The original draft was finished on August 29, 2024, by the Faculty Experience Committee (FEC), and transcribed here on September 24, 2024. Please note that this is a draft and will change as needed. The current version was created on September 24, 2024.
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This document represents FAQs that the Faculty Experience Committee has compiled in response to faculty and student questions and through discussions with The Campus Diversity Committee, The Student Experience Committee, the Office of Disability Support Services. Persons with questions that reach beyond the scope of these FAQs are encouraged to reach out to the Office of Disability Support Services. Their website is
https://www.knox.edu/offices/disability-support-services
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Defining Student Accommodations
Knox College is committed to following Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, 2008, (ADAAA) and other applicable federal and state regulations and college policies that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. “Reasonable Accommodations” are a tool by which to ensure student success and a right guaranteed to students by the U.S. Department of Education-Chicago Office of Civil Rights. As such, both students and faculty need to learn how to apply and maximize this tool.
Accommodations are tools and procedures that provide equal access to instruction and assessment for students with disabilities. Access is the opportunity and ability for a student to participate in the instruction, discussions, activities, products, and assessments provided to all students within an institution covered by the ADA and Section 504 mandates. Accommodations are intended to reduce or even eliminate the effects of a student’s disability, providing an opportunity for them to demonstrate knowledge and skills.
Accommodations do not reduce learning expectations nor do they fundamentally alter or eliminate essential course requirements. Provision of accommodations should not: 1) Fundamentally alter the nature or operation of the college’s programs, services, or activities; 2) Cause undue financial burden to the college; 3) Pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others.
The Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, in its regulatory language, refers to “modifications” to academic requirements. The Section 504 regulations suggest three types of modifications that are available to students in postsecondary education:
1) academic adjustments;
2) modification or alteration of course examinations;
3) the provision of “auxiliary aids.”
Therefore, colleges and universities must make such modifications to academic requirements as are necessary to ensure that such requirements do not discriminate or have the effect of discriminating on the basis of disability, against a qualified applicant or student with a disability.
Based on the ADA,1990, ADAAA, 2008 as amended, and Section 504, in higher education, a good working definition would be as follows:
A reasonable accommodation is a modification or adjustment to a course, program, service, or activity that enables a qualified student with a disability to have an equal opportunity to access and use benefits, privileges, and services that are available to similarly-situated students without disabilities.
The definition of a qualified individual (student), based upon disability is:
- A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual;
- A record of such an impairment or;
- Being regarded as having such an impairment.
The ADAAA defines life activities as, but not limited to:
- Seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, caring for oneself, and performing manual tasks.
The ADAAA further states that a major life activity also includes the operations of a major bodily function including but not limited to:
- Immune system, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.
Finally, Congress stated that “an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities need not limit other major life activities in order to be considered a disability.”
Therefore, reasonable modifications (accommodations) are determined by examining:
- The barriers resulting from the interaction between the impact of the documented disability and the campus environment.
- The possible accommodations that might reduce and/or remove the barriers.
- Whether or not the student has access to the course, program, service or activity without an accommodation.
- Whether or not essential elements of the course, program, service, activity or facility are compromised by the accommodations.
Implementing Reasonable Accommodations:
- “Reasonable Accommodations” is the term used by the courts to refer to academic accommodations mandated by medical diagnoses and evaluations. When using this term, we must understand that we are using an explicitly defined term and must avoid applying our personal connotations to the adjective “reasonable.” To be clear, the document that each faculty member and student with documented accommodations receives from DSS constitutes the prescribed reasonable accommodations for that student.
- Students with accommodations must request and recertify with DSS every term to receive accommodations in a given term.
- Accommodations are not retroactive. If a student recertifies after the start of the term, the accommodations are only applicable as of the date of notification.
- Students may not seek accommodations from faculty without active certification.
- Students who do not have documented accommodations provided by the DSS may not ask a faculty member for them. (They can ask for extensions or any other form of largesse, but granting any such request is up to the faculty member.)
- Faculty may not refuse to provide accommodations as per federal regulations set forth by the Office of Civil Rights.
- If a faculty member feels that their pedagogy or student synthesis of the material is or will be in conflict with accommodations protocols, they should speak to the Associate Dean of the College (ADOC) and the Director of DSS.
- Faculty should have a statement on their syllabi about accommodations, which we are happy to provide and you can find guidance here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BvbFIyqRNhDwsvZBSvrPSTEeRnwko6NpY6901X3ZEjY/edit?usp=sharing
- “Flexible Attendance” as an accommodation is very rare. If that link is live on an accommodation notice sent to the faculty member, the faculty member must meet with the student and discuss the parameters of the accommodation relative to the diagnosis of that student and kinds of make-up options that can be provided. The form that the link goes to must be filled out by the professor and the student and be sent to the DSS office. The office may seek out the faculty member to discuss questions and offer further guidance. If a student conveys that they have “flexible attendance” but that link is not live on the form, refer the student to the office of DSS. Please feel free to contact DSS for guidance on crafting appropriate parameters for this accommodation.
- Extended time on specific assignments is a common accommodation, but is governed by agreed upon parameters between the faculty member and the student. The student is obligated to meet the terms of the extension agreement per assignment extension request, which must be filled out.
- Students with extended time on assignments must fill out and submit the form that the professor will find as a link on the accommodations notification. The student also receives this form link and must fill out the form for each extension request. Extensions should not merely be granted by verbal arrangement with the faculty member. The form ensures parameters for the extension so that an extension does not just roll on indefinitely and alerts the office of DSS as to how effectively students are using their accommodations.
- Faculty implementing Universal Syllabus Design or giving Take Home assignments or exams should include in the directions for the assignment/exam a clear indication of the amount of time it should take to complete the assignment/exam. In order to ensure that students with extended time accommodations will be able to implement accommodations, the prescribed time for completion of the assignment/exam should be at least double the initial time estimated for completion of the assignment. There must be enough time to implement the accommodation between handing out the assignment/exam and the due date. Alternatively, the professor must indicate to students with accommodations the extended time due date. Without the clear indication of the estimated time to complete (and inclusion of the additional time for extended time accommodations within the total time), students with time extensions will be able to apply extended time beyond the general class due date as per OCR guidelines. If faculty choose to give all students in a class extended time on a test, the students with formal accommodations still receive the extension of accommodated time in addition to that which the rest of the class receives.
- Students requiring extra time on tests and exams may take those in the DSS office with prior arrangements with the DSS staff. Faculty can also arrange this accommodation with the student. Not all tests with extended time have to be taken in the DSS office. Students may get access to this form from DSS.
- Faculty may ask a member of DSS staff to attend and observe in any given class and to provide pedagogical feedback.
- FERPA rules apply to accommodations. Faculty should ensure that they protect this information regarding each student by conducting all discussions with and instructions to individual students with accommodations privately.
- Faculty should note that students using Glean have consented to a privacy policy that is strictly enforced. https://www.glean.com/
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