Disability Services

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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

  • Ensure reasonable accommodations and support services
  • Empower students with disabilities toward self-advocacy
  • 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.