Policy and Procedures for Future Professionals with Disabilities

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  1. Policy Statement

Paul Mitchell The School Columbia, Paul Mitchell The School Charleston, and Paul Mitchell The School Greenville (“The School”) is committed to complying with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act – Federal laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. The School does not discriminate against future professionals with disabilities in regard to application, acceptance, grading, advancement, training, discipline, graduation, or any other aspect related to a future professional’s participation in a program of The School. This policy applies to all future professionals and applicants for admission to The School. The School will provide reasonable accommodations to future professionals with disabilities.

  1. Definitions

Accommodation means a modification or adjustment to the education environment that will enable a qualified applicant or future professional with a disability to participate in The School’s education program. Accommodation also includes adjustments to assure that a future professional with a disability has rights and privileges in education equal to those of future professionals without disabilities. 

ADA/504 Compliance Coordinator means the official of The School responsible for determining and coordinating reasonable accommodation, modification, and/or auxiliary aids and services for prospective, admitted, or enrolled future professionals. 

Auxiliary Aids and Services means accommodations that enable effective communication in the educational setting. Auxiliary aids and services may include interpreters, notetakers, ergonomic aids, or enlarged text and real-time closed captioning.  

Future Professional means any individual who has accepted an offer of admission, or who is registered or enrolled in coursework, and who maintains an ongoing educational relationship with The School.

Individual with a Disability means a person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity; has a record of such impairment; or is regarded as having such an impairment. The determination of whether a future professional has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity will be made on a case-by-case basis. 

Qualified Future Professional with a Disability means a future professional with a disability who meets the academic and technical standards required for admission and participation in educational program(s) and activities and who has been approved by The School for reasonable accommodations. 

  1. Procedures and Responsibilities

The School will provide reasonable academic adjustments, auxiliary aids and services, and accommodations to applicants for admission and qualified future professionals with disabilities to ensure applicants and future professionals are not denied the benefits of, or excluded from participation in, The School’s educational program. The School will make necessary modifications to academic requirements to ensure that academic requirements do not discriminate against qualified future professionals with disabilities. The School will also ensure that future professionals with disabilities have physical access to The School and use of service animals.

The School employee responsible for implementing these procedures is:

Shavetta Belton
ADA/504 Compliance Coordinator- Columbia Campus
1008 Meeting Street, West Columbia, SC 29169
803-772-2232
shavettab@pmtscolumbiasc.com

Dhana Vastano
ADA/504 Compliance Coordinator- Charleston Campus
4952 Centre Pointe Dr ., Suite 114, North Charleston, SC 29418
843-725-0246
dhanav@charleston.paulmitchell.edu

Leah Amundson
ADA/504 Compliance Coordinator- Greenville Campus
1215 A Woodruff Road, Greenville, SC 29607
864-640-8111
leaha@greenville.paulmitchell.edu

When a future professional informs a staff member that the future professional has a disability, or needs accommodations or assistance due to a disability, the staff member will refer the future professional to The School’s ADA/504 Compliance Coordinator. Learning Leaders should not honor requests for accommodations that have not been approved by the ADA/504 Compliance Coordinator (“the Coordinator”).

FUTURE PROFESSIONAL ELIGIBILITY FOR ACCOMMODATION

Applicants for admission and qualified future professionals with disabilities who wish to request reasonable accommodations (including campus tours, orientation, academic adjustments, auxiliary aids and services, or modifications) must contact the Coordinator and complete the Disability Verification Form. Future professionals must provide documentation of their disability from an appropriate professional, which depends on the nature of the disability. For example, a future professional with a psychological disability should provide documentation from a psychologist, psychiatrist, or social worker. The documentation submitted must reflect a date within the past twelve months; if the documentation is older than twelve months, the future professional must provide current documentation to continue their request for accommodations.

The Coordinator has the discretion to determine the type of documentation necessary to establish the present level of the future professional’s disability and its impact on the future professional’s needs in the education setting. Any costs related to the initial documentation will be the responsibility of the future professional.

All documentation related to an accommodation request, including medical documentation, is treated as confidential, and maintained by the Coordinator in accordance with the Records Retention Policy. Access to these files will be limited to those individuals who need to be informed regarding necessary accommodations or other services.

INTERACTIVE PROCESS TO REQUEST ACCOMMODATIONS

Future professionals who plan to request accommodations should contact the Coordinator promptly to ensure adequate time for the Coordinator to review the future professional’s documentation before the future professional begins the class or program for which the accommodation is requested. The Coordinator will keep a record of the dates and contacts with the future professional, including a record of the accommodation(s) requested by the future professional. Future professionals who have questions about the type of documentation they need to provide should contact the Coordinator to discuss acceptable documentation.

The Coordinator will schedule a meeting with the future professional to discuss their request for accommodation(s). The future professional and the Coordinator will discuss how the future professional’s disability impacts them, how the future professional expects the disability to impact the them in The School’s program, the type of accommodation(s) the future professional has previously received (if any), and the accommodation(s) being requested. The Coordinator and the future professional will discuss which accommodations are needed during all phases of their educational program (Core, Adaptive, and Creative), and for classroom instruction, skills-based instruction, and skills practice.

To qualify, the documentation must show the nature of the future professional’s disability and how it limits a major life activity. The accommodation(s) requested by the future professional should be related to these limitations. There are no pre-set accommodations for specific disabilities. Instead, the Coordinator and the future professional will discuss and determine what the future professional’s limitations are, and how they can be accommodated.

EXAMPLES OF ACCOMMODATIONS

  • A future professional with an orthopedic disability may need a cushioned floor mat, scheduled time to sit, or a particular type of chair.
  • A future professional with a learning disability may need extended time to take tests in a location that has reduced distractions, like an office instead of a classroom. 
  • A future professional with a learning or psychological disability may need a note taker, a copy of the Learning Leader’s notes or presentation, or use of a recording device during instruction.
  • A future professional with a hearing impairment may need Learning Leaders to use voice amplification systems or may need The School to provide a sign language interpreter. 

DETERMINATION AND NOTIFICATION REGARDING ELIGIBILITY

The Coordinator will determine the accommodation(s) to be provided to the future professional. The Coordinator will consider past accommodations that have been effective for the future professional and will give primary consideration to the type of accommodation requested by the future professional. Alternate accommodations may be provided if they are equally effective for the future professional.

The Coordinator will determine appropriate accommodations typically no later than ten (10) business days after the future professional submits their request for accommodations and relevant documentation. If the future professional does not submit appropriate documentation at the time the future professional requests an accommodation, the Coordinator will determine appropriate accommodations no later than ten (10) business days after the future professional provides appropriate documentation.

The Coordinator will provide the future professional with written notice regarding the determination and any approved accommodation(s) and/or auxiliary aids/services. The Coordinator will communicate the future professional’s accommodation(s) to the appropriate Learning Leader(s) and staff. Notification to Learning Leaders and staff will specify which accommodation(s) they are responsible for providing, to whom they will be provided, how to provide the accommodation(s), and when to provide the accommodation(s).

The Coordinator will maintain written records of the interactive process and notifications of eligibility. The Coordinator will verify and ensure that all approved accommodation(s) are implemented. If the future professional informs the Coordinator that an accommodation is not being fully implemented, the Coordinator will immediately intervene to ensure the accommodation is provided to the future professional.

Future professionals with approved accommodations will have a follow-up meeting with the Coordinator if the future professional’s program is expected to change. The purpose of the meeting is to determine whether the future professional’s accommodation(s) should be altered when the future professional’s program phase changes, or the type of instruction changes.

LIMITATIONS

  • The School is not required to make adjustments or provide aids or services that would result in an undue burden on The School. In this case, the Coordinator will promptly search for an equally effective alternate accommodation for the future professional that would not unduly burden the program. The Coordinator will offer the alternate accommodation to the future professional.
  • The School is not required to alter or modify a course or academic program to the extent that it changes the fundamental nature of the course or program. When the Coordinator determines that a requested accommodation might fundamentally alter or modify a course or academic program, the Coordinator will promptly search for an equally effective alternate accommodation for the future professional and offer the alternate accommodation to the future professional.
  • Decisions regarding accommodation or auxiliary aids and services may require consultation with The School’s Learning Leaders and/or staff to consider the fundamental nature of a course or academic program or whether the accommodation would impose an undue burden on The School. 
  • Accommodations are not retroactive. 
  1. Training and Policy Dissemination

The Coordinator will deliver training sessions for all School staff members at least once each calendar year. In these training sessions, the Coordinator will explain the basic requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (as amended) as they apply to The School. The Coordinator will provide information regarding: 

  • The School’s responsibility to provide accommodations to future professionals with disabilities and to not penalize future professionals for using approved accommodations.
  • How to appropriately interact with future professionals with disabilities.
  • How to implement approved accommodations.
  • How to support qualified future professionals with disabilities in The School’s programs.

The Coordinator will maintain record of each training session. The Coordinator may also provide training for future professionals who wish to learn about The School’s process for requesting accommodations or The School’s grievance procedures.

The Coordinator will publish this policy and procedures on its website and in each handbook or catalog provided to applicants for admission, future professionals, and employees.

  1. Grievance Procedure

The School is committed to working with future professionals with disabilities to resolve disagreements regarding the need for and/or implementation of accommodations. A future professional requesting an accommodation and/or use of auxiliary aids and/or services may file a complaint in accordance with the procedures detailed below. 

  • Informal Resolution: The Coordinator will assist future professionals with disabilities who have concerns about implementation of their accommodations or their treatment by School staff members or other future professionals. At the request of a future professional, the Coordinator will informally mediate or attempt to resolve issues related to the   future professional’s disability. If this informal process does not resolve the future professional’s concerns, the future professional may request a formal resolution or a file a formal complaint.
  • Formal Resolution: A future professional may request a formal resolution with the Director of The School.
    • To dispute the Coordinator’s decision to deny a request for accommodation.
    • To dispute the Coordinator’s decision to provide an alternate accommodation rather than the specific accommodation requested.
    • To dispute the Coordinator’s determination that the future professional has not presented sufficient documentation to support the requested accommodation.
    • To resolve concerns that the Coordinator failed to effectively address concerns that a School staff member failed to provide an approved accommodation. 
      The Director will review all materials submitted by the Coordinator and will interview, as  necessary under the circumstances, the future professional, the Coordinator, involved  School staff, and other individuals who are relevant to the issue. The Director will render a decision in writing to the future professional.
  • Formal Complaint: if a future professional is not satisfied with the decision reached through formal or informal resolution, a formal complaint may be filed with the Title IX Coordinator. A future professional is not required to exhaust informal and formal  resolution methods before filing a formal complaint. For more information see the Protected Class Non-Discrimination Policy and Procedures.
     
  1. Ineligibility

The ADA applies to qualified future professionals with a disability as defined in section 2. Future professionals who do not meet the qualification criteria are not entitled to reasonable accommodation(s). The Coordinator will not issue any communications or directives to Learning Leaders or School staff for future professionals who have not completed the interactive process and been approved for accommodations.

Future professionals who are not eligible for accommodations but still have an issue affecting their academic performance (including temporary illness) may seek assistance from the Future Professional Advisor who will respond to requests in accordance with established School policies.

Learning Leaders are not to provide accommodations to future professionals without the prior approval of the Coordinator.

This policy and procedures are effective June 9, 2022.