Empowered by Accommodations: Inclusive Support for Students in Clinical Experiences in Physical Therapy Education

This course will provide a framework that Directors of Clinical Education (DCE), Site Coordinators of Clinical Education (SCCE), and Clinical Instructors (CI) can use in order to meet the needs of Physical Therapy students with disabilities as they transition from the academic to the clinical portion of their education. It will provide prevalence data about PT students with disabilities and the utilization of academic and clinical accommodations within Physical Therapy Education. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and its application within clinical education for clinical faculty, will also be reviewed. The course aims to distinguish between creating a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in the clinic environment and recognizing the need for additional support through formalized clinical accommodations. This presentation, including video snippets, will illustrate how DCEs can effectively communicate with all parties to develop individualized accommodations in the clinical environment. To ensure feasibility and provide optimal support to both clinical sites and students, it is essential to collaborate closely with students, Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) and relevant clinical faculty to develop and implement reasonable clinical accommodations. Small group discussions and case-based learning activities within break out rooms will engage participants in the application of the material.

Objectives

1. Directors of Clinical Education (DCEs) will identify effective communication processes with students and their Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) for development of clinical accommodations.
2. Participants will describe a framework and strategies, within current regulations, to support students with disabilities (SWD) in the clinic environment in order to manage individual student needs.
3. Site Coordinators of Clinical Education (SCCEs) and/or Clinical Instructors (CIs), in collaboration with DCEs, will generate a list of potential reasonable accommodations to support SWD within their clinic environment.