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Posted on June 8, 2008
In February 2008, the Office of Civil Rights ruled that a community college discriminated against a respiratory therapy student by not providing acc-ommodations for the student's disability during his required clinical rotations.1 Most readers are likely amazed that this could occur nearly 18 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law and 34 years after the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. However, this recent event reminds us to consider how we are implementing accommodations during fieldwork.
In 2007, a session at the Job Accommodation Network's annual conference covered college students' transitions to employment. One resource shared at the session was a paper addressing ADA compliance issues and resources for students with disabilities doing clinical rotations, compiled by the Virginia Commonwealth University to clarify facts and create solutions for clinical educators to comply with the ADA.2Let's consider several topics from this resource that are beneficial for readers as basic issues related to fieldwork education.
First, the legal ruling above reinforces that the academic campus is responsible for providing accommodations for students with disabilities during fieldwork. Many campuses require an outside expert to recommend reasonable accommodations. Since many of these relate to typical classroom and laboratory activities, the university or college may require that an expert be re-engaged to suggest accommodations for fieldwork.
In some cases, campuses can solicit help with some reasonable accommodations through the state department of vocational rehabilitation, as assistive technology needs are related to future employability. However, the review by this organization should begin long before the student begins placements, as the approval process can be lengthy, especially if the student is not already an approved recipient/case. Campuses can contract with the fieldwork site to provide accommodations as well.
Second, reasonable accommodations during fieldwork are necessary so that the -student can perform essential functions of the job or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment equal to those enjoyed by other employees. Accommodations offer students with disabilities an equal chance to succeed or fail in their fieldwork experience on the merit of their own performance.
Most schools do not realize that they also may need to support general employee accommodations. For instance, if employees have a health and wellness program, then the school may have to consider accommodations for the student to access this employee privilege.
From classroom, laboratory and clinical simulation exercises on campus, most faculty and the student will know the requisite accommodations a student will need to be successful. However, most universities or colleges don't think of providing these supports off-campus until a student is ready for fieldwork.
Two accommodation resources are very beneficial in providing suggestions for accommodations to problem-solve general employment issues for individuals with disabilities:
While the accommodations process is interactive initially between the campus and student, eventually the fieldwork site needs to be engaged. A student must be placed first, and then accommodations planned for essential fieldwork/job expectations-not the other way around. Certainly, with the student's permission, the fieldwork educator should be engaged in accommodations discussions as soon as possible.
This leads to the third suggestion in preparing for a fieldwork student with a disability. If a student is unclear how his fieldwork performance might be affected by his disability, a joint meeting should occur between the fieldwork educator, the fieldwork coordinator, the campus and fieldwork site disability accommodation resource centers, and the student to explore potential accommodation options. During this meeting, the focus will be on the essential functions of the student during fieldwork. Does the student already know potential beneficial accommodations? How will or can these be provided?
The next column will discuss the important disclosure process. When, what and how should a fieldwork student with a disability consider disclosing his disability to his fieldwork educator? Second, what are the best practices in which a fieldwork educator can engage to accommodate the fieldwork student with a disability?
Food for thought: Nearly 20 years ago, we dealt with a large number of students coming to fieldwork with significant learning disabilities, and we adapted. The current rapid rise in the diagnosis of autism and related disorders will bring students with special needs to colleges in larger numbers. What accommodations will we need to offer on campus and during fieldwork?
References available at www.advanceweb.com/OT or upon request.
Patricia Crist, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, is chair of the OT department at John G. Rangos School of Health Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA. She has been a fieldwork coordinator for more than 18 years. Readers may contact Dr. Crist by e-mail at crist@duq.edu or at otedit@merion.com.
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