The Mount Carmel College of Nursing is respectful of students’ rights and responsibilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) as amended by the ADA Amendment Act of 2008 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. These laws require that no qualified person with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity which receives or benefits from Federal assistance.  In addition, the Fair Housing Act requires reasonable, housing-related accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

The Mount Carmel College of Nursing is committed to serving qualified students with disabilities in its programs and services. Any qualified student with a disability may request an accommodation to ensure that the academic program does not discriminate against or have the effect of discriminating against that student. 

Since the nature and severity of disabilities vary, non-academic adjustments may be applicable only when they are appropriate to the needs of the individual student with a disability. To determine eligibility for accommodations, the College generally requires current and relevant documentation from a qualified professional with expertise in the area of the diagnosed disability/disorder that establishes a disability and its impact on the student and confirms the need for each accommodation requested. 

Scope of this Policy

This policy applies to both academic and non-academic accommodations, including but not limited to, requests for accommodations with required community service activities and coursework/clinicals.

Definitions

Accommodations

• Accommodations (also sometimes called adjustments) are modifications of policies, practices, or procedures that will allow the student with a disability/disorder to meet the requirements of the course or program.  Examples of available accommodations may include, but are not necessarily limited to, auxiliary aids and modifications to courses, programs, services, activities, or facilities.  

• The College will take all steps necessary to ensure that its students are not excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in any program or activity because of a lack of auxiliary aids and services for students with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills. The College, however, cannot honor requests for accommodations that would fundamentally alter its programs or services, are directly related to any licensing requirements, cause undue administrative or financial hardship on the College, or jeopardize the health or safety of others.

• It is the responsibility of the student to make his or her disability status and/or need for an accommodation known to the College, following the process outlined below.  Once notified, the College will work with the student to identify potential accommodations and assess the practicality and effectiveness of each potential accommodation.

• Determinations regarding accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.  An accommodation must be tailored to address the nature of the disability and the needs of the individual within the context of the requirements of the program.  If there are two or more possible accommodations, and one costs more or is more burdensome than the other, the College may choose the less expensive or less burdensome accommodation that is still effective.

Disability

• Generally, a person with a disability is one who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.  Major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.

Admission of Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities may apply to and are considered for admission to the College in the same manner as any other applicant.  Students must meet the same admission requirements and Functional Abilities and Performance Standards, with or without reasonable accommodations, as all other students.   

No student (or prospective student) is required by law to disclose a disability before or after admission to the College. However, disclosure and documentation of a disability is required if accommodations (academic or non-academic) are requested.

Students (and prospective students) are encouraged to review the Functional Abilities and Performance Standards that are essential for the safe practice of professional nursing and for successful participation in and completion of a nursing education program. Students will need to demonstrate satisfactory application of these functional abilities and performance standards, with or without reasonable, during their course of study in nursing. The Functional Abilities and Performance Standards can be found in the College’s Catalog-Handbook.

Service Animals

Mount Carmel College of Nursing permits the limited presence of Service Animals which perform tasks in support of persons with disabilities in college buildings and classrooms but may not be appropriate for a health care setting. Federal regulations define Service Animals as dogs. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Only the following two questions may be asked to determine if an animal is a service animal, as federally defined:

1. Is the animal required because of a disability? (if the disability is not obvious) and 

2. What work or task has the service animal been trained to do? There are no requirements to register service animals with the college, but students are encouraged to notify the Student Accessibility Coordinator of the regular presence of a service animal so the Coordinator can provide support and education to other members of the campus community.

Handler Responsibilities 

The handlers/owners of Service Animals are obligated to comply with any applicable laws related to animal licensing, vaccination, and identification. Handlers must keep animals under their control at all times and are responsible to adequately care for, clean up after, and maintain the health of their animal. Handlers are responsible for any and all damage to physical facilities caused by their animal. Handlers assume all liability for the action of their animals, including injuries to other persons or damage of others’ personal property. 

Limitations 

Service Animals may not be permitted when the animal poses a substantial and direct threat to the health or safety of others, or if the presence of the animal fundamentally alters the nature of the program or service in which the person with a disability is participating. Determinations of this kind are made on a case-by-case basis by the College’s Student Accessibility Coordinator. Any service animal permitted by the college can have its status revoked if the college feels that it has become a problem or nuisance.

Procedures

• The Student Accessibility Coordinator (the “Coordinator”) has been designated to handle inquiries into academic* and non-academic accommodations. A student requesting accommodations under this policy must notify the Coordinator as soon as possible after the need for an accommodation becomes apparent. The student should schedule a meeting with the Coordinator to discuss his or her needs and requested accommodations. 

  • Contact information: Student Accessibility Coordinator, Mount Carmel College of Nursing, 127 S. Davis Ave., Columbus, OH 43222, Phone: 614-234-4393 or accessibility@mccn.edu.

• To support most accommodation requests, students are required to provide current (generally no more than three years old) documentation of the disability to the Coordinator. This documentation must be from a professional who has undergone appropriate and comprehensive training, has relevant experience and licensure appropriate to the profession (such as a licensed psychologist, physician, or nurse practitioner). The documentation should describe the nature of the disability, the extent to which the disability limits one or more major life activities, and the suggested accommodation(s). If the student had a documented disability in high school and received IEP/504 accommodations, the paperwork may also be submitted for consideration of accommodations. The Coordinator will provide application and approval forms to standardize the documentation process.

• Upon submission of required documentation, the Coordinator will engage in an individualized, interactive process with the student to determine possible accommodations. 

  • For academic accommodations: Coordinator will review the documentation. If necessary, the Coordinator will discuss any alternative accommodations with the student and the Faculty Program Leader or Dean of Nursing and Allied Health.

  • The determination as to whether a requested accommodation will be granted lies with the Coordinator. In some situations, a temporary plan may be developed and implemented by the Coordinator, upon notification to the appropriate College leader, where additional time is required for diagnostic evaluation.  A minimum of 2 business days is required to implement the accommodations. A copy of the official documentation will be maintained in the student’s file by the Coordinator.

• The Coordinator will then notify the student of the determination.  If an accommodation is granted, the Coordinator will send out an accommodation form via email setting forth the accommodations for the student. This form is sent to their faculty each semester and staff in support of implementing the accommodation. If needed, the instructor and Coordinator will collaborate to plan and implement an academic accommodation.

• If a student feels that his or her accommodations are not being met, he/she must notify the Coordinator immediately.  

• If a student has been granted an accommodation and chooses not to use the accommodation(s), the student is required to notify the Coordinator in writing that the student will not be utilizing the accommodations.

• Students are not obligated to use approved accommodations if they feel they do not need them.

• It is the responsibility of the student to request the use of academic accommodations in each specific course as needed in a reasonable and timely manner. The implementation of approved accommodations is a shared responsibility between the instructor and the student. To ensure that testing accommodations can be coordinated, students must give 48 hours advance notice that they plan on using any testing accommodations.  Student Accessibility Services suggests that all details (e.g., exam length, start times, format changes, locations) be decided as early as possible and recorded in writing.

Grievance Procedure

If the student’s request for an accommodation is denied or the student is dissatisfied with the accommodation being provided, the College encourages the student to engage in an informal dialog with the Coordinator in an attempt to resolve the issue.   If a matter cannot be resolved informally or if the student prefers to file a formal grievance, a written grievance must be submitted to the Director of Compliance. The informal resolution process is strictly voluntary and is not a prerequisite to filing a formal grievance. The student may file a formal grievance by following the instructions in the grievance policy.

A student is not required to file a grievance with the College prior to pursuing any federal or state administrative remedy. 

Discrimination Based on Disability

If you believe you have been discriminated against or harassed due to a disability you should contact the Coordinator who will assist you in making a complaint under the College’s Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy.

Retaliation

The College prohibits retaliation against anyone who files a grievance under this policy or otherwise complains that he or she has been denied equal access in the form of appropriate accommodations, modifications, auxiliary aids or effective communication. This prohibition of retaliation similarly extends to anyone who has testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation, proceeding or hearing related to a grievance or complaint under this policy.

Student Privacy

Except where necessary to further the purpose of this policy or where otherwise permitted by law, documentation of a student’s disability will be kept confidential and will not be shared with other administrators or faculty members without the student’s consent, in accordance with federal educational privacy regulations. Any request by a student to review the documents associated with his or her request for an accommodation or grievance under this policy should be submitted to the Coordinator.

* The Ohio Board of Nursing governs requests for accommodations by an applicant for the NCLEX-RN ® Examination.  The Board has promulgated a policy explaining the requirements for applying for testing accommodations, which is available on the Ohio Board of Nursing website. Students are encouraged to review these requirements, including the requirement for a letter for the nursing education program demonstrating that accommodations were in place during the nursing education program.