Despite her success in Southeastern’s year-long preparatory program for the associate degree, Davis was denied admission to Southeastern's nursing program because the school believed her hearing impairment would not allow her to participate in clinical aspects of the coursework without “fundamental alteration[s]” to the program. The Court was also unsure if she could guarantee patient safety without the use of auxiliary aids. While Davis argued that Southeastern should be looking at her qualifications for the program separately from her disability, Southeastern argued that admission decisions should be based on whether she could perform in spite of her disability.