VCOM Institutional Policy and Procedure Manual

VCOM Policy and Procedure

Policy #S012

Technical Requirements for Admission and Successful Completion of the Osteopathic Program and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Policy Page 12 of 16 Applications for accommodations are not considered retroactively. Students who must remediate a course or who are suspended or dismissed for failure in the curriculum or who are failing a course during a block/rotation in progress may not claim failure due to disability that has not been previously identified, documented, or considered by the Section 504 Committee. 3.2 Assistance for Matriculated Students with Disabilities The process for determining eligibility and arranging accommodations is lengthy; therefore, whenever the student knows in advance of a need for accommodations, he or she should begin the process as soon as possible. Students are requested to notify VCOM of any disability that is diagnosed after admission immediately so that a request for accommodations may be made as early as possible. VCOM students have the obligation to self-identify if they believe that they do not meet the technical standards. Students who fail in the curriculum or who are suspended or dismissed may not claim failure due to disability not previously identified prior to the failures or for one that is in the process of evaluation. For this reason, students MUST request reasonable accommodations prior to any curricular failure for the condition to be considered as a part of reason for academic failure. Students who believe they may need accommodations should contact the Director for Student and Institutional Academic Success, who also serves as the Section 504 Campus Coordinator, to request the Section 504 Request for Eligibility Form. Students requesting accommodations for a disability will be required to submit appropriate supporting documentation and may be required to undergo additional evaluation prior to VCOM considering their request. Obtaining and providing proper documentation is the student’s responsibility and all evaluations will be at the student’s expense. Students who are seeking accommodations must submit documentation showing evidence of the disability, the degree to which the student’s activities are affected (functional limitation), and the need for the specific accommodations requested. The purpose of the documentation is to determine eligibility for academic accommodation(s) and the type of accommodation(s) VCOM can reasonably provide. A student requesting accommodations must submit the following: • Section 504 Request for Eligibility Form – This form is completed in full by the student and can be obtained from the Director for Student and Institutional Academic Success, who also serves as the Section 504 Campus Coordinator for Students. • Documentation of the Disability, Functional Limitation, and Recommended Accommodations - Because disabilities change over time, medical, psychiatric, or educational testing should be no more than three years old. Also, because the provision of reasonable accommodations is based upon an assessment of the disability on current medical school academic programs, recent documentation and appropriate evaluations are required. Obtaining proper documentation is the student’s