The goal of reasonable accommodations is to remove barriers so that students with disabilities have equal access to learning opportunities and educational benefits available to all students (with or without disabilities). 

At the same time, reasonable accommodations cannot fundamentally alter the nature of the course or program, or eliminate, lower or substantially modify the essential requirements or academic/program standards. If you have specific questions about or would like assistance with identifying reasonable accommodations for a particular course, please reach out to Student Disability Services (SDS).

If you have a student in your course or program that has presented you with a SDS Letter of Accommodation approving Disability Related Absence and Deadline Modification (DRADM) as a reasonable accommodation, you are expected to work with the student as a part of the interactive process to create a written “DRADM plan” applicable to that student in that course for that semester.   

Key Points for Instructors regarding DRADM plans: 

  • Reasonable disability accommodations may require modifying existing course or program policies.
  • A DRADM plan is developed through one-on-one discussion(s) with the student. Instructors should consider the individual student’s disability-related needs and where modifications can be made that provide an opportunity for the student with a disability to meet the learning objectives without compromising the course’s essential requirements and academic/program standards.  
  • DRADM plans must be documented in writing either by using the DRADM form or an email confirming the DRADM discussion and agreement between the instructor and the student.
  • A written DRADM plan documents the disability-related absence and/or deadline modifications that are reasonable accommodations for a student with a disability who is enrolled in your course and that are agreed to as a part of the interactive process between you and the student. 
  • The DRADM plan is specific to a particular student and their specific disability-related needs in a particular course during a specific semester. As a result, such plans may be different for different students in the same course.
  • Reasonable disability accommodations, including DRADMs, are prospective and not retroactive. In other words, this accommodation does not apply to absences, assignments, exams, or quizzes that occur before the DRADM plan is active. 
  • A DRADM plan is active only AFTER the instructor and student meet and create an agreed upon written DRADM plan that specifies course modifications to absences/deadlines and implementation expectations. 

Timeline to Create DRADM Accommodations

Students are responsible for sharing their Letter of Accommodation(s) (LOA) with their instructors. They are encouraged to do so at the beginning of the semester, or as soon as an accommodation is approved through SDS, regardless of the fact the LOA may be available to instructors in ICON. 

Once the student provides the instructor with their LOA, the student is also expected to schedule a one-on-one meeting with the instructor to develop a DRADM plan. It may be helpful for the instructor to inform the student of office hours or other ways to meet, as well as some available days and times.  

Privacy and Diagnosis

Students with LOAs have already documented their disability with Student Disability Services, including supporting medical documentation and health care provider recommendations, and appropriate reasonable academic accommodations have been identified.  Instructors must not ask a student questions about their disability or the legitimacy of the approved accommodation. If instructors have questions of this nature, they should contact Student Disability Services.

 

Before the meeting, identify the truly essential requirements and components of the course or program. 

Essential requirements

Essential requirements are core learning outcomes (including skills and knowledge) that all students must demonstrate, with or without using accommodations, that are part of a larger interconnected curriculum related to a program or degree.

Fundamental alterations

Final decisions regarding what constitutes a fundamental alteration of an essential course or program requirement/standard include, among other things, careful, thoughtful consideration of numerous factors by an appropriate multi-disciplinary group of people from relevant university offices and departments. Factors include but are not limited to nature and purpose of the program; the relationship of the standard to the functional elements of the program; whether exceptions or alternatives are permitted; whether the standard is required in similar programs in other institutions; whether the standard is essential to a given vocation for which the program is preparing students; and whether the standard is required for licensure or certification in a related occupation or profession.

If it is believed that an accommodation would fundamentally alter an essential requirement, please contact the SDS Access Consultant identified on the Letter of Accommodation.

Attendance: what is the established attendance policy and why?

  • In what ways is attendance flexibility granted for other situations, such as athletic events for athletes, illness, or significant life events
  • How can the attendance policy be modified to reasonably accommodate this student’s disability?

Assignment deadlines: what are the established deadline policies?

  • How might a reasonable extension on an assignment impact completion of subsequent assignments or overall course performance?  Are there alternatives for minimizing the impact?
  • How might missing immediate in-class feedback from peers or the instructor impact the student’s learning?
  •  Flexibility may vary by assignment. How do different assignment structures (papers, projects, presentations; skills tests) allow for intermittent flexibility?

DRADM Form

SDS recommends using the DRADM Plan Form to guide the conversation. If not using the Form, a confirming email after the discussion(s) may suffice if it accurately reflects agreement between you and the student on the substance of the DRADM plan.

Discuss Flexibility Needs

During the meeting, discuss how the student can meet the essential elements of the course while accommodating their specific disability-related needs regarding attendance and/or deadline modification.

While a DRADM Plan may look different for each course and for each student, topics to discuss with the student when developing a DRADM plan include but are not limited to the following:

Absences and Make-Up Exams/Quizzes:

  • Maximum Allowed Absences: Determine the maximum number of allowed absences with and without the accommodation. This point is crucial because excessive absences may impact the student’s ability to meet learning objectives and succeed in the course or program.
  • Exceeding the Maximum Absences: Discuss what to do if the student exceeds the agreed-on maximum number of absences. 

Make-Up Quizzes and Exams:

  • If the student misses an exam or quiz due to a disability-related absence, what is the process for making it up? Explain the steps and any communication requirements. 

Missed Content, Participation, and Group Projects:

  • Consider how the student can make up content missed during class.
  • For participation and group projects, discuss alternative ways to engage and contribute.

Class Content on Days Absent:

  • In what way(s) can the student make up course content missed because of a disability-related absence (e.g., from classmates, instructor, class recordings, or other online resources)?

Assignment Deadline Extensions

  • Define and discuss the need for limits on deadline extensions. For example, the impact of assignment deadline extension(s) on progress and successful completion of the course/program, requiring the student to demonstrate progress toward completing the assignment at the time an extension is requested, etc.

Course Specific Components

  • Review other course components (e.g., labs, studio sessions, discussion sections, group work, clinical/field work, projects, etc.). Consider whether additional flexibility may be needed for these activities.

Communications

  • Discuss how you and the student will communicate related to the DRADM plan.
  • Specify your preferred communication method(s) (e.g., ICON, email, phone, office hours) and when the student should notify you of the need to use a DRADM accommodation (before, at, or after the deadline or absence). Understand that there may be circumstances when the student is unable to timely communicate due to a disability-related incident and agree to a process for notification in those instances.

Document the DRADM Plan in Writing 

  • Make sure you have written documentation of agreed upon DRADM accommodations, either in a DRADM Form or in a confirming email after your meeting(s)/discussion(s). Avoid relying solely on verbal agreements to prevent misunderstandings.  

  • Absence Forms Not Required: Once the DRADM plan is in place, students approved for this accommodation cannot be required to submit any additional absence forms, unless the absence is outside of the agreed plan. 

For more information on how to respond to student letters of Accommodation requests and instructor rights and responsibilities visit their respective webpages.