5.2 Technical Standards
Students enrolled in the Behavioral Health Paraprofessional Training Program must be able to meet the program’s essential functions and technical standards, with or without reasonable accommodations. These standards are necessary to ensure that students can participate safely and effectively in classroom, simulation, fieldwork, community-based, and behavioral health practice environments.
Behavioral health settings may involve work with individuals experiencing mental health conditions, substance use disorders, emotional distress, trauma-related conditions, cognitive impairment, behavioral dysregulation, crisis situations, or other circumstances requiring attentive, safe, ethical, and professional interaction. Students may participate in classroom activities, simulations, community experiences, clinical observations, field trips, and supervised fieldwork experiences in a variety of healthcare and community settings.
The program is committed to providing equitable access through reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable law and Institute policy. Students seeking accommodations should work collaboratively with Accessibility Resources and program leadership. Not all accommodations appropriate in classroom settings may be feasible in clinical or community-based environments where safety, privacy, communication, mobility, or patient care responsibilities are involved.
The following standards describe the essential functions students must be able to perform throughout the program.