Disability Services

Bryan College of Health Sciences is committed to providing reasonable and equal educational access for all persons regardless of disability. Bryan College of Health Sciences does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs or employment based on an individual’s disability. The College is committed to ensuring that no qualified person with a disability will be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity sponsored by the College.

With respect to students with disabilities, the College complies with all applicable federal regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 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 that receives Federal assistance. Bryan College of Health Sciences is committed to meeting these requirements through its anti-discrimination policies and by providing reasonable accommodations that afford an equal educational opportunity for qualified students with disabilities. We believe that the review and implementation of academic accommodations is a shared responsibility between the student, administration, faculty and staff.

Disability Services Goals

1. Ensure reasonable accommodations and support services
2. Empower students with disabilities toward self-advocacy
3. Provide training and support to faculty and staff regarding the needs of students with disabilities.

Key Definitions

A disability is defined as any condition 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.

Academic accommodations are adjustments or modifications to clinical requirements, coursework, course requirements, and program requirements that allows students with disabilities to accomplish the fundamental and essential components of a course of study.

The College will take necessary and reasonable steps to implement needed accommodations but cannot honor requests that would fundamentally alter its programs or services or the core learning objectives of any course. Regardless of any approved accommodations, students are expected to complete all fundamental and essential academic requirements.

Students wishing to disclose their disability for purposes of requesting an accommodation are required to register with the College’s Disability Services Department and work with the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator to review requests for reasonable accommodations. The following procedures have been established to facilitate this process:

Disability Services Student Registration Process:

1. The student is asked to complete the Request for Accommodation Form.  Additional documentation may be requested, including, but not limited to, the following: educational records, letters from educators, diagnostic reports, letters from health care providers, records of past accommodations, letters or records from local, state or federal agencies, and/or VA records. The Request for Accommodation Form can be obtained from the College Website, the College Learning Management System, or from the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator.
2. The student is required to meet with the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator to fully review the reported disability and requested accommodations. All academic accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis. The Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator will determine the scope of any necessary accommodations and if the requested accommodations are reasonable, based on the facts and circumstances of each specific request.
3. The Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator may collaborate, as necessary, with course faculty and others to ensure that requested or recommended accommodations will not fundamentally alter the course requirements or the learning experiences of other students.
4. The Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator may collaborate with program leadership to ensure the proposed accommodations are administratively and financially supportable.
5. The Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator will communicate approved accommodations to the course faculty.
6. The Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator will strive to communicate approved accommodations to the student within one week of the meeting. Certain circumstances or requests may take longer and students will be notified of this occurrence.  Requests are not retroactive; therefore, students are encouraged to promptly submit any required information to the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator to ensure that approved accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.  Some accommodations, such as a change in clinical site or the need for specialized equipment, require additional time to arrange. In these cases, the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator should be notified 2-4 weeks in advance. This will attempt to allow sufficient time to coordinate and implement approved accommodations.
7. Bryan College of Health Sciences students are encouraged to practice self-advocacy and review approved accommodations with faculty members.

Returning Students

1. Returning students will need to fill out a Request for Accommodations form at the start of each semester.
2. Returning students are encouraged to meet with Disability Services at the beginning of each semester if they have any questions or concerns about how their accommodations will work in their new courses, and if changes are needed a meeting may be required. Students should report and discuss any matters related to previously approved accommodations and report the need for revised or new accommodations.
3. The Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator may collaborate, as necessary, with course faculty and others to ensure that requested or recommended accommodations will not fundamentally alter the course requirements or the learning experiences of other students.
4. Bryan College of Health Sciences students are encouraged to practice self-advocacy and speak with faculty members regarding approved accommodations.
5. The Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator will communicate approved accommodations to the course faculty.

Disability Appeal/Grievance Policy and Procedure

The Disability Appeal/Grievance Policy & Procedures is available to students who believe they have been denied equal access to educational opportunities at the College due to their disability.

Purpose

The Disability Appeal/Grievance Policy & Procedure seeks to ensure the successful resolution of any concerns, disagreements, or complaints affecting a student registered with Disability Services by:

1. Encouraging students to address their concern directly with the person or department with whom they have a concern and attempt to find a resolution directly, through open and informal communication.
2. Provide a detailed policy and procedure for achieving resolution.
3. Offer a consistent approach to resolving disability-related appeals/grievances.

Procedure

A student registered with Disability Services who believes that they have been denied equal educational access under this Policy, or that established academic accommodations are not being followed, is encouraged to utilize the Disability Appeal/Grievance Procedure. The following steps have been established to facilitate the resolution of any complaint or concern:

4. Independent Resolution: Students should first attempt to informally resolve concerns by addressing the matter with the appropriate faculty, staff, administrator, or student with whom there is a concern. When all parties have an opportunity to share their concerns there is a higher likelihood that the matter can satisfactorily be resolved, Students are encouraged to ask for assistance from the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator during this process.
5. Reporting a Complaint/Concern: If the situation remains unresolved after informal attempts, or the student is not comfortable with Step 1, the student should report their complaint/concern, in writing, to the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator. If the complaint/concern involves Disability Services or the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator, the student should contact the Dean of Students. Concerns must be reported within 30 days of the alleged incident or situation or when an independent resolution cannot be achieved. Upon receiving the report, the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator will meet with the student to review the matter. To facilitate review, students are welcome to bring one support person to the meeting, however, the support person may not participate in the grievance process and the student is responsible for personally presenting their complaint/concern, unless, due to the student’s disability he or she cannot effectively participate. The Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator r shall have sole discretion in determining to what extent a student may be assisted during this meeting.
6. Informal Resolution: After reviewing the complaint/concern with the reporting student, the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator r may meet, individually or jointly, with all other relevant parties with the goal of seeking a mutually agreed upon resolution that preserves and protects the reporting student’s right to equal access while also maintaining the College’s commitment to academic standards of excellence. Every effort will be made to resolve the issue within seven working days of the initial report.
7. Formal Resolution Process:  If the complaint/concern remains unresolved, the matter will be referred by the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator,  to the Dean of Students, or the President of the College in his or her absence, whose role is to formally review and resolve any disability-related complaints/concerns that have not been resolved through other methods. The process is as follows:
   1. Submit a Formal Complaint: The reporting student must submit a formal, written appeal/complaint to the Dean of Students and/or President of the College within 15 days after the end of the Informal Resolution process. If applicable, students may submit any relevant documentation with the grievance report. All documentation should contain the reporting student’s name. 
   2. Notification of Outcome: The Dean of Students will review the formal, written complaint/concern and any attached documentation, and if necessary, contact the involved parties for points of clarification or additional information. All parties will receive written notification outlining the decision of the case within 10 days after submission of the formal complaint. The Dean of Students, if deemed necessary may extend the response deadline. The decision of the Dean of Students is final and the student shall have no further right to appeal the matter under this policy.
8. No Retaliation: It is unlawful and against College policy for anyone to retaliate against any student, or prospective student, for raising concerns related to their disability or who has filed a complaint of discrimination, or any person who has cooperated in the investigation of such a complaint, or who alleges discriminatory educational practice.
9. Confidentiality: All documentation and information related to the reporting student will be kept confidential and will not be released without the student’s consent, in accordance with Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), or as required by law. Exceptions may be made when documentation and information is needed to review any reported disability or request for accommodation, or any formal claim of discrimination.
10. Student Rights: Although the goal is to resolve any disability-related matter through the process outlined in this policy, the student has the right to file a discrimination or disability-related complaint with the following federal agencies:
    1. The Disability Rights Section of the US Department of Justice (www.justice.gov)
    2. The US Office of Civil Rights (https://www.ed.gov)
11. Scope of Policy: The procedures set forth in this policy are limited to addressing matters related to academic accommodations regarding courses or clinical.   If students have other concerns related to their disabilities, other than academic accommodations, they should contact the Academic Support Services Director/ADA Coordinator who will direct the student to the appropriate College department.

Bryan College of Health Sciences developed this information in accordance with these references:

12.  The American with Disabilities Act of 1990
13.  Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

Clinical Accommodation Letters

Purpose

In order to facilitate the provision of granted accommodations for a student with a documented disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) who is participating in a clinical experience as a part of a course, the ADA Coordinator will create a Clinical Accommodation Letter for a student specifying which accommodations apply to clinical locations and providing any additional information needed to ensure compliance with the ADA.

Recipients

The ADA Coordinator will provide a copy of the Clinical Accommodation Letter to the student and to each core faculty member of courses with clinical components for which the student is registered. Faculty members will forward the Clinical Accommodation Letter to the courses’ clinical faculty members. Additionally, if the student will have a clinical placement where a faculty member is not present, the faculty member will forward the Clinical Accommodation Letter to the individual or individuals on the unit who are best placed to ensure the student’s accommodations are honored while maintaining maximal privacy for the student (e.g. a nurse manager, a clinical resource nurse, the student’s individual preceptor, and/or other clinical leaders who have oversight/training responsibility for the unit in question). Questions about the appropriate recipient of a letter should be directed to the ADA Coordinator.

Content

The Clinical Accommodation Letter will include information about only those accommodations which are relevant to the student’s clinical experiences; accommodations applying solely to classroom or testing settings will not be included. The following information will also be included:

14. That the information in the letter is protected under the Federal Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), and the circumstances under which that information may be disclosed
15. Best practices for responding to a student with accommodations needs
16. What to do if a question or concern about a student’s accommodations arises
17. Contact information for the ADA Coordinator
18. Other information as deemed necessary by the ADA Coordinator

Right to Decline

A student may request that a Clinical Accommodation Letter not be sent to sites when they fill out their Request for Accommodations form. In doing so, the student assumes full responsibility for communicating their own needs to the clinical site, and accepts that their accommodation, or a suitable alternative, may not be available to them at that site.