Students with Disabilities Information

Commitment of the School of Nursing
The OHSU School of Nursing is committed to providing equal access to qualified students who experience a disability in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) of 1990. An equal opportunity means an opportunity to attain the same level of performance or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges as are available to similarly-situated individuals without disabilities.
OHSU is obliged to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified students with disabilities, which may include academic adjustments, auxiliary aids and/or program modifications.  Accommodations that fundamentally alter the nature of the academic program, could jeopardize the health and safety of others, or cause an undue burden to the program are not considered reasonable accommodations.

Eligibility
To be eligible for disability-related services, individuals must have a documented disability as defined by section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Eligible disabilities include physical and mental impairments that may include but are not limited to vision, hearing, mobility, learning, systemic, psychiatric, and brain injury that substantially limit one or more major life activity. Many students have “hidden” disabilities covered by the ADA such as learning, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and arthritis.
Admissions decisions, evaluation of performance, course examinations and other measures of achievement will be conducted with appropriate accommodations or modifications to ensure that the decision and evaluation reflects the student’s merit and achievement rather than reflecting the impact of a disability.  A qualified individual with a disability is a person with a disability who meets the academic and technical standards requisite to
admission or participation in a particular educational program or activity.

It is the student’s responsibility to inform the university that an accommodation is needed. OHSU will make reasonable effort to provide accommodations that are effective for the student. Students are asked to make requests for accommodations in a timely manner, typically six weeks in advance of when an accommodation is needed, to ensure appropriate provision of accommodations.

Student Disclosure of Their Disability is Strongly Encouraged
Students who experience a disability are strongly encouraged to inform the Coordinator for Student Access and/or the Program Accommodation Liaison (PAL) at their campus. The PAL will assist you in obtaining the assistance and accommodations that you need because of your disability. The PAL acts as an “in-house” resource for students and faculty concerning access issues for students with disabilities.  The PAL works in collaboration with the Office for Student Access to implement recommended accommodations.  Please review the OHSU Student Access web site: http://www.ohsu.edu/academic/acad/osahome.html

OHSU Student Access
Sue Orchard, Psy.D.
Coordinator for Student Access
Center for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, L601
Oregon Health & Science University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Portland, OR 97239
Ph: 503-494-5657
Fax: 503-494-4916
Email: orchards@ohsu.edu
Web site: http://www.ohsu.edu/academic/acad/osahome.html
Student Access Handbook

Faculty and Staff
Any employee who has a physical or mental disability, which impairs that individual’s ability to perform his/her job, may contact AAEO to request a reasonable accommodation. AAEO implements a process to determine whether employees, students and patients are qualified for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and if so, AAEO assesses what reasonable accommodations are available to assist the individual.
In regards to Religious Accommodations AAEO will review request for employee and student accommodations for religious beliefs in a manner that is consistent with state and federal law.
Affirmative Action Office

Religious Accommodations
AAEO will review request for employee and student accommodations for religious beliefs in a manner that is consistent with state and federal law. Please visit the Reasonable Accommodation Requests Web site or contact AAEO for an assessment.

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