Students with Disabilities
At the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, our goal is to help all students achieve their academic and career goals. We encourage applicants with disabilities, who contribute to a diverse Dartmouth community, to apply for admission with the expectation that reasonable accommodations and access to Geisel's learning environment, including curricular and co-curricular pursuits, will be provided. The Geisel School of Medicine and Dartmouth College are committed to ensuring equal access under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as amended, and Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
It is our experience that many individuals with disabilities are qualified to study and practice medicine with the use of reasonable accommodations. To be qualified for the study of medicine at Geisel, such individuals must be able to meet our Essential Standards for Matriculation, Promotion, and Graduation, with or without approved accommodation. Accommodation is viewed as a means of helping students with disabilities meet essential standards, not to circumvent them, and ensure equal opportunity as much as possible.
Applicants may disclose disability prior to admission but are not required to, nor will disability status be considered in the admissions process. Because all enrolled students are expected to meet Geisel’s Essential Standards for Matriculation, Promotion, and Graduation, with or without approved accommodation, prospective and enrolled students are strongly encouraged to contact the GSAS office immediately if they have any questions about their ability to meet Geisel’s essential standards or the reasonable accommodations that may be made in order to accommodate a disability.
Disability disclosure can be made at any time; however, enrolled students are encouraged to engage the interactive process and request accommodations at least three weeks prior to the start of an academic block, course, or clinical clerkship or immediately following an injury or illness, in order to disclose a disability/illness/injury and to initiate accommodation(s). Early identification allows for a smooth transition and the implementation of auxiliary services or modifications in a timely manner. Students are further encouraged to make use of reasonable accommodations and the supports available throughout their enrollment.
Our goal is to assist students in making as smooth a transition as possible. This is accomplished when students engage the interactive accommodation process, make accommodation requests, and ask questions about access and accommodations at Geisel as well as throughout Dartmouth College in a timely manner. As some accommodations require lead time to acquire or produce (e.g., document conversion to alternative formats or video captioning), it is a student’s responsibility to provide reasonable notice of such accommodation requests.