Students with Disabilities

Florida Atlantic University encourages academically qualified students with disabilities to take advantage of its educational programs. Accepted applicants with a documented disability and enrolled students who believe they have a disability who, in each case, request accommodations, have the responsibility for documenting their disability and the need for accommodations. Such applicants and students must contact the FAU Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at (561) 297-3880 or www.fau.edu/sas/ for more information.

Nursing is a physically and mentally demanding profession. Therefore, the Southern Council on Collegiate Education for Nursing (2004) recommends core performance standards (see chart below) expected for members of the nursing profession. SAS provides students with disabilities the services and reasonable accommodations needed, within the framework of these performance standards, to successfully participate in the full academic program of the FAU College of Nursing.  Students must register with SAS to receive authorized academic accommodations. Registering includes: completing an “Application for Support Services,” providing documentation of the disability, and participating in an intake interview. An SAS representative will collaborate with a representative from the College of Nursing to explore whether the requested accommodations are reasonable within the structure and goals of the curriculum.

If a student believes that he or she cannot meet one or more of the standards described below without accommodations or modifications, SAS in collaboration with the College of Nursing will determine, on an individual basis, whether the necessary accommodations or modifications can be made reasonably. Reasonable accommodations include: making existing facilities readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities; job restructuring; part-time or modified work schedules; acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; appropriate adjustments to or modifications of examinations, training materials or policies; and the provision of qualified readers or interpreters.

If it is determined that the student, with or without reasonable accommodations, cannot fulfill the standards of the program, the student will be referred to appropriate resources to assist her/him in developing a new career plan.

Dimension	Standard	Examples of necessary activities (not all-inclusive)
Critical Thinking	Critical-thinking ability sufficient for clinical judgment	Identify cause/effect relationships in clinical situations, develop nursing care plans
Interpersonal	Interpersonal abilities sufficient for interaction with individuals, families and groups from various social, emotional, cultural and intellectual backgrounds	Establish rapport with patients/clients and colleagues
Communication	Communication abilities sufficient for verbal and written interaction with others	Explain treatment procedures, initiate health teaching, and document and interpret nursing actions and patient/client responses
Mobility	Physical abilities sufficient for movement from room to room and in small spaces	Move around in patient's room, work spaces and treatment areas; administer cardiopulmonary procedures
Motor Skills	Gross and fine motor abilities sufficient for providing safe, effective nursing care	Calibrate and use equipment; position patients/clients
Hearing	Auditory ability sufficient for monitoring and assessing health needs	Hear monitor alarm, emergency signals, auscultatory sounds and cries for help
Visual	Visual ability sufficient for observation and assessment necessary in nursing care	Observe patient/client responses
Tactile	Tactile ability sufficient for physical assessment	Perform palpation, functions of physical examination and/or those related to therapeutic intervention (such as insertion of a catheter)

Reference:
Southern Regional Education Board
The Americans with Disabilities Act: Implications for Nursing Education
http://www.sreb.org/publication/americans-disabilities-act