The Americans With Disabilities Act requires that students with disabilities receive equal access to all forms of education, including nursing school. According to this law, schools must provide "reasonable accommodations" to help students succeed. An accommodation is reasonable as long as it does not undermine the fundamental nature of a class or educational program. Examples of reasonable accommodations include extra time to complete exams, sign language interpreters for the deaf, flexibility in attendance policies and wheelchair access to classrooms. Most schools require that a student register with the office of disability services to properly receive accommodations.
Nursing schools frequently require that students meet certain technical standards prior to admission. These standards can include taking certain classes or taking entry exams. It is possible that these technical standards may exclude some disabled nursing students from some programs. However, these standards must not exclude an entire class of disabled persons. Technical standards must also allow a student to meet the standard with the use of disability accommodations. The National Organization of Nurses With Disabilities states that technical standards can state what a student must be able to do but cannot state how the student should do it. For example, technical standards can read, "Must be able to conduct a patient exam," but cannot read, "Must be able to conduct an exam by hearing a patient speak."
A student is not required to disclose his disability to anyone. For example, if a student suffers from panic attacks, the student does not have to tell the school this fact unless the student is requesting accommodations. After requesting accommodations, the student is still entitled to privacy. Schools cannot tell other students about a student's disability and can only disclose to professors and employers the information for which the student has authorized disclosure. Students also do not have to answer questions about why they have a disability or explain all treatment they are undergoing. The student with panic attacks would not have to explain these are due to a traumatic experience or have to itemize all of treatment he had ever undergone for his condition.
The Americans With Disabilities Act exists to protect people with disabilities, but discrimination still occurs. Students who have been discriminated against by a professor or another student should contact their disability coordinator or the office of disability services at their school. If the school itself has discriminated against a student, the student has a few options. All schools are required to have an ADA Compliance Officer who ensures schools are in compliance with the law. If students do not wish to contact the ADA Compliance Officer or the ADA Compliance Officer has discriminated against the student, students should contact the U.S. Department of Education (see the Resources). This Department can refer students to an attorney and may ask the Department of Justice to file a complaint on the student's behalf. Students should document all instances of discrimination and keep detailed notes on all disability-related conversations.
Many schools ask students if they have a disability on their applications. This question should not be considered in admission decisions and is instead used to plan accommodations for students who need them. Students are not, however, required to tell their school about their disability on their application.