Statement of Non-Discrimination and Accommodation
Paul Mitchell The School does not discriminate on the basis of disability. Individuals with disabilities are entitled to a reasonable accommodation to ensure that they have full and equal access to the School’s educational resources, consistent with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 794) (“Section 504”) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12182) (“ADA”), their related statutes and regulations, and corresponding state and local laws.
Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. The ADA prohibits a place of public accommodation from discriminating on the basis of disability. The applicable law and regulations may be examined in the office of the ADA Compliance Coordinator, or his/her trained designee who has been designated to coordinate the efforts of the school to comply with Section 504 and ADA.
ADA Compliance Coordinators
| Dallas Campus | Arlington Campus | San Antonio Campus |
|---|---|---|
| Francesca Puerner 2389 Midway Road Carrollton, TX 75006 (972) 669-0494 francesca@pmtsdallas.com |
Sondra Hill 309 Curtis Mathes Way Arlington, TX 76018 (817) 865-6963 sondra@pmtsarlington.com |
Angela Alvey 18402 US Highway 281 N San Antonio, TX 78259 (210) 523-8333 angela@pmtssanantonio.com |
Training and Mediation Responsibilities of the ADA Compliance Coordinator
The ADA Compliance Coordinator at each campus will deliver disability training sessions for all campus staff members at least once a year. In these training sessions the Coordinator will explain the basic requirements of Section 504 and the ADA as they apply to The School. The Coordinator will address: the School’s responsibility to provide accommodations to students with disabilities; how to implement accommodations that the Coordinator has approved for students; how to support students with disabilities in the School’s programs; and that students with disabilities cannot be penalized for using approved accommodations. The Coordinator will keep a record of each training session.
The Coordinator may also provide trainings for students who wish to learn about the School’s process for providing accommodations or about the School’s grievance procedures. To help ensure that future campus staff members and students are aware of the School’s policy, the Coordinator will make sure that the Accommodations Procedures and the Grievance Procedures are posted at the campus.
The Coordinator will assist students with disabilities who have concerns about implementation of their accommodations or their treatment by the School staff members or other students. At the request of a student, the Coordinator will informally mediate or attempt to resolve issues related to the student’s disability. If this informal process does not resolve the student’s concerns, the student may file a grievance as described below.
Requests for Accommodation
Individuals with disabilities wishing to request an accommodation must contact the ADA Compliance Coordinator at their campus. A disclosure of a disability or a request for accommodation made to any staff, faculty, or personnel other than the ADA Compliance Coordinator will not be treated as a request for an accommodation. However, if a student discloses a disability to such an individual, he or she is required to direct the student to the ADA Compliance Coordinator. Upon request, the ADA Compliance Coordinator (or his/her trained designee) will provide a student or applicant with a Request for Accommodations Form, which is also available on the School’s website under the Helpful Links tab. To help ensure timely consideration and implementation, individuals making a request for an accommodation are asked to contact the ADA Compliance Coordinator and/or submit a Request for Accommodations form at least two weeks prior to when the accommodation is needed.
Individuals requesting reasonable accommodation may be asked to provide medical documentation substantiating his/her physical and/or mental impairment(s) and/or the need for the requested accommodation(s), including but not limited to when the limitation or impairment is not readily apparent and/or a requested accommodation does not clearly relate to the impairment(s). Such documentation should specify that a student has a physical or mental impairment and how that impairment substantially limits one or more major life activities. In general, the supporting documentation must be dated less than three years from the date a student requests a reasonable accommodation, and must be completed by a qualified professional in the area of the student’s disability, as enumerated below:
| Disability | Qualified Professional |
|---|---|
| Physical disability | MD, DO |
| Visual impairment | MD, ophthalmologist, optometrist |
| Mobility, orthopedic impairment | MD, DO |
| Hearing impairment | MD, Audiologist (Au.D) *audiology exam should not be more than a year old |
| Speech and language impairment | Licensed speech professional |
| Learning disability | PhD Psychologist, college learning disability specialist, other appropriate professional |
| Acquired brain impairment | MD neurologist, neuropsychologist |
| Psychological disability | Psychiatrist, PhD Psychologist, LMFT or LCSW |
| ADD/ADHD | Psychiatrist; PhD Psychologist, LMFT or LCSW |
| Other disabilities | MD who practices or specializes within the field of the disability. |
Documentation used to evaluate the need and reasonableness of potential accommodations may include a licensed professional’s current medical diagnosis and date of diagnosis, evaluation of how the student’s disability affects one or more of the major life activities and recommendations, psychological and/or emotion diagnostic tests, functional effects or limitations of the disability, and/or medications and recommendations to ameliorate the effects or limitations. Documentation may be the student’s existing medical records, or reports created by the student’s medical provider, the state department of rehabilitation, the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, or an appropriate professional who conducts an assessment of the student (see chart above). Supporting medical documentation is not necessary for an obvious disability (for example a student in a wheel chair or a missing limb). The School may request additional documentation or testing as needed.
The documentation of disability is kept at all times in a locked, private file at the School, separate from the student’s educational record. The ADA Compliance Coordinator will determine what information needs to be shared with School staff and Learning Leaders, on an “as needed basis,” in order to facilitate academic accommodations or other services.
After the ADA Compliance Coordinator receives the Request Form and the required documentation, he/she (or his/her trained designee) will engage the student or applicant in an interactive process to determine what accommodations may be appropriate.
Interactive Process
Students who plan to request accommodations should contact the ADA Compliance Coordinator promptly, so there is time for the Coordinator to review the student’s documentation and discuss accommodations with the student before the student begins the class or program for which the accommodation is being requested. When a student contacts the Coordinator, the Coordinator will keep a record of the dates and contacts with the student, including a record of the accommodations requested by the student. Students who have questions about the type of documentation they need to provide should contact the Coordinator.
The student and the ADA Compliance Coordinator will discuss how the student’s impairment impacts the student, how the student expects the impairment to impact the student in the School’s program, and the accommodations being requested by the student from the School. The Coordinator and the student should discuss accommodations needed during all phases of the program (Core, Adaptive and Creative), and for classroom instruction, skills-based instruction and skills practice.
The documentation (or observation) must show the nature of the student’s disability and how it limits a major life activity. The accommodations requested by the student should be related to these limitations. There are no pre-set accommodations for specific disabilities. Instead, the Coordinator and the student must discuss and determine what the student’s limitations are, and how they can be reasonably accommodated.
The Coordinator will list the approved accommodations in writing and provide this to the student. The Coordinator will inform the appropriate Learning Leaders and School staff of the accommodations they are responsible for providing to the student, how to provide the accommodations, and when to provide the accommodations. The Coordinator will keep a written record of these contacts about the student’s accommodations. The Coordinator will verify that the accommodations are being implemented for the student through direct observation, report by the student, and/or documentation from the School staff. If the student informs the Coordinator that an accommodation is not being fully implemented, the Coordinator will immediately intervene with relevant staff members to ensure the accommodation is provided to the student.
Additional factors
The School does not provide accommodations that would result in a fundamental alteration of the School’s program or would cause an undue financial burden. However, the Coordinator will continue the interactive process with the student to determine if an alternative accommodation is available.
If the student or applicant is denied any requested accommodation, he/she may file a grievance using the Grievance Process below or he/she may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights or a similar state entity. The School will make appropriate arrangements to ensure that a person with a disability is provided other accommodations, if needed, to participate in this grievance process. The ADA Compliance Coordinator will be responsible for such arrangements.
Grievance Policy Relating to Complaints of Disability Discrimination
The School has adopted an internal grievance procedure providing for prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any action prohibited by Section 504 and/or the ADA. Any person who believes she/he has been subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability, including disagreements regarding requested accommodations, may file a grievance with:
ADA Grievance Coordinators
| Dallas Campus | Arlington Campus | San Antonio Campus |
|---|---|---|
| Whitney Standridge 2389 Midway Road Carrollton, TX 75006 (972) 669-0494 whitney@pmtsdallas.com |
Vonne Ashmore 309 Curtis Mathes Way Arlington, TX 76018 (817) 865-6963 vonne@pmtsarlington.com |
Cynthia Flores 18402 US Highway 281 N San Antonio, TX 78259 (210) 523-8333 cynthia@pmtssanantonio.com |
Grievances must be in writing, contain the name and address of the person filing it, state the problem or action alleged to be discriminatory (including dates and individuals involved), and the remedy or relief sought. The student should explain why he/she believes the acts were taken based on disability. The student should describe or provide copies of any relevant documents or emails, if available.
The School will investigate each complaint filed, and will not retaliate against anyone who files a grievance or cooperates in the investigation of a grievance. All reasonable efforts will be made to provide a written determination to the student or applicant within 30 days after its filing. If a written determination cannot be made within 30 days of the complaint’s filing, the student will be advised and provided an update as to the status of the investigation. The student may also inquire as to the status of the investigation at reasonable intervals. The student will be provided with a written decision stating the determination and any remedial action (if applicable). Based on the results of the investigation, the School will take all appropriate actions to prevent any recurrence of discrimination and/or to correct any discriminatory effects.
If the student disagrees with the decision made by the ADA Grievance Coordinator, or disagrees with the remedial action specified, the student may appeal the decision to the School Executive Team. The appeal must be in writing and sent to Chandra Couch; Assistant Executive Director of Financial Aid and Compliance; 18402 US Highway 281 N, Suite 124, San Antonio, TX 78259; (210) 523-8333; Chandra@pmtssanantonio.com. The appeal must state the specific reasons that the student disagrees with the decision. Appeals must be filed no later than 30 days after the student receives the written decision from the ADA Grievance Coordinator. The Executive Director and Director of Compliance will issue a written decision to the student within 14 days after receiving the student’s appeal. The Executive Director and Director of Compliance will determine whether the decision should be revised or remain the same. If the Executive Director and Director of Compliance determines that the decision should be revised, the Owner will ensure that any necessary changes in the remedies are implemented.
U.S. Department of Education
The availability of the School’s grievance procedure does not prevent a person from filing a complaint of discrimination on the basis of disability with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and/or a similar state agency.
Students or School staff who have questions or concerns about disability issues may contact the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S. Department of Education. OCR enforces Section 504 and the ADA as applied to post-secondary educational institutions.
The OCR National Headquarters is located at:
U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg.
400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-1100
Telephone: (800) 421-3481
FAX: (202) 453-6012; TDD: (877) 521-2172. Email: OCR@ed.gov.
OCR has regional offices located throughout the country. To find the office for our state, you can check the OCR website at: http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/CFAPPS/OCR/contactus.cfm, or call the telephone number above.