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Disability and Accommodation Services

Disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as "… a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities." Such impairments may include physical, sensory, and cognitive or intellectual impairments. Mental disorders (also known as psychiatric or psychosocial disability) and various types of chronic diseases may also be considered disabilities. A disability may arise during a person's lifetime or may be present from birth. 

Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar (WCM-Q) is dedicated to helping all students achieve their full potential and succeed in the WCM-Q learning environment by providing equal educational opportunities. In accordance with United States federal law, "no otherwise qualified individual with a disability…shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program.” 

The WCM-Q Division of Student Affairs coordinates student requests for reasonable accommodation and is committed to protecting the privacy of all students. The Division of Student Affairs is also committed to collaborative dialogue with students throughout the entire process of evaluation and implementation of approved accommodation. 

Possible accommodations include, but are not limited to:
  • additional time on quizzes and exams
  • additional time on assignments
  • quiet testing environment
  • special access to campus and underground parking lot due to movement or sensory disability
  • temporary accommodations due to injury/medical illness
  • use of spelling and grammar assistive devices for essay exams
  • use of a calculator for exams
  • hearing or visual aids/interpretation

Making an Accommodation Request

  1. Students who would like to request an academic accommodation must begin the process by submitting a completed Accommodation Request Form and all supporting documents to email: disabilityaccommodation@qatar-med.cornell.edu 
  2. After submitting the appropriate paperwork, the student will meet with the director of student affairs. The purpose of this meeting is to understand the challenges the student has faced, to review the documentation the student has submitted, and to discuss the desired accommodations.
  3. The Disability Services Committee will review the request and make a formal determination of the need for accommodation.
  4. Accommodation requests will be reviewed within two weeks; however, there may be delays before a final decision can be made (i.e. the need for additional information). 

Accommodation Process

Once a request for accommodation has been approved: 

  1. Notification of accommodation will be sent to the student. 
  2. A student’s diagnosis(es) and/or disability will not be disclosed in the notification of accommodation. Also, a student’s diagnosis(es) and/or disability will not be disclosed without signed consent from the student.
  3. It is the student’s responsibility to meet with the individual faculty for the course where accommodations are being sought to discuss the implementation of the approved accommodation(s). In the case of centralized NBME exams during the clerkship years, the student should meet with the director of educational administration. Meetings with the appropriate faculty and/or staff must take place at least seven business days in advance of needed accommodations. 
  4. At least seven business days before any subsequent activity requiring accommodation, the student should reconfirm arrangements for accommodation with the appropriate faculty or staff. 
  5. If any concerns or questions arise, the student should contact the director of student affairs for assistance. 

Documentation

  1. A student must provide documentation of disability. Documentation must be sufficient to establish that the  requested accommodation is appropriate for the student's condition. If a student previously received accommodations from other academic institutions or testing agencies, then the student should submit this information. 
  2. Additional disability verification forms:
    Verification of Disability ADHD
    Verification of Disability LD
    Verification of Disability Physical
    Verification of Psychological Disability
  3. The completed WCM-Q verification of disability form and supporting documentation from a licensed, credentialed examiner must include all of the following: 
    1. Diagnostic statement identifying the disability (Note, a condition by itself may not automatically qualify as a disability)
    2. Description of the diagnostic methodology
    3. Description of the current functional limitation
    4. Description of the expected duration and progression of the condition
    5. Rationale and justification for all requested accommodation
  4. WCM-Q maintains the right not to accept documentation that does not meet the criteria stated above and may seek a confidential third-party professional opinion regarding documentation or implementation of requested accommodations. 
  5. Documentation of disability accepted by WCM-Q is valid as long as a student is continuously enrolled at the school. However, if there is a break in the student's enrollment, the student may be required to present updated documentation to the Disability Services Committee prior to receiving accommodation. Additional documentation may be necessary to support requests for changes to existing accommodations or to sup port accommodations if the educational context has substantially changed.
  6. All documentation of disabilities is received and held solely by the director of student affairs. Documentation of disability is treated as confidential information and is protected as per FERPA guidelines. Documentation is destroyed six years after the last semester the student is enrolled. 


Accommodation Request Form