The issue of academic accommodations and accommodations for
students with disabilities in clinical settings is getting a lot of
attention. There are a few resources available to assist
colleges in their decision-making and there is an ongoing effort to
gather more.
Well-written technical standards, essential components help in
advising students with disabilities
If you do not regularly take time to review the technical
standards and essential requirements of the programs or courses
your students are attempting, you may want to start. That's a way
for students to understand what will be required of them up front,
and whether they will be able to succeed academically.
Unfortunately, sometimes administrators and faculty haven't created
written technical standards and essential requirements for the
programs and courses they offer. "In the worst cases, skills or
standards are present but are written in a way that is clearly
discriminatory." In such cases, it's vital that you reach out
to the appropriate administrators or faculty members to talk about
what students must be able to accomplish - with or without
accommodations. This may involve collaborating to look closely at
course syllabi. Finally, encourage administrators across your
entire campus to create written documents explaining the
requirements of each of their programs and classes, if they have
not already done so. Then have those handy when students come in to
talk to you about attempting those programs or classes. DCHE Vol.
17 Issue 9
"OCR encourages post-secondary institutions to engage in a
conscientious and diligent process with students in determining
which academic adjustments are appropriate and do not fundamentally
alter course requirements. When a specific adjustment requested by
a student cannot be implemented due to the nature of the clinical
setting or due to legal regulations applicable to that setting, a
college must explore whether there are other effective options for
accommodating the student". OCR, 2010.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing; NCLEX
Candidate FAQs How does a candidate with special needs
request testing accommodations? A candidate must contact
their board of nursing for instructions on how to apply for
accommodations and what documentation is required. A candidate may
receive testing accommodations if they provide documentation from
an appropriate medical professional to support their request. This
documentation must include a diagnosis included in the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM). Among the accommodations available are additional
testing time, separate room and/or assistive personnel (i.e.,
reader).
Links
| Beyond the Usual Accommodations: Supporting College Students with Disabilities in Clinical Settings |
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Beyond the Usual Accommodations is the DS provider's go-to guide
whenever a student with disabilities wants to enroll in a program
with clinical components. From determining a student's admission,
to providing accommodations, to applying program standards, you get
guidance to make decisions that comply with the law, while offering
opportunities to qualified students. Support students effectively
by adapting proven strategies to: Collaborate with academic
officials to pinpoint programs' essential requirements; Work with
site supervisors who are prejudiced against students with
disabilities; Balance students' privacy rights with site officials'
need for information; Ensure that students aren't a threat to
themselves or others in a clinical setting; And, explanations of
ADA and Section 504 requirements plus commentary on OCR letters
makes it easy to convince campus leaders of your institution's duty
to students with disabilities - and head off lawsuits and OCR
investigations. $27.95 plus s/h.
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| Exceptional Nurse website |
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ExceptionalNurse.com is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3
resource network committed to inclusion of more people with
disabilities in the nursing profession. By sharing information and
resources, ExceptionalNurse.com hopes to facilitate inclusion of
students with disabilities in nursing education programs and foster
resilience and continued practice for nurses who are, or become,
disabled. This web site is maintained by Donna Maheady, Ed.D.,
ARNP, an advocate for nurses and nursing students with
disabilities.
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| Accommodating Nurses with Disabilities |
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Job Accommodation Network
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| DO-IT Resources for nursing students with disabilities |
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DO-IT University of Washington
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| Hospital May Require Disabled Nurse Satisfy Performance Standards Without Violating ADA |
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A hospital can require a disabled nurse to satisfy the same high
performance standards that apply to nurses generally, the U.S.
District Court for the Western District of Michigan held in
Harrison v Spectrum Health. While a hospital,
like other employers, must provide reasonable accommodations to
enable employees with disabilities to perform essential job
functions, lowering job standards as an "extraordinary
accommodation" is not required by the ADA. Go to link for full text
of this case.
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| Pepnet2 FAQ clinical accommodations |
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