The Academic Accessibility Committee (AAC) is dedicated to serving students with disabilities by providing the opportunity for success and equal access at Noorda-COM. As the designated committee at Noorda-COM, the AAC determines eligibility, and implements reasonable accommodations for enrolled students as guided by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and College policy.

Students seeking ADA accommodations are required to complete the Reasonable Accommodation Request form below. Once the form is submitted, it is reviewed by the Academic Accessibility Committee (AAC). Following the AAC's review, the student will be informed of the committee's decision via Noorda-COM email.

Verbal disclosure of a disability and request for accommodation is not sufficient and cannot substitute for required documentation. Students may apply for reasonable accommodations at any time.

Accommodations, if granted, are only done so on a prospective basis. Reasonable accommodations are never provided retroactively.

The AAC is unable to offer accommodations that would alter the Minimum Technical Standards for Admission and Matriculation in any way. The Minimal Technical Standards are located on page 8 of the Noorda-COM 2024-2025 Catalog.

Students must apply for reasonable accommodations every academic year. It is highly recommended that students submit their accommodation requests before the start of the academic year to prevent delays and ensure accommodations are in place at the beginning of the semester.

General Guidelines for Disability Documentation

The AAC has established the following disability documentation guidelines. If the original documentation is incomplete or inadequate to determine the extent of the disability or reasonable accommodation(s), the AAC has the discretion to require additional documentation.

Documentation must include all of the following elements:

1. Be recent, within three years of request, in order to assess the current impact on learning or a major life activity. Please note that students requesting accommodations due to a chronic medical condition must submit documentation dated within 6 months and must update documentation annually. In no case will documentation over three years old be considered.
2. Be sufficient to establish a direct link between the disability and the requested accommodations.
3. Be issued by a medical or other qualified, licensed professional and printed on letterhead including the professional’s licensing information), dated, signed. The medical or other qualified licensed professional cannot be related to the student by marriage or affinity. The COM reserves the right to require that a certified copy of the report be transmitted directly from the evaluator to the College.
4. Specific recommendations for accommodations as well as an explanation as to why each is recommended as necessary.

Documentation Principles:

• The Academic Accessibility Committee uses a combination of information to determine eligibility and reasonable accommodations. Documentation of a specific disability does not translate directly into a specific accommodation or set of accommodations, instead reasonable accommodations are determined on a case-by-case and course-by-course basis.
• Ensure that accommodations provide effective access requires a deliberative and collaborative process that is responsive to the unique experience of each individual, as advised by the Americans with Disabilities Act, Amendments Act, 2008.
• The rationale for seeking information about a student’s condition is to support the higher education professional in establishing disability, understanding how disability may impact a student, and making informed decisions about reasonable accommodations.
• Documentation assists the Academic Accessibility Committee with:
• establishing a student's eligibility for services.
• understanding the impact of a student's condition(s) in an academic environment
• determining strategies and reasonable accommodations to facilitate equal access.
• Documentation should be reviewed by examining the functional limitations of the disability on the student and how this supports the need for reasonable accommodations.
• Disability documentation is treated in a confidential manner and shared only on a need-to-know basis according to both State and Federal laws and regulations.

An offer of acceptance may be rescinded should an accepted applicant be found not able to meet the technical standards.

For matriculated students, inability to maintain compliance with educational training technical standards may result in dismissal from the program.

Accommodations granted by the AAC at Noorda-COM cannot be used on NBOME/NBME exams. For all NBOME exams, students must apply for accommodations through the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME). Candidates are eligible to apply for test accommodations through the NBOME after completing one year of medical school. For more information on applying for NBOME or NBME accommodations, please visit their respective website.