Students with Disabilities

UMHS attempts to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities and strives to enable students with disabilities to assist themselves in achieving their educational goals and enhancing their leadership development through participation in all facets of campus life. The Office of the Dean of Student Affairs serves as a clearinghouse for all students with disabilities. The Dean of Student Affairs works with disabled students to assess needs and refer them to appropriate resources.

To assist disabled students with study skills, tutoring, and other support services, the Dean of Student Affairs works closely with faculty and students. While many services may be provided to students with disabilities, students requesting special accommodations will be required to provide appropriate documentation of the disability. These accommodations will be confidential, reasonable, and appropriate to the circumstances, allowing equal opportunity for students with disabilities without infringing on the requirements of the medical education program at UMHS. Regardless of any accommodations that may be approved, all students must meet the technical standards delineated in Section 1.0 of the UMHS student handbook.

 

Procedure

1. A student with a disability should communicate with the Dean of Students requesting for accommodation. The Dean of Students will explain the process and policies to the student and direct the student to the Accommodation Officer. The student must then put their request in writing by submitting a completed Disability Accommodations Request Form to the Accommodation Officer. A student may request accommodations at any time prior to or during matriculation. The request form and all supporting documentation need to be submitted at least two weeks prior to the first exam or quiz the student wishes to receive accommodations.

2. The student needs to submit written documentation of their disability from the health care provider to the Accommodation Officer. This documentation submitted should be consistent with the standards set forth for such accommodation by the USMLE (http://www.usmle.org/test-accommodations/guidelines.html) and guidelines listed below. UMHS reserves the right to request additional documentation. 

3. The Accommodation Officer will carefully go through the documents provided by the student and make a recommendation to the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students will then communicate with the student about the reasonable accommodation to be provided, confirming it is appropriate. Documentation provided by the student will be held confidentially by the Accommodation Officer. 

4. In unusual circumstances, temporary or interim accommodations may be recommended by the Accommodation Officer to the Dean of Students for a specific, defined and agreed period of time pending full consideration of the accommodations request. To be eligible for temporary or interim accommodations, the student must first submit the required documentation to justify such action. Failure to provide the required documentation within the agreed time period established by the Dean of Student Affairs will result in the temporary accommodations being withdrawn. 

5. Once accommodations have been approved by the Dean of Student Affairs, the Dean of Student Affairs shall notify the student, the Dean of Basic Sciences and the Chair of the Examination Committee and/or appointed proxy responsible for coordinating logistics for examinations and quizzes. If a student is approved for accommodation on written exams, this is to include approval for Gross Anatomy lab exams as well. Approval for accommodations are not retroactive.

6. If a student believes the initial decision for accommodations needs to be re-evaluated or modified, they should submit a written petition to the Dean of Student Affairs stating such. They are permitted to submit any new or additional supporting documentation justifying a change in the initial decision. The Dean of Student Affairs will then submit a written recommendation to the Dean of Basic Sciences for review and final decision. The student has the right to submit an appeal to the President of University if they believe that the final decision of the re-evaluation/modification petition by the Dean is inappropriate or inadequate based on the documentation submitted or if there was a violation of due process.

7. The student must submit a written statement on whether or not they will accept all or part of the accommodations granted. It is always the student’s choice whether or not to accept any approved accommodations. The student should provide the Dean of Student Affairs with notification in writing if the accommodations are no longer needed.

 

Document Requirements

  1. General Guidelines
    1. A Documentation must be provided by a professional qualified to diagnose in the appropriate area of specialization with supporting evidence of such qualifications and credentials.
    2. Documentation must be on letterhead, typed, dated and have original signature.
    3. Documentation must be based on evaluation and appropriate testing conducted within the past three years to the date of the student formally requests accommodation at UMHS. More recent documentation may be necessary for relapsing-remitting conditions or conditions that can change as a result of time or treatment (e.g., visual, neuromuscular, psychiatric impairments).
    4. Documentation must include a comprehensive report. The comprehensive report of evaluation should contain:
      1. A description of the onset, frequency, intensity, and duration of relevant symptoms as well as the extent to which the symptoms impact your daily functioning across multiple environments (e.g., social, academic, occupational, etc.).
      2. A statement of the presenting problem and background history.
      3. A description of the assessment procedure as well as specific diagnostic tests administered.
      4. A detailed analysis and interpretation of the findings.
      5. Actual results (e.g., scores) of all diagnostic procedures and tests utilized in the evaluation.
      6. If a diagnosis is indicated, the evaluator should describe a professionally recognized diagnosis based on criteria outlined in the most current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD).
      7. A description of the full extent of the individual's functional limitations due to the disability and how it impacts the individual’s access to the examination under standard testing conditions.
      8. A description of the functional impact on physical, perceptual, and cognitive abilities in the context of the specific examination setting and format (e.g., computer-based examination; clinical or performance-based examination) compared to most people in the general population. UMHS reserves the right to determine which tests are acceptable for diagnosis and requires that standardized tests are based on adult norms.
      9. A clear rationale for the recommended accommodations and/or assistive devices.
    5. An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and/or Section 504 Plan can be submitted along with the medical documentation or psychological/neuropsychological evaluation; however, it cannot solely be used for determination of accommodations.
    6. Students should submit letters verifying accommodations received during their previous educational experiences (i.e. high school, college, etc.) as well as accommodation memos for standardized examinations (i.e. SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT). Such supporting documents serve to demonstrate history of accommodation; they are not a substitute for medical documentation in accordance with University documentation guidelines.
    7. Students petitioning for accommodations for clinical skills exams (Physical Diagnosis and Introduction to Clinical Medicine courses) must provide documentation of functional impairment in the clinical setting and a rationale to demonstrate that the requested accommodation is appropriate to the clinical setting and clinical skill-related tasks.
    8. If no prior accommodations have been provided, the qualified professional expert should include a detailed explanation as to why no accommodations were given in the past and why accommodations are needed now.

  2. Documentation guidelines for specific conditions
    1. Documentation for Learning Disorders - Please visit http://www.usmle.org/test- accommodations/guidelines.html#guidelines-learning-disorders to obtain the most recent comprehensive list of required documentation.
    2. Documentation for Attention Deficit Disorder - Please visit http://www.usmle.org/test- accommodations/guidelines.html#guidelines-adhd to obtain the most recent comprehensive list of required documentation
    3. Documentation for Psychiatric Disorders - Please visit http://www.usmle.org/test- accommodations/guidelines.html#guidelines-psych-disorders to obtain the most recent comprehensive list of required documentation
    4. Documentation for physical or a chronic non-psychiatric health conditions must be from a qualified health care professional that provides a specific diagnosis, describes symptoms, demonstrates an impact on a major life activity (i.e. learning, walking, sight), lists recommended educational accommodations, and provides a rationale for each accommodation.

Professional assessment services are not available in St. Kitts and the student will need to procure them in the United States or Canada. The cost of assessment and documentation is the responsibility of the student. Additional information about services for students with disabilities  and required documentation for special accommodations is available from the Dean of Student Affairs Office. Please note that students must apply prior to or within the first two weeks of the semester so that all offices have time to consider the request, review supporting documents and make a decision prior to the first examination period. The student should consult the Dean of Student Affairs regarding the process of applying for accommodations and to discuss any questions or concerns the student may have. Once the documentation has been obtained and the appropriate forms are completed the Dean of Student Affairs will render a decision. No retroactive consideration will be given to students who fail to request or complete the approval process. Students will need to reapply for accommodations when they advance to the Clinical Program in Maine. The application and supporting material should be submitted to the Director of the Maine campus (or their proxy) for a decision. Please be advised that accommodations that were approved and or received during the Basic Science program may not be approved or received during the Clinical Science program.

Please note that while the University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified UMHS medical students, we cannot ensure any student will obtain similar, if any, such accommodations by the United States Medical Licensing Board. The USMLE exams (Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 2 CS) have separate, independent applications for requesting extended time and a student interested in requesting accommodations should communicate directly with the offices of the USMLE/NBME (http://www.usmle.org/test-accommodations/). Students are encouraged to research the United States Medical Licensing Board requirements and all corresponding state licensing law for accommodations consideration and learn of the rulings in cases that may be similar to their own.