Consideration for Disability Related Absences

Regular class attendance is a student obligation, and a student is responsible for all the work, including tests and written work, for all class meetings. This accommodation is defined as occasional exceptions to a course absence policy when educationally feasible. Students are expected and encouraged to attend class. Instructors have a right to establish attendance policies. However, allowance for some absences and making up missed work may be appropriate accommodations for some students with disabilities.

Students who are most likely to request this accommodation are those with chronic health related disabilities that flare up episodically. This might include students with lupus or fibromyalgia, sickle cell anemia, seizure disorders, cancer, migraines, and conditions requiring dialysis. Such students typically do not go to the doctor when feeling poorly because it is a chronic condition that they are used to and know how to manage. You cannot require the student to provide a doctor’s note for disability related absences.

Federal law requires colleges and universities to consider reasonable modification of attendance policies if required to accommodate a student’s disability. In making this determination, two questions must be answered:

1. Does the student have a documented disability that directly affects his/her ability to attend class on occasion? The Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) will make this determination based on documentation from the student’s medical provider and through an interactive process with the student.
2. Is attendance an essential part of the class? Would absences above what is typically allowed result in a fundamental alteration of the course/program of study or curriculum? The instructor should make this determination in consultation with the OAS.

*This accommodation is not designed to comprehensively address and fully support a student who misses or is unable to participate in more than one week’s worth of classes in succession, who missed a significant number of classes during the semester, or who misses numerous deadlines and course activities for medical or other reasons. In these situations, students and professors will often need to discuss if it is possible to adequately address missed work and to maintain course pace. OAS can be involved in these discussions as necessary per student or professor request. In some cases, reasonable adjustments may not be possible, and the student’s final grade may be impacted should the student choose to stay in the course. The student may also need to consider an incomplete or a course withdrawal.

There are some classes in which the attendance policy cannot be adjusted for an individual student without resulting in fundamental changes to the course design. These tend to be classes in which the course relies upon regular classroom interaction between instructors and/or students as an essential method for learning. These can also be classes in which student learning is sequentially and directly assessed in the classroom, thereby making attendance an essential requirement for the course. In such cases, or if absences become excessive, the student may need to consider a course withdrawal as a more appropriate option.

Some students may wait to register with the OAS late in the term or wait to give instructors notification of their accommodations. In such cases, instructors are not expected to provide accommodations retroactively.

1. Student notifies the instructor of their approved accommodations through Accommodate.
2. The instructor receives email notification directing them to review the Accommodation Letter in Accommodate. If there are questions or concerns about an accommodation, the instructor should contact the Office of Accessibility Services as soon as possible. Student and instructor meet/communicate to discuss the applicability of this accommodation, reasonable absences and the process by which the student should notify the instructor of the need for an absence.
3. On days that this student will be unable to make it to class, they must send an email (or otherwise notify their instructor) to their instructor informing them of the absence. This email may be sent after the missed class as opposed to beforehand, depending on the particular circumstance for this student or the instance of the absence.

• The student’s medical condition or disability has been verified by the submission of appropriate documentation, that they are registered with OAS and that the student's medical condition or disability may result in unavoidable absences and that absences should NOT trigger the kind of sanction you would ordinarily apply.
• The intent is to remove the “automatic” application of the attendance policy, and enable the instructor to consider the absence as 'excused' even if the standard limit of excused absences has been reached.
• This accommodation is not a “free pass” for absences. Students should always meet with class instructors to discuss the way in which this accommodation will work in practice and to agree upon appropriate procedures and protocols.
• This accommodation is not for everyday illnesses or absences unrelated to the documented chronic condition on file with OAS.
• Instructors are not obligated to create extra work for either the student or themselves as a substitute for “participation” in class or missed assignments. However, instructors are encouraged to consider whether there are opportunities for the student to mitigate or “make up” their absence. Again, this is particularly relevant for classes that are highly interactive and include assignments and group work.
• Remote attendance, course recordings, and course notes are not provided/included as part of this accommodation.

1. How many absences can occur before it is not possible for the student to meet essential course requirements/experiences/learning outcomes?
2. How should the instructor be notified of each disability-related absence (ex. email, text, etc.) and what is the preferred timing, when possible? (Note: because of documentation previously submitted to the OAS, a doctor's note should not be requested of the student).
3. For disability-related absences, are there other ways to obtain material missed in class or substitute means of participation? (Attend another section of the same lecture or lab; class notes; etc.)
4. What is the procedure for turning in homework/projects/assignments due the day of a disability-related absence?
5. What options (when possible) exist for contribution to group assignments if absences interfere? Is there an alternative to group assignments that will accomplish/meet the course requirements and/or learning objectives?
6. What is the course policy on missed tests/quizzes/in-class graded assignments? How would the student arrange to take a missed test/quiz due to a disability-related absences? (for example: Use LEAD Center Test Proctoring with advance notice, take a make up with the instructor, etc.)

To determine if attendance is an essential part of class, consider the following:

1. Are there classroom interactions between the instructor and the students and among students?
2. Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
3. Does the functional nature of the course rely on student participation as an essential method for learning?
4. To what degree does a student’s failure to attend constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of the other students in the course?
5. What do the course description and syllabus say?
6. What are classroom practices and policies regarding attendance?