MSN schools and disability

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 15, 2009

There is simply no way to answer your question except to talk to the people at your school to see if they can meet your needs. Since you have completed so many of the courses and shown yourself to be a successful student, I suspect they will be willing to make some acommodations for you. I guess it all comes down to what you are actually going to need and whether your disabilities make it impossible to do the skills you need to demonstrate.

The fact that they are a major university has little bearing on the situation. While they may seem large and impersonal, large institutions have large student bodies. They have probably dealt with similar disabilities in the past.

You'll just have to meet with them and hear what they have to say.

Good luck to you.

UVA Grad Nursing · Jul 15, 2009

All colleges and universities should have a disabilities coordinator who would be the point-person for students with physical and learning disabilities. If you have a certified disability (requiring testing for learning disabilities), then the disabilities coordinator can advise. This person may be attached to the Dean of Students Office, Counselling Office, or perhaps with Student Health.

If you have a certified disability, then the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) provisions could kick in. The disabilities office can advise you on this. This office can also advise you on what might be suitable accommodations (untimed testing, larger print materials, etc).

However, if you do not have a fully diagnosed Learning Disability (again, the disabilties or Learning Needs officer should be able to help you here), you may not be covered by the ADA. Faculty are not required to provide any accommodations unless requested so by the Disabilities/Learning Needs office. If a element of a program is deemed to be absolutely required of the profession/field, then accommodations are not required. For example, one could say that the ability to perform basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and use of fractions is an Essential Element of nursing (and cannot be waived under any circumstance).

Bottom line -- contact the Student Affairs office at your university and check out the disabilites office.

Barinbass · Jul 31, 2009

Thank you for the responses. The Disabilities office has approved me for accommodation and the LD Center, or Academic Success Program as it is called, will recommend the specific ones. This still does not mean that my SON will comply willingly and not try to find a way to dismiss me. This is a major concern of mine as SONs used to do that according to another very reputible prof. I also went to the ADA office to ask their opinion and see if they could offer assistance. I feel better with the resources that may be available, but still we are talking abot a SON and we all know they are not the same. Thinking maybe online would be better but then I risk losing credits earned. What to do? Barinbass

llg, PhD, RN · Jul 31, 2009

What to do? Barinbass

I hate to sound like a broken record ... but your situation has not changed. Before you can decide what to do, you need to find out what your sitaution is. Find out what accommodations you will need and then find out if the school can provide them. You'll have to do that before you can know whether or not there is even a problem at all.

Barinbass · Jul 31, 2009

True but that has been done. I just didn't state what those recommnended accomodations were. The LD director suggested them. What the school's response will be is another matter since it has not progressed to that point yet. It will very soon though as the letters went out to the school today. The accommodations are rather minor in my opinion and not at all costly. Just not typical, but then I don't know every student's situation either. In that wait and see period. Still think that online may be best the long run. Just gotta find one that will allow more credits to transfer. Good way to utliize my time whle waiting. Thanks, Barinbass