Accommodations for Disability
gme-adm-0001
About This Policy
- Effective Date:
- 02-10-2016
- Date of Last Review/Update:
- 05-21-2025
- Responsible University Office:
- Graduate Medical Education
- Responsible University Administrator:
- Senior Associate Dean for GME
- Policy Contact:
- GME Assistant Director Emilie Leveque eleveque@iu.edu
- Policy Feedback:
- If you have comments or questions about this policy, let us know with the policy feedback form.
- Print or view a PDF of this policy
- Many policies are quite lengthy. Please check the page count before deciding whether to print.
Scope
This policy applies to all Graduate Medical Education (GME) residents in ACGME-accredited, Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM)-sponsored training programs.
Policy Statement
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 requires IUSM to provide certain kinds of reasonable accommodation to qualified residents and fellows when necessary to provide an equal learning opportunity. Under the law, “reasonable” must be individually determined after an individual requests accommodation.
IUSM GME follows the governing Indiana University Americans with Disabilities Act Policy (see references). IUSM aims to provide equal opportunity to all residents while simultaneously supporting the integrity of each training program. Requests for accommodation will be considered “reasonable” unless the requested accommodation significantly alters the resident role or the goals of residency training.
The Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) has specified non-academic or technical standards that all residents are expected to meet to participate in GME training. Appendix A describes the technical standards that residents and fellows are expected to meet to train in an IUSM GME program. As appropriate, individual training programs may add more specific standards to these criteria.
Disability information is considered private. The Program Director will only share the plan for accommodation to others on a need-to-know basis. The Program Director is not required to know or share any confidential health information. The Program Director will make the resident aware of what information has been shared with whom. Any additional disclosure is at the resident’s discretion. IUSM does not notify potential residency or fellowship programs or other employers about an individual’s disabilities without specific permission from the resident.
First aid and safety personnel may be informed, when appropriate, if a disability might require emergency treatment or if any specific procedures might be needed to accommodate a resident in case of fire or other evacuations. Government officials investigating compliance with the ADA may also be provided relevant information as requested.
It is also the resident’s responsibility to obtain a thorough written evaluation from an appropriate professional, documenting the presence, extent, and ramifications of the disability. In addition, the documentation should explain what specific types of accommodation the evaluator believes might be most helpful in offsetting the effects of the disability to an acceptable extent in a GME environment.
The resident must obtain this evaluation at his or her own expense, which may be covered by insurance if the evaluating provider is in-network. Residents must arrange to have the evaluation form and all supporting documentation forwarded to the Accommodations Specialist, as noted below in procedures. Depending on the nature of the accommodation, re-evaluation may be required. If further evaluation is required, the resident will remain primarily responsible for arranging additional evaluation at his or her expense.
Reason for Policy
The purpose of this policy is to establish and define the non-academic criteria necessary for participation in GME training and to outline the process whereby a resident in IUSM GME training program may request accommodation for disability.
Procedures
Requesting Accommodation
- A resident may request accommodation by notifying the Program Director and confidentially completing the Indiana University accommodations application (Reference 2: Confidential Accommodation Request Form).
- The Program Director can directly make immediate modifications, with the understanding that longer-term accommodations must follow the process outlined above in number 1.
- The IU Accommodations Specialists will contact the resident to ensure that the disability has been appropriately documented and to clarify what the resident is requesting. The specialist will then work with the resident, Program Director, and GME to discuss essential functions of the position and reach a consensus on what will be approved. Proposed accommodations will be considered with respect to technical standards, patient safety, and impact on other residents. Of note, since all residents are employees of IUSM, their designated Accommodations Specialist is the person who handles accommodations for faculty at IUSM (see references).
Planning for Approved Accommodation
- Once a specific accommodation plan has been approved, the Program Director must (1) develop a plan for implementation and (2) discuss this plan with the resident. If appropriate, the accommodations plan should encompass curricular modifications, anticipated training extensions, and plans to secure any needed supplemental funding for training extension.
- If fulfillment of program goals are not possible through the recommended accommodation, a good faith effort to negotiate another accommodation should be initiated.
Appeal of Requested Accommodation
- Residents may appeal an accommodation decision by contacting Indiana University’s Office of Civil Rights Compliance (OCRC). Residents should send an email with the subject line “I want to appeal this decision” to Indiana University’s ADA coordinator (see references). The email should explain the reason for the appeal, what is being sought and relevant medical information.
- The ADA coordinator will request a meeting with the resident and review the documentation that was previously sent to the Accommodations Specialist. The ADA coordinator will gather additional information as needed to process the appeal.
- The ADA coordinator will then render the final decision.
- Every resident has the right to go outside of the Indiana University’s OCRC to file an appeal. They can do so with the Office of Civil Rights, Indiana Civil Rights Compliance, or federal court. Details regarding the process of external appeals is beyond the scope of this institutional policy.
Appeal of Requested Accommodation
- Residents who believe the university has not met its obligations under the ADA should consult with the university’s ADA Coordinator, who serves all IU campuses and has overall responsibility for coordinating the efforts of the university to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The university ADA Coordinator will refer complaints to the appropriate campus or university office for investigation (see references).
Definitions
ACGME is the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
A resident is an IUSM resident or fellow, or a non-IUSM resident or fellow electively rotating through IUSM who provides clinical care as part of a GME program.
Implementation
The Designated Institutional Official (DIO) for GME is responsible for implementation of this policy.
Oversight
Policy authority for this document resides with the GME committee. The DIO and the GME committee are responsible for oversight. This policy will be reviewed every three years or more often if deemed necessary.History
- Policy IUSM-GME-PO-0001 approved by GMEC and publishedon 14 November 2012.
- Policy reviewed, updated, and approvedby GMEC on 10 February 2016.
- Policy updated for formatting 27 February 2018.
- Policy updated for formatting 27 June 2018.
- Policy migrated to the policy portal 01 March 2022.
- Policy reviewed, updated, and approved by GMEC on 27 September 2023.
- Policy reviewed, updated and approved by GMEC on 21 May 2025.