For all students, the transition to health science education requires a new set of communication skills. Development of professional communication skills is crucial to making an effective transition into their programs. Health science students with disabilities have added responsibilities in the educational environment: they must disclose their disabilities, engage with the disability office to discuss reasonable accommodations, and work with faculty and staff to implement approved accommodations. All parties must communicate effectively to ensure that access to approved accommodations occurs smoothly and in a timely manner. This chapter helps faculty, administrators, and disability resource professionals (DRPs) foster effective communication with health science students regarding disability disclosure and accommodations across educational contexts. It also outlines several key issues for equal access including: (a) the appropriate boundaries for sharing disability-related information, (b) guidelines for professional communication, and (c) DRP, student, and faculty roles and responsibilities in this process.

Certification and licensing board exams can be a key part of the health sciences curriculum and the gateway to professional practice. These exams fulfill licensing, advancement, or certification requirements in almost all health professions. Students in nearly every branch of health science must complete a state or national standardized exam for purposes of certification or licensure, such as the United States Medical Licensing Exam. For these exams, students must request disability accommodations directly from the testing agency. This chapter offers insight into how the major testing agencies approach decision-making and provides guidance for the application process. It walks administrators through the process of writing letters in support of student requests for disability accommodations, including a guide for what to include. Finally, it provides administrators with tools to support students in making their applications, including timeline checklists and a guide for student personal statements.

Despite the best intentions of disability resource professionals (DRPs), complex access-related situations can occur. These might include late reporting of disability-related barriers, faculty providing accommodations without input from the DRP, new staff inheriting poorly documented records, and reports of discrimination or possible legal action. This chapter provides guidance regarding steps DRPs and administrators can take to unravel complex situations and determine the best way forward, with a focus on both student success and institutional liability. It addresses nine complex situations that may arise, identifies the multiple steps required to address and remove barriers, and suggests the parties who are likely able to address them. Without permanently removing the barriers, these access issues are likely to recur. This chapter also provides guidance for barrier removal or prevention and presents three scenarios that apply the guidance offered and a list of guiding principles with associated tips for DRP practice.

This chapter provides an overview of didactic and clinical accommodations, including information on accommodating the various forms of assessment that are used in health science programs. It offers specific guidance with regard to accommodating overnight call, students with color-vision deficiency, autism spectrum disorders, blood-borne diseases and those who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. A section on the inclusion of service animals helps programs develop appropriate protocols for animals that may be entering the clinic. Throughout the chapter, practice examples afford the reader an opportunity to apply the guidance to real student scenarios, while case examples provide a legal framework for determining reasonable clinical accommodations. Determining accommodations is an interactive process between the student and the disability resource professional (DRP) or responsible campus entity. The chapter helps DRPs and institutions understand how to work collaboratively to determine and implement reasonable accommodations in all types of health science education settings.

Technology has permeated every aspect of our culture. This chapter provides a general overview of the intersection between educational technology and the elimination of barriers for students with disabilities. To accomplish this goal, it focuses on three key aspects: first, ensuring the online educational environment is inherently accessible to students with disabilities, second, identifying some commonly used assistive technology (AT) that removes barriers in the didactic and clinical settings for students with specific functional limitations, and finally to identify some unique technology-related needs of health science students with disabilities. The chapter then touches on some of the most frequent issues involving technologically-assisted accessibility, and provides an overview of the vast array of ATs available for the health sciences disability resource professional to consider. It focuses largely on simple, cost-effective solutions, making them easily attainable for many students enrolled in educational programs, but some are more expensive than others.