Disability Access Policy

Accessibility at ACHS

American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) is committed to providing access to students with disabilities in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA). The ACHS online platform exceeds the defined student requirements of Section 508, the U.S. Federal Accessibility Standard for electronic and information technology. For complete details on accessibility via the Canvas platform, please visit the Canvas Accessibility page.

Students with Disabilities

ACHS recognizes disability as an aspect of diversity that is integral to society and to our campus community. It is important for current and prospective students to be aware of the process to request accommodations and/or auxiliary aids due to a disability or temporary health condition. All individuals applying to ACHS must meet the admissions criteria to be considered eligible for entrance to the college. There are no separate or individualized admissions criteria for students with disabilities. All disability accommodations are determined through an interactive and individualized process that requires the engagement of both the student and the ADA Coordinator. The purpose of the ADA accommodations is to provide access to the learning environment.

Accommodation Process

Step 1: Fill out a Request for Accommodations Form

Step 2: Schedule an Access Planning Meeting with the ADA Coordinator. The purpose of the Access Planning Meeting is to engage in an interactive process to discuss with the ADA Coordinator submitted documentation and a student’s experience living with a disability. The goal will be to identify appropriate accommodations and/or auxiliary aids that can be implemented to create access in the areas where there are barriers caused by a disability.

Academic accommodations will be approved on a case by case basis and are individually designed to create equal access for a student. They can be approved on a provisional, temporary, or permanent basis by the ADA Coordinator, and additional accommodations can be requested/reviewed as students progress through their academic goals.
Reasonable accommodations are determined through relevant documentation (see documentation guidelines below) presented by the student, evaluation of access barriers in learning environments, and ADA Coordinator’s professional knowledge and consultation with academic course/program faculty and staff.
Documentation should be emailed to: [email protected]. Please ensure that personal information such as social security numbers are removed or send files password-protected. Documents may also be mailed to ACHS at 5005 S. Macadam Ave, Portland, OR 97239.

Step 3: Upon completion of the request process and determination of reasonable accommodations, the student will be provided with notification of the approved reasonable accommodations for the student’s records.

Step 4: The ADA Coordinator will notify the appropriate faculty and/or staff of the approved ADA accommodations in accordance with FERPA guidelines.

ADA Coordinator Contact

Dori Rossi

Email: [email protected]

Call: 800-487-8839

Office Hours

Monday 8:30 am – 12:30 pm PST

Wednesday 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm PST

Friday 8:30 am – 12:30 pm PST

Understanding ADA Accommodations

ADA accommodations are not retroactive. The accommodations are initiated once the four steps of the accommodation process are completed.
Students are responsible to engage in ongoing communication and interactions with the ADA Coordinator as needed for approved accommodations.
Just as aspects of a disability may change, students may request modifications to the accommodations. Depending on the modifications, this may require going through the accommodations process again.
The ADA Coordinator may provide necessary assistance and consultation when engaged by the student or faculty to ensure effective implementation of accommodations.
Approved ADA accommodations are facilitated on a semester basis. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the ADA Coordinator for which courses the accommodations are needed.

Documentation Guidelines

All students seeking accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or the ADA must submit documentation of a disability from a qualified and relevant provider.

For Physical Disabilities:

A statement of the diagnosis from a licensed healthcare professional who is qualified and currently or recently associated with the student.
A statement from a licensed healthcare professional specializing in the area that the student needs support in as to how the student is limited in functionality in a major life activity.
Recommendations for reasonable accommodations for the online classroom.

For Mental Health Disabilities:

A statement or report from a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist that includes the following items
Statement of DSM-IV condition
Summary of assessment procedures used to make the diagnosis.
Description of present symptoms and fluctuating condition symptoms in relation to the diagnosis.
Current medications and side effects.
A description of functional limitations in a major life activity.
Recommendations for reasonable accommodations for the online classroom.

For Learning Disabilities:

A comprehensive diagnostic interview that addresses relevant background information supporting the impairment, including developmental history, academic history and psychosocial history.
A record of comprehensive testing that is current (within past two years and after age of 18).
A description of functional limitations in a major life activity.
Recommendations for reasonable accommodations for the online classroom.

Grievance Resolution:

If a student wishes to file a complaint regarding any disability discrimination, please refer to the institution’s Student Grievance and Complaint procedures.

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/transition.html