Chapter 21- Flexibility with Attendance/Assignments (See Ch 32 Addendum - Use Chapter 21, 2025)

Students with disabilities who experience periodic flareups of a chronic condition - such as gastrointestinal disorders, autoimmune diseases, and mental health disorders - may be approved for this accommodation.

The purpose of disability-related accommodations is to ensure access. This extends to providing reasonable flexibility within attendance/assignment policies to students with disabilities so they are not disproportionately penalized for exacerbations of their condition.

General Information

  1. The Flexibility in Attendance/Assignment accommodation is not intended to be used every week, for every assignment, or every exam.  This accommodation does not mean that the student is able to miss an unlimited number of classes or submit assignments late on a continual basis.
  2. Students with flexibility accommodations are responsible for obtaining lecture notes for any missed classes.  The student is also responsible for completing all coursework in a timely manner or per the Flexibility Agreement.
  3. Attendance policies are set by instructors at the college or departmental level.
  4. Discussion boards act as “in-class” participation time, particularly for Ecampus/hybrid classes.  If the dialectic engagement between peers is important to the course, a discussion board assignment may not be extended, or an alternative may not be available. 
  5. Group work generally does not fall under the Flexibility Agreement because a student's individual accommodation should not impact the progress of other students.
  6. If the absences meet or exceed 50% of those agreed upon in the Flexibility in Attendance/Assignments Agreement, DAS should be informed.  This will allow DAS to be of assistance in answering questions about accommodation from both the student and the instructor.
  7. At no time is the student required to present the instructor with medical documentation verifying their disability-related absence.
  8. Absences that are not related to the effects/impacts of a disability are not included in this accommodation (e.g., absences due to a common illness, COVID, car trouble, childcare, etc.) and should be addressed according to the attendance/absence policy stated in the syllabus.
  9. Instructors are not obligated to reteach material missed due to not attending the class.
  10. If the student is requesting this accommodation for a practicum, internship, field placement, etc., please refer to Chapter 28.

Student Responsibilities

  1. Request accommodations each term in the DAS Student Portal.
  2. Review the agreement and contact your DAS Adviser if there are any concerns.
  3. Students are responsible for reporting absences according to the Flexibility Agreement.  The number of allowable absences depends on the interactive or participatory nature of a course, or is based on department, college or accrediting agency requirements. 

Instructor Responsibility

  1. The accommodation for Attendance Flexibility should always be considered on an individual course basis, allowing for a diligent and critical analysis of how attendance is essential to the course learning objectives and pedagogical components.  While an attendance policy may be already incorporated into the grading rubric and syllabus, and its value is inherent to student success and learning, this accommodation is intended to modify any stated attendance policies allowing some flexibility beyond that limit to account for the student’s disability-related need, without penalty.
  2. Read the eligibility email DAS sends to the instructors which contains a link to the DAS Instructor Portal.  Instructors should select this link to access their course information and to complete the Flexibility in Attendance/Assignments Agreement to provide information about attendance/assignment requirements, course design, and learning outcomes.
  3. The agreement should identify the number of late assignments and the maximum number of days of extensions permitted before docking points or not accepting the assignment.
  4. Instructors do not have to provide additional flexibility beyond what is in the agreement.  If questions or concerns arise regarding the use of this accommodation, instructors are encouraged to communicate directly with the DAS adviser.
  5. Flexibility with attendance and deadline accommodations should be provided unless the accommodation significantly compromises the integrity of the course or is a fundamental alteration to the course. If the instructor believes additional absences beyond the stated policy or extended deadlines would result in an unreasonable accommodation then instructors should consult with the DAS adviser.
  6. Instructors are not expected to provide retroactive accommodation even when a student receives this accommodation later in the term.  Instructors are still responsible for this accommodation even if they delay in responding to DAS.  DO NOT WAIT!
  7. Instructors should submit the agreement through the DAS Instructor Portal within three (3) business days of the DAS notification email.
  8. At no time is the student required to present the instructor with medical documentation verifying their disability-related absence for this accommodation.
  9. Flexibility Agreement – Things to Consider.
    1. What is identified in your syllabus as the course attendance policy? 
    2. Are attendance, late work, and missed exam policies applied consistently? Are there exceptions to a policy made for extenuating circumstances, such as athletic travel or a religious observance? 
    3. Do students’ contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?  How much interaction is there between the instructor and students, and among students and their peers? 
    4. Does the design of the course rely on student participation (e.g., attendance and/or assignment/project contributions) as a significant method for learning?  Is the content only offered during class?  To what degree does a student’s failure to attend class or complete an assignment on time compromise the educational experience of other students in the course.
    5. What method is used to calculate the student's final grade (e.g., attendance, assignments, discussion board posts, exams, etc.)?  
    6. Based on learning outcomes, it may not be possible to provide an extension for every course component.

DAS Responsibilities

  1. DAS determines that Flexibility with Attendance/Assignments is a reasonable accommodation. 
  2. During a meeting with their DAS Adviser, students are reminded that the accommodation is not intended to be used every week, for every assignment, or every exam. Students are still responsible for completing coursework in a timely manner. 
  3. DAS will send an email notification of this accommodation and the final completed agreement to the instructor and student.  If either the instructor or student has questions, the student's DAS adviser should be contacted.  
  4. The finalized flexibility agreement will be considered active as of the day the student requested the accommodation for the course with DAS, or the first day of the term (whichever is later).

 

Page Updated: 10/2024