Services for Students with Disabilities

Contact Chantonette Lyles in the Office of Student Services at (973) 972-8594 for more information.

To ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (P.L. 101-336); Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (especially section 504) and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination; the UMDNJ-School of Health Related Professions is committed to providing students with disabilities reasonable accommodations necessary to fulfill the essential functions of their educational program. The Office of Student Services is responsible for the oversight and implementation of services and accommodations related to students with disabilities.

Essential Functions: Students are required to fulfill the Essential Functions of the Program, with or without reasonable accommodations. Please review both School-wide Essential Functions and Program-specific Essential Functions.

Procedures for Applicants and Students who request accommodations for disabilities

1. Applicants and students who wish to request accommodations for one or more disabilities must request the accommodation(s) in writing to the Disabilities Compliance Coordinator (DCC). Please print out and complete the intake form and present to the Disabilities Compliance Coordinator with documentation of disability. Disability Accommodations Request Form

Students may request accommodations at any time during the academic year. The request must:

• specify the disability and the type of accommodation(s) being sought
• be accompanied by documentation of the disability by a clinical or educational psychologist, neuropsychologist, certified learning disabilities specialist, psychiatrist, medical doctor with training in administering learning disability assessments or social worker. The health care professional diagnosing the disability shall not be a family member or person with a close personal relationship with the student/applicant being evaluated.
• be presented on practice/company letterhead which includes healthcare professionals name, title and professional credentials. The documentation must be signed and dated.
• have documentation that includes recommendations for accommodation(s)
  and be current with in the past three years

Students who wish to seek evaluation for a perceived disability are responsible for obtaining a professional evaluation and must obtain the information outlined above when requesting the accommodation.

Recommendations from the health care professional should:

• clearly describe the nature of the disability and recommended
  accommodation(s).
• provide possible alternatives to the recommended accommodation(s).
• include a description of any accommodation(s) previously utilized at the
  post secondary educational level.

2. The Disabilities Compliance Coordinator (DCC) will review the request for
compliance with the above criteria and evaluate the supporting documentation
and/or obtain other expert review to make sure that it:

• was generated by an appropriately trained professional
• clearly establishes the presence of a disability
• states that the disability significantly limits one or more major
  life functions and requires accommodation.
• contains adequate information to support the requested accommodation(s).

The DCC will consult with SHRP administration, the UMDNJ-Office
of Affirmative Action and /or the Office of Legal Management for assistance, at
any time during the review process as deemed necessary.

Whenever requests for accommodations are due to learning disabilities, the DCC
will consult other experts in the field of learning psychology/cognitive skills to
review and evaluate supportive documentation.

If further information is needed, the applicant or student will be notified and be
required to supply any missing information to the DCC in a timely manner.

3. When the request and supporting documentations are in order , and the presence of a disability is validated; the DCC will inform the Program Director or his/her faculty designee regarding the need to discuss accommodations for the applicant or student.

4. The requested accommodation and its implementation will be discussed and
evaluated, as expeditiously as possible, by the Program Director, or his/her
faculty designee, or other appropriate institutional personnel and the DCC to
determine if:

• the applicant/student is otherwise qualified to complete the academic.
  program based on the specific essential functions / technical standards.
• the accommodation will substantially alter the intended nature or purpose
  of the academic program.
• the accommodation will cause a health and/or safety risk to him/herself
  or others
• the accommodation will create a significant undue hardship on the School/
  University.

5. If the presence of a disability is validated but the requested accommodations are deemed unreasonable, or will cause undue hardship on the program, the
Program Director, or faculty designee and the DCC will continue the interactive process with the student to develop feasible solutions.

If during the deliberation process to reach alternative accommodations, issues arise that cannot be resolved by the Program Director, or faculty designee, the student/applicant and the DCC; the DCC shall refer the request to the SHRP- Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research. The Associate Dean may consult the Dean, the Office of Legal Management, the UMDNJ-Office of Affirmative Action or other institutional personnel to discuss and resolve the disposition of the request.

6. Once reasonable accommodations have been established and agreed upon, the student/applicant will receive a letter from the DCC stating the accommodations and the method (s) of implementation. A copy of the letter will be sent to the Program Director and/or clinical instructor.

7. If a student is denied an accommodation, he/she has the right to appeal the
decision of the school, preferable within 30 days by contacting the UMDNJ-Office of Affirmative Action/EEO (973-972-4855) in accordance with the Individuals with Handicaps / Disabilities Policy (00-01-35-40:00).

8. Continued accommodations for the following academic year must be requested
by the student in writing and in a timely manner. However, revisions to the approved accommodations can be requested at any time if deemed necessary by the student or Program Director. If the original documentation of the disability does not support the revised request, the student must provide additional documentation from a health care professional as described in #1 above. If revisions to the initial accommodations are approved by the Program Director or his/her faculty designee, the DCC and/or other institutional resources, the student shall be provided a revised letter of accommodations.

9. All written communications are confidential. Requests for accommodations and related documentation will be maintained by the DCC and filed separately from the student’s academic file.

Exhibit A

Who is protected under Section 504 and the ADA?

The US Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Civil Rights, state that Section 504 and the ADA protect qualified individuals with disabilities. An individual with a disability is a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; has a record of such an impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment. Major life activities means functions such as caring for one’s self, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working. Under Section 504 and the ADA, a person is a qualified individual with a disability if he or she meets the essential requirements for receipt of services or benefits, or participation in the programs or activities of a covered entity. The question of whether a particular condition is a disability within the meaning of Section 504 and the ADA is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Definitions under The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, P. L. 101-336

“Disability”- An individual is disabled if he or she (1) has a physical mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the individual’s major life activities; or (2) has a record of such an impairment; or (3) is regarded as having such an impairment. The current illegal use of drugs is not a “disability” under the ADA. (“Illegal use of drugs” means (1) the use of drugs, the possession or distribution of which is unlawful under the Controlled Substances Act-21 U.S.C.812, or (2) the illegal use of prescription drugs.)

“Physical or mental impairment”- any physiologic disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement or anatomic loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurologic, musculoskeletal, special sense orgasm, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genitourinary, hemic and lymphatic, skin and endocrine; any mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities. The existence of an impairment must be determined without regard to corrective or mitigating measures such as medicines, “auxiliary aids and services” or prosthetic devices.

“Auxiliary aids and services”- include (1) qualified interpreters or other effective methods of making aurally delivered materials available to individuals with hearing impairments; (2) qualified readers, taped texts or other effective methods of making visually delivered materials available to individuals with visual impairments; (3) acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; and (4) other similar services and actions.

“Substantially limits (one or more major life activities)”- renders the individual unable to perform or significantly restricts the condition, manner or duration under which he or she can perform a major life activity in comparison to most people.

“Major life activities”- include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, sitting, lifting, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, working, reading, and learning.

“Record of impairment”- a history of or having been misclassified or misdiagnosed as having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, regardless of whether the individual currently has such an impairment.

“Regarded as having such an impairment”- includes individuals who have physical or mental impairments that do not substantially limit major life activities but who are treated as if they had such limitations; includes individuals who have physical or mental impairment; includes limit major life activities only as a result of the attitudes of others toward the impairment. Includes individuals with no physical or mental impairment but who are treated as having such impairments.

'Otherwise qualified individual with a disability” – one who satisfies the requisite skills, experience, education, and other related requirements of the educational program and can perform the essential functions of the educational program with or without reasonable accommodation and does not pose a direct threat of significant harm to the health or safety of others which cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation.

“Reasonable accommodation”- modifications or adjustments to the educational program, process or environment, including use of auxiliary aids and services, to enable a qualified individual with a disability to have an educational opportunity equal to that of students or applicants without disabilities.

“Undue hardship”- an accommodation requiring significant difficulty or expense, i.e., that is excessively costly (in relation to the total available institutional resources), extensive, substantial or disruptive, or that would fundamentally alter the nature of the educational program or its essential functions or lower academic standards.

“Direct threat”- a significant risk to the health or safety of others that cannot be eliminated by modifications of policies, practices or procedures, or by the provision of auxiliary aids or services (reasonable accommodations) that would allow the performance of essential functions.

“Essential functions”- technical standards of curriculum-academic and non-academic requirements essential for the successful completion of all stages of the curriculum, including physical, cognitive and behavioral (technical) standards.