Q. How do I know if a student in my class is eligible for an accommodation?
A. When a student chooses to use an approved accommodation in your course, you will receive an email notification from Accessibility Services. Students are then instructed to reach out to you to discuss implementation of relevant accommodations (i.e. testing, flexibility with attendance). To view a full list of students in your class(es) who have requested accommodations, please follow the instructions on our AIM faculty guides page. If a student asks you for an accommodation but they do not appear in your AIM portal, they have either forgotten to submit their approved accommodation(s) and should be directed to do so, or they are not officially approved for an accommodation. Please refer any unapproved students to our office for assistance.
Q. What does the accommodation of flexibility with attendance mean, and how do I determine the number of absences I should allow a student to use?
A. When you see this code it means the student “may miss, be late for, or need to leave early from class, if necessitated by a medical condition.” Students with such an accommodation have medical conditions for which they cannot predict when flare-ups will occur, but such flare-ups would render the student unable to participate in class.
* It is important that we (AS, faculty, and student) work closely together to establish agreed upon flexibility parameters at the start of the semester or as early as the student is approved. This helps maintain the integrity of your course and aids students in making important decisions if their health circumstances result in exceeding the agreed upon attendance parameters.
Q. If I give students participation points and have a student with the accommodation of flexibility with attendance, how do I grade their participation if they are not in class?
A. If students are given points based on class participation and discussion or group work, you can re-weight their participation points for the number of classes they attend, so that you are not factoring in the absences for which they were approved.
Q. If a student is eligible for extended time on an exam, can the student be excused from a portion of the class for use as their extra time?
A. No. Students should not be placed in a position of choosing between their necessary accommodation and other educational benefits, such as attending course lecture.
Q. What if a student comes to me and asks for an accommodation just one time, should I allow it?
A. Maybe, depending on the circumstances. For example, there are times where students have personal situations, and may ask for flexibility. If this is a one-time request -- and the student does not indicate that the request is due to a disability -- you can make the decision to grant the student’s request.
However, when a student requests the same request before every test, or discloses a disability (ex. a learning disability, or mental health diagnosis, etc.), please refer them to accessibility services.
Q. What is the difference between an accommodation and a modification?
A. A modification is an adjustment which is given to a student with no frequency, a “one-off” request. When a student is asking for the same modification before every exam, they are requesting an accommodation, and should be referred to accessibility services.
Q. Where can I find more information about what each acommodation means?
A. Please refer to this faculty guide with helpful definitions and accommodation information.