Disability Accommodation Procedures

The purposes of this document are as follows

1. To outline the procedures which students with disabilities, who are applying to the Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) program or who are accepted into the MPT program, are to follow regarding the registration of a disability
2. To outline the process for the provision of accommodation in the admission process as well as the provision of accommodation in the classroom, laboratory and clinical practicum settings

The School of Rehabilitation Science Disability Accommodation Procedures has been developed based on the following two guiding policy documents:

• University of Saskatchewan Academic Accommodation and Access for Students with Disabilities Policy
• School of Rehabilitation Science Disability Accommodation Policy

There are a number of essential skills and attributes associated with the profession of Physical Therapy and the Master of Physical Therapy program at the University of Saskatchewan.  These skills and attributes are outlined in the following School of Rehabilitation Science document:  Essential Skills and Attributes Required for the Study of Physical Therapy at the University of Saskatchewan.

To facilitate the process of disability accommodation, it is essential that individuals with disabilities familiarize themselves with the above mentioned documents. Students who require assistance in interpreting and/or clarifying components of the Essential Skills and Attributes document and/or the School of Rehabilitation Science Disability Accommodation Policy document are welcome to contact the Director of the School of Rehabilitation Science.

Students with disabilities who are concerned about the extent to which they meet the academic and/or technical standards of the MPT admission process and/or program are advised to contact Access and Equity Services (AES) regarding their concerns.  Pre-application advice that is given to students by AES will be confidential and will be conducted independently of the School of Rehabilitation Science.

Students with disabilities are also encouraged to contact the Director of the School of Rehabilitation Science regarding academic and/or technical standards of the MPT admission process and/or program.  Students with disabilities, who do not yet wish to disclose their disability to the School, can contact the Director in an anonymous manner such as via phone (versus in-person meeting).

Selection for admission is based upon academic performance as well as interview performance.  Students with disabilities are encouraged to review the information regarding the Multi Mini Interview (MMI) process on the School of Rehabilitation Science website (MMI fact sheet and MMI sample questions).  Students who have not received disability accommodation in the past are advised to contact AES and/or the Director of the School of Rehabilitation Science.

a. Registration:

Students with disabilities who anticipate the need for accommodation for the admission process must be registered with Access and Equity Services and must have their disability verified and their potential accommodation requirements outlined by AES. 

• Current U of S students register directly with the U of S AES office.
• Past students of the U of S (i.e. graduates with an NSID), must re-register with the U of S AES office.
• Students applying from outside the University of Saskatchewan should consult with the U of S AES office regarding appropriate registration procedure.

b. Accommodation planning:

Given the unique requirements of the MPT program (as outlined in the Essential Skills and Attributes document) as well as the bona fide occupational requirements of the Physical Therapy profession, all applicants of the MPT program who have a documented disability (i.e. registered with AES) and who wish to seek accommodation for the admission process must initiate the development of an accommodation plan.

Upon receipt of a letter from AES verifying their disability, students are to contact AES regarding the development of an accommodation plan related to the admission process.  Once the student with disabilities has requested the development of an accommodation plan, the request will be submitted to the MPT Admissions Disability Accommodation Team by AES.

In the event that a student does not meet the prescribed deadlines (as outlined in the Admission's application form), no accommodation can be provided.  In the event that a student does not request the development of an accommodation plan, no accommodation can be provided. 

A flowchart depicting the process for admissions accommodation is available at the end of the document.

c. MPT Admissions Disability Accommodations :

• Will be determined by the MPT Admissions Committee in consultation with Manager AES (or designate)
• In addition the Admissions Committee will consult with the applicant requesting accommodations and
• Other consultants as needed and
• Student advocate as needed

1. Mandate:

• To determine the feasibility of providing accommodation for the admission process
• To ensure that appropriate individualized accommodation for the admission process is implemented

Disclaimers:

The MPT Admissions Committee will simply assess the feasibility of a student with disabilities partaking in the admission process, given appropriate accommodations.  Accommodation in the admission process does not imply that accommodation may be provided for the program in the event that a student is offered a letter of acceptance into the MPT program.

a. Registration:

Students with disabilities who are accepted into the MPT program or who are currently in the MPT program, and who anticipate the need for accommodation for the academic and/or clinical components of the program must be registered with Access and Equity Services and must have their disability verified and their potential accommodation requirements outlined by AES.

The School recognizes that the process of registration with AES and the identification of accommodation requirements may take time, as such, the School has outlined a process for providing provisional accommodation to students on a short-term reactionary basis.

b. Accommodation planning

Given the unique requirements of the MPT program (as outlined in the Essential Skills and Attributes document as well as the bona fide occupational requirements of the Physical Therapy profession, all students of the MPT program who have a documented disability (i.e. registered with AES) and who wish to seek accommodation for the MPT program must initiate the development of an accommodation plan.

Upon receipt of a letter from AES verifying their disability, students are to contact AES regarding the development of an accommodation plan related to the academic and clinical component of the program.  Once the student with disabilities has requested the development of an accommodation plan, the request will be submitted to the MPT Academic and Clinical Disability Accommodation Team by AES.

In the event that a student does not request the development of an accommodation plan, no accommodation can be provided.

A flowchart depicting the process for academic and clinical accommodation is available at the end of this document.

c. Academic and Clinical Accommodation Team

1. Membership:

The following individuals will participate at all meetings, either by attendance in-person or via remote connection:

• Manager AES (or designate)
• Director School of Rehabilitation Science (or designate)
• Academic Coordinator Clinical Education (or designate)

It is expected that the student requesting accommodations is present for all meetings.  In certain situations where the student requiring accommodation is not available due to illness, or in situations where code of conduct or academic discipline is to be discussed, the student may be absent or not included.   Alternative means will be provided to fully inform the student of meeting proceedings, seek input from the student and involve the student in all decisions relating to their accommodations.

Dependent upon one or more of the following:

• The urgency/timeliness of the meeting
• The accommodation needs of the student
• The meeting topic (e.g. initial versus subsequent monitoring meetings)
• The desire of the student

one or more of the following individuals may be invited to participate in a team meeting(s):

• The Professional(s) who assesses the disability
• Associate Dean, College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies or designate^[1]
• Other consultants as needed
• A recent graduate to reflect the student reality (no more than 2 years post- graduation)

1. Mandate

• To ensure an accommodation plan is developed following an assessment that is consistent with the School of Rehabilitation Science’s Essential Skills and Attributes document and bone fide occupational requirements of Physical Therapy
• To ensure that appropriate individualized accommodation is implemented proactively as the student moves through the program
• To keep a record of all information regarding the request for accommodation. This includes: the nature of the accommodation granted, the dates of implementation, as well as any subsequent modification to the original accommodation
• To monitor the effectiveness of the accommodation at all stages of the academic and practicum/ clinical experience
• To determine whether further accommodation is reasonable in the case of a student who does not progress as expected

 

[1] Associate Dean of the College of Graduate Postdoctoral Studies or designate is available to MPT students who wish access help of an independent resource person, similar to an ombudsman for advice (academic or nonacademic) or help resolving an issue.

d. Disclosure

It is the student’s responsibility to present the Accommodation Planning Committee letter outlining the approved accommodation to his/her instructors at the beginning of the term, even if no accommodations are needed at that time.  It is important to provide the instructor with the information as it makes them aware that accommodations may be required at some point during the course.

Disclaimers:

1. The School acknowledges that technologies are always being developed, adapted and improved; however, the MPT Academic and Clinical Disability Accommodation Team is only able to evaluate a request for accommodation given the technologies available at the time in which the request is being considered.
2. The School will make all reasonable attempts to accommodate a student with disabilities in the classroom, laboratory and clinical component of the program. However, given the nature of services and processes in the health care system, the School concedes that not all accommodations may be possible.
3. The timing of the accommodations may have the consequence that the normal time frame for completing the program is not met.

The School of Rehabilitation Science Disability Accommodation Procedures will be reviewed by the Academic Affairs committee, in consultation with Access and Equity Services, and modified as needed.  The procedures will be reviewed annually for the first three years and biannually thereafter.