Doctor of Dental Surgery Program
Policy for Accommodating Students with Disabilities

Indiana University School of Dentistry's educational programs are open to qualified individuals and comply with all applicable state and federal non-discrimination laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Indiana Civil Rights Law.  Minimum skill standards have been outlined in the document so titled.

Students Requesting Accommodations for Disabilities

Any student requesting accommodation because of a disability must meet with the Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) Associate Dean for Student Affairs to request accommodations.  The meeting should occur within the first two weeks of the student's first semester in dental school, or, in the case of a disability that is discovered after the student has begun dental school, within two weeks of the discovery of the disability.  In no event shall the meeting occur later than is necessary to permit an adequate period of time for consideration of the requested accommodation in light of the procedures outlined below.

Any student requesting an accommodation must present appropriate documentation from a qualified professional, establishing: (a) that the disability exists, and (b) that the requested accommodation is necessary to provide the student with the opportunity to achieve or participate in the program to the same extent as a similarly-situated person without a disability.  The documentation should be provided within four weeks of the initial meeting with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and the following requirements apply to documentation of disabilities:

Documentation must be provided by a licensed professional who is qualified in the appropriate specialty area and whose primary expertise involves the adult population, and the documentation must be establish that the licensed professional's qualifications are in the appropriate specialty area related to the disability.

Documentation must be recent enough to provide meaningful information.  In most cases, the documentation must be less than four years old.  An exception will be made for cases that establish the condition is chronic and not subject to change; however, all requirements in this policy apply to documenting the chronic nature of the condition.

Documentation must be submitted on letterhead of the professional, be signed by the professional and include the minimum of the following: (a) the specific diagnosis of the disabling condition; (b) a description of the specific way(s) in which the disability limits the student's functions; (c) recommendations for accommodation, including a statement that the professional is aware that the student's environment is a dental school rather than a graduate school, undergraduate school, or secondary school; and (d) a specific explanation of the manner in which the proposed accommodation responds to the student's limitations.  Handwritted documents will not be accepted.

Documentation of a learning disability must include a description of the diagnostic interview, a history of the student's learning disability and any accommodations provided for it, and a specific diagnosis of a generally recognized learning disability.  "Testing anxiety" and "panic attacks" are not learning disabilities.

The cost of providing the necessary documentation will be borne by the student.

Determination of Appropriate Accommodation

Once documentation has been submitted as describes above, the Associate Dean will forward the documentation to the IUPUI Office of Adaptive Educational Services (AES) for review.  AES will take all steps necessary to review the request and documentation, establish whether the applicant has a qualified disability for which an accommodation is due, and make or confirm recommendations for appropriate accommodations, if any, to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs.  The process shall be interactive, involving full input from the applicant, appropriate Indiana University School of Dentistry personnel, AES and other IUPUI and external offices possessing the technical, medical, and administrative expertise as needed to evaluate the request.

The Associate Dean will present the accommodation recommendations to the IUSD Curriculum/Assessment Committee, or in the case of an applicant to the School of Dentistry, to the Admissions Committee.  The identity of a student applying for admissions will not be revealed to the Admissions Committee.

The appropriate Committee may do one of the following: (a) determine that the recommended accommodations fundamentally alter the nature and substance of the curriculum, present an undue hardship for the institution, pose a direct threat to the safety of patients, or compromise the academic integrity of the program, and therefore should be denied; (b) modify the proposed accommodations because unless modified, they fundamentally alter the nature and substance of the curriculum, present an undue hardship for the institution, pose a direct threat to the safety of patients, or compromise the academic integrity of the program; or (c) approve the accommodations as recommended.

A faculty member who is notified of an approved accommodation may inform the Committee of special circumstances that the faculty member believes makes the accommodation unreasonable or inappropriate.  The Committee may suspend or modify the approved accommodation for the particular situation if the concur with the faculty member.

The accommodation plan will apply to the student throughout his/her tenure in dental school unless the disability changes.   Each student shall, at the beginning of the school year provide the Associate Dean with certification that there has been no change in the disability.  If the disability has changed, then appropriate accommodations muse be determined as described above.

Policy approved by the IUSD Admissions Committee and the Curriculum/Assessment Committee in December, 1999.