Faculty establish course attendance, participation expectations, and assignment policies. DSS approves the flexibility accommodation when a student’s disability severely affects their course attendance or assignments on occasion. This accommodation is designed to build in a slight amount of flexibility, not intended to allow students to miss an unlimited number of courses or assignments. Some students receive approval for both attendance and deadlines, while others are approved for either attendance or deadlines.
General Parameters
DSS has established the general parameters that apply in most cases for flexibility accommodations.
Flexibility with Attendance
- Students receive 2 additional absences beyond the attendance policy.
- The level of flexibility with absences may vary based on the interactive and participatory nature of a course, or departmental, college, or accrediting agency guidelines.
Flexibility with Deadlines
- Faculty provide students with up to 48 hours to submit assignments missed.
- The deadline accommodation generally does not apply to group presentations or group-based work, such as team-based activities.
Missed exams/quizzes
- Faculty provide one week (7 days) to make up an exam or quiz missed, except for final exams.
- If a make-up exam is already scheduled for the class, students must take the scheduled make-up exam, except for final exams.
Procedures & Responsibilities
DSS: Eligibility determination, consultation & coordination
- DSS assesses students’ eligibility for flexibility accommodations by reviewing their documentation and meeting with the student, communicating online, by phone, or via email.
- DSS consults with faculty in determining reasonableness of the accommodation.
- DSS is available to participate in discussion upon request from either the faculty member or the student.
Students: Initiating the flexibility accommodations
Step 1: Once the student is eligible for the flexibility accommodations, contact the faculty member with the accommodation letter and request a meeting or initiate communication via email, as appropriate.
Step 2: The student and the faculty member establish a mutual agreement on the parameters of flexibility and communication.
A mutual agreement should include the following:
- How (e.g., email or through Canvas) and when (e.g., within 24 hours) the student must communicate with faculty to use the flexibility accommodations.
- The specific amount of time that the student has to make up missed work.
- Any critical dates that cannot be missed.
Agreed communication includes:
The student must notify the faculty member in writing on or before the day of the absence. If advance or same-day notification is not possible, the student must inform the faculty member by the end of the second business day following the last date of the disability-related absence.
The agreement must be created before any absences or missed work occurs.
Step 3 (In situations where students need to request beyond the general parameters outlined by DSS): The student must request an individual review by contacting DSS. The individual review includes an in-depth review of the course syllabus and requirements and consultations with relevant faculty or the department. While requests for flexibility beyond the general parameters are uncommonly approved, DSS will work with students individually to determine if additional consideration is reasonable.
Faculty: Implementing flexibility accommodations
- Receive an accommodation letter from the student.
- Immediately contacts DSS if faculty needs clarification or has any objection to the flexibility accommodations.
- Establish a mutual agreement with the student. Determine the maximum number of class periods the student can miss and/or reasonable deadlines without compromising academic standards. The DSS recommends documenting this agreement in writing via email. For more details on mutual agreements, refer to the Students’ Step 2 section above.
Expectations
Students using flexibility accommodations
- Flexibility with attendance and deadlines varies depending on the course’s interactive and participatory nature, departmental rules, and accrediting agency standards.
- When students miss the course due to their disability, they are responsible for the course content, lecture notes, and information presented that day.
- The flexibility accommodations should be used only for the disability on record with DSS. Other reasons, including seasonal colds, flu, scheduling conflicts, personal obligations, and financial matters, do not apply.
- Retroactive requests do not apply. Accommodations are designed to be implemented at the point of request moving forward.
- When students do not have approved deadline accommodations and miss class on the day an assignment is due, faculty are not required to accept late submissions.
Faculty whose students have flexibility accommodations
- Faculty have the right to uphold academic standards, determine course content, and choose instructional methods.
- Students must take the initiative to communicate with faculty if they wish to implement an accommodation in a course. When students do not have approved deadline accommodations and miss class on the day an assignment is due, faculty are not obligated to accept late submissions.
- Faculty are not responsible to individually contact each student to initiate discussion of accommodations.
- Faculty will not request medical provider notes from students to verify absences or reasons for deadline extensions. If a student provides disability-related documentation other than the accommodation letter, faculty should decline to accept it and refer the student to DSS, which maintains accommodation records.
- Faculty contacts DSS at any point when they have questions or concerns about the process or agreement.