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Academic Consideration for Students in Extenuating Circumstances Policy

Academic Consideration for Students in Extenuating Circumstances Procedure

Academic Consideration Requests for Excused Absence for Significant Event/Activity Procedure (Participating in Sanctioned Events; Distinguished/ Invited Guests; or Student Reserve Forces)

For forms related to this policy please click here

Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Policy

Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Procedure

Protecting Personal Health Information

Student Wellness Services (SWS) is committed to protecting your privacy and the confidential nature of the information you share. This statement outlines the personal health information practices we use to protect your privacy, and your rights under Ontario law, known as PHIPA (Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004). This statement applies to individuals accessing physical and mental health care services from a doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, clinical social worker, psychologist, psychotherapist, or psychiatrist at Student Wellness Services.

Collection and Use of your Information

To provide you with quality health care, we keep an electronic record of information about your health status and of the care that we have provided to you. The team of health care providers at SWS uses an integrated electronic health record to document the provision of care. Personal health information is collected, used, and disclosed by Student Wellness Services as permitted or required by law. Your personal health information is only to be accessed by a SWS health care provider or staff member as part of fulfilling their job duties and providing or assisting in the provision of health care.

Consent to Use and Share your Information to Provide you with Health Care

In almost all cases, your consent is required to collect, use, and disclose your personal health information. Consent means you are knowledgeable and informed about the collection, use and disclosure of your personal health information. Consent can be implied (assumed) or explicit (verbal or written).

Implied Consent

When you seek health care from us, we assume that we have your permission to collect, use and share your personal health information among the health care providers and administrative staff at SWS who provide or assist in providing health care to you. The sharing of personal health information among the SWS team streamlines and enhances the care provided to you (e.g. a doctor may ask a nurse to call you with lab results; a counsellor may consult a manager etc.).

We also rely on implied consent to share your personal health information on a ‘need-to-know’ basis with other health care providers outside of SWS who are directly involved in your health care (e.g. fax a prescription to your pharmacist, or send a referral to a specialist).

We also rely on implied consent to share personal health information with health insurance providers (e.g. OHIP) for billing-related purposes.

Express Consent

In most cases, your verbal or written consent is required to disclose personal health information from, or with, anyone who is not directly involved in providing or assisting in providing health care services to you (e.g. a family member). See below – “Campus Community”.

Limits to Confidentiality and Requirement of Consent to Receive or Disclose Information

We must also meet legal requirements to disclose personal health information in specific circumstances without your consent (i.e. situations where you are thought to be at risk of harm to yourself or others; a request from a legal authority; in cases of suspected child abuse, elder abuse in a long-term care facility, and sexual abuse by a Regulated Health Care Professional; in cases when a medical condition significantly impairs your ability to operate a motor vehicle).

Withdrawing or Restricting Consent (“Lockbox”) to Access to Personal Health Information

You have the right to withdraw or restrict partial or complete access (other than to those with legal authority under PHIPA) to the personal health information within our health record. If you have concerns related to your privacy or the confidentiality of your information, please speak to your health care provider and we will work with you to address those concerns. Written instructions from you (lockbox form) are required to restrict access to your file. Requesting a lockbox may result in implications for your health care, and possible risks will be reviewed with you individually should you request a lockbox from SWS.

Security and Protection of your Information

We will take reasonable steps to keep accurate records of your health information and will follow all legal requirements and Queen’s security standards and best practice for the security, retention and destruction of these records. All medical records are kept for a period of time determined by the medical licensing authority or other professional oversight body.

All health care professionals and administrative staff at SWS work under PHIPA and adhere to the privacy and security policies of Student Wellness Services. If you become aware of any inappropriate use of your personal health information or a breach of confidentiality, please inform us immediately. Under PHIPA, you may also to Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Access to your Health Record

Unless there are unusual circumstances, you have the right to review and/or obtain copies of your health record. If access or copies are provided, our clinic may charge a reasonable fee to cover our expenses.

Changes to your Health Record

You can request a change to the information in your health record if you think that there is an error or an omission in the record. The health care practitioner will consider your request and either grant or refuse it based on their review. We will place a notation on your health record that you requested the amendment, along with the details of the decision made.

Third Party Consent

If there are individuals in your life whom you wish to have involved in your health care while at Queen’s, we will ask you to sign a SWS Consent regarding Personal Health Information form for each person. Please note you can choose what type of personal health information you want us to receive or disclose and you can withdraw consent at any time.

Campus Community

SWS may be contacted by an individual (e.g. parent/family member, housemate, friend, faculty or staff member, residence life, Student Affairs, campus security, chaplain) who is concerned about your well-being. We will collect information from these individuals and may reach out to you, as appropriate, to follow-up on the concerns that have been brought to our attention, and to connect you to supports if needed. We inform the concerned individual that we may reach out to you, but no additional information will be provided. Please note we do not disclose any personal health information about you or your use of our services at any time, unless there is believed to be an imminent risk to your safety, or the safety of someone else. If you have any questions about personal health information  privacy and confidentiality, you may contact the Clinic Manager or the university’s Chief Privacy Officer. 

Patients registering with SWS will be provided with this statement, and asked to acknowledge that it has been read, understood and that the practices as outlined, have been accepted. 

Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) collects, stores, and uses personal and health information as is reasonably required to provide accessibility related services under the authority of the ���˴�Ƭ Royal Charter, 1841 (as amended), and in accordance with the .

Collection of Personal Information

In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) (sec 8.7, 8.8), QSAS will collect information from accommodation seeking students for the purpose of supporting accommodation planning. While the information collected by QSAS will be dependent on the information shared by the accommodation seeking student, the pieces of information required for the purpose of supporting accommodation planning are:

• Confirmation of a Disability
• Functional Impacts Related to the Disability
• Duration and Severity of Disability

As stated by the (sec 8.7), QSAS will “make genuine efforts to provide needed accommodations without requiring a person to disclose a diagnosis.” However medical diagnosis may be requested in rare cases where an understanding of a student’s diagnosis is reasonably required to support the development of an accommodation plan.

QSAS also collects information about the student's academic studies at ���˴�Ƭ, including academic status, faculty and program of study, as well as year of study. The accommodation management system used by QSAS also holds the following identifying information which is collected from a student’s SOLUS profile: name, preferred name, birthdate and age, faculty and program of study, citizenship status, enrollment information (full-time or part-time), year of study, preferred language, and contact information (including mailing and permanent addresses).

QSAS collects this information for the purposes of:

• Creating accommodation plans in collaboration with accommodation seeking students
• Processing requests for funding supports through the Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD)
• Communicating with relevant Queen’s University services for the purpose of supporting student accessibility
• Facilitating referrals to supports and services
• Supporting academic appeals, upon request of the student

QSAS collects information through disability affirming documentation (meeting the QSAS Documentation Criteria) as well as the student intake forms, both provided by students upon registering with QSAS. Information is also collected directly from students through in-person meetings, phone or virtual meetings, email communications, and from their Queen's student account through SOLUS.

• To access the service, students begin by submitting disability affirming documentation to QSAS and completing the intake form via the Ventus portal
• QSAS advises not submitting disability affirming documentation via email as secure transmission cannot be guaranteed

Confidentiality and Protection of Personal Information

Queen’s University is committed to maintaining confidentiality when providing academic accommodations and related support services to students. All disability affirming documentation provided to QSAS, as well as any in-person, phone, or virtual discussions of diagnosis are treated confidentially. For purposes of supporting accessibility of students throughout the University, QSAS may share information related to types of accommodations, accommodation status, or functional impacts with appropriate Queen’s University administrative staff on a need-to-know basis in accordance with .

Student electronic records are stored in the University accommodation management system, housed on an encrypted, secured server and maintained by the University Information Technology Services. The Queen’s University accommodation management system supports communication about accommodations by allowing University stakeholders to access required information.

Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

Below are the stakeholder groups that are able to access the Queen’s University accommodation management system as well as the information they are able to access

• Accessibility related services (Queen’s Student Accessibility Services and Adaptive Technology Centre (ATC))
  • Disability Information, including disability affirming documentation
  • Intake Form, completed by student
  • Assessment accommodations provided
  • Classroom accommodations provided
  • Course information, including course schedule, instructor name, start and end dates, and add/drop status
• Student Wellness Services Reception
  • Disability Information, including disability affirming documentation
  • Intake Form, completed by student
  • Assessment accommodations provided
  • Classroom accommodations provided
  • Course information, including course schedule, instructor name, start and end dates, and add/drop status
• Student Wellness Services (Counselling Services and Occupational Therapy)
  • Assessment accommodations provided
  • Classroom accommodations provided
  • Accessibility Advisor name
• Faculty Instructor and TAs
  • Assessment accommodations provided
  • Classroom accommodations provided
  • Accessibility Advisor name
• Faculty Administrators
  • Assessment accommodations provided
  • Classroom accommodations provided
  • Accessibility Advisor name
• Accommodated Exams Office
  • Assessment accommodations provided
  • Accessibility Advisor name

Access to Information

In accordance with , QSAS does not permit the collection of personal student information from any third party, including parents, guardians, or other family members, without the student’s knowledge. Students are entitled to access their personal information held on file with QSAS.

The Queen’s University accommodation management system maintains records for 10 years after the student's last contact with the service. After this time, student records are deleted within the accommodation management system. Students can request copies of information in their file even after they have left Queen's for a period of up to 10 years following their last contact.

Within Queen's Student Wellness Services (SWS)

Disability affirming documentation provided to QSAS is securely stored within the University accommodation management system. This disability affirming documentation is not shared between QSAS and medical services within SWS (i.e., nurses, doctors, occupational therapists, or counsellors), without student written or verbal consent.

For administrative purposes, SWS reception can access a student’s profile within the accommodation management system – including access to disability affirming documentation (whether including or excluding a diagnosis).

Within the University

Disability affirming documentation (whether including or excluding a diagnosis) is not shared beyond accessibility related services (e.g., QSAS and ATC) without the student’s written or verbal consent.

Adaptive Technologists within ATC have access to view disability affirming documentation (which may include diagnosis) solely for the purposes of:

• Preparing for technology training sessions
• Supporting processes related to specific funding

Upon viewing a student’s disability affirming documentation, ATC staff will indicate within the student’s file that the disability affirming documentation has been viewed by the ATC and purpose (indicated above) for its viewing.

Students are not required to share diagnosis information with instructors for the purpose of receiving their accommodation or having their accommodation implemented in the classroom. Students are advised to only share information about their disability that they are comfortable sharing for the purpose of obtaining accommodations. Students are not required to share diagnosis information with anybody at Queen’s (including members of QSAS) for the purpose of obtaining accommodations.

Information about a student's disability or diagnosis, registration with QSAS, and/or receipt of academic accommodations does not appear on student transcripts, SOLUS accounts, or degree documents.

Exceptions

There are some exceptions where QSAS may be required by law or statute to disclose personal information about students beyond accessibility related services. These exceptions include:

• If there is a known risk of serious harm to the student or another person
• In the case of apparent, reported, suspected or potential child abuse or neglect
• In response to a court order or summons for records or testimony
• If a student reports sexual abuse by a Regulated Health Care Professional
• In compassionate circumstances, to facilitate contact with a spouse, a close relative or a friend of an individual who is injured, ill, or deceased
• To an institution or a law enforcement agency in Canada if:
  • the disclosure is to aid in an investigation undertaken by the institution or the agency with a view to a law enforcement proceeding, or
  • there is a reasonable basis to believe that an offence may have been committed and the disclosure is to enable the institution or the agency to determine whether to conduct an investigation

Sharing of Accommodation Related Information

Accommodation Management System - Ventus

All student accommodations will be communicated to the required University partners through the use of the accommodation management system – Ventus. All required University partners, including QSAS; instructors and teaching assistants; faculty administration; Exams Office; and the individual student, will be able to access student accommodation information once a QSAS staff member has finalized the accommodations in Ventus. Please review the Use and Disclosure of Personal Information section above for detail on what information each University partner is able to access.

Questions or Concerns

Students can email qsas.intake@queensu.ca and ask to speak with the Manager of QSAS regarding any questions or concerns they have about how their personal information is collected, used, stored, shared, or disclosed.

Any registered Queen’s University student who uses SWS is invited to provide feedback through the ..

If using the online form is not appropriate, students can call 613-533-2506 or come to the Côté Sharp Student Wellness Centre in Mitchell Hall and ask to speak to the appropriate staff member or administrator. If no one is immediately available, an appointment will be booked within 2-3 business days.

Students are encouraged to provide feedback as soon as possible, ideally within 30 calendar days from their appointment or visit to SWS, so we can respond in a timely manner, as needed.

The administrator/manager will review the feedback received and respond within 5 business days. A response may include an offer to meet to discuss the feedback, seek clarification, and identify next steps as appropriate, subject to the students' preferences/wishes.

Any staff members involved will be notified of feedback received. Feedback will be reviewed regularly by the SWS Leadership Team and will inform continuous improvement processes and trainings.

If the feedback includes any concerns that cannot be immediately addressed or resolved per the process above, a SWS Senior Administrator will be engaged to lead further action, as appropriate.