ACCESS

Reasonable Accommodations for Attendance

Faculty determine course attendance policies. Because attendance may be integral to the pedagogic process, these policies are set by faculty at the College/School, departmental or individual level. Faculty also determine policies regarding make-up work and missed quizzes and exams. The United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, which enforces disability law in higher education, uses the following heuristic to determine if class attendance is fundamental to course participation:

• Is there classroom interaction between the instructor and students, and among students?
• Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
• Does the fundamental nature of the course rely upon student participation as an essential method for learning?
• To what degree does a student's failure to attend constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of other students in the class?
• What does the course description and syllabus say?
• What is the method by which the final course grade is calculated?
• What are classroom practices and policies regarding attendance?

ACCESS provides faculty with verification of a student’s reasonable accommodations based on appropriate documentation provided to ACCESS by the student. This verification addresses the legitimacy of absences.

Intermittent or Extended Absence Accommodations for Episodic Conditions

While class attendance is considered an essential element, we also recognize that the episodic nature of some disabilities may occasionally impede student class attendance or the ability to submit work by deadlines. In such cases, ACCESS may determine that an accommodation related to class attendance and/or participation may be necessary.  Such accommodations are made under exceptional circumstances and must be supported with appropriate documentation.

ACCESS acknowledges that it is the instructor that determines the course requirements and learning outcomes. It should be noted that if a student’s condition forces the student to miss so many classes that it is felt that the student cannot sufficiently meet the learning objectives of the course, other alternatives such as a withdrawal or incomplete could be explored, as any accommodation that fundamentally alters the nature of instruction in a course would not be considered reasonable.

Course instructors can collaborate with ACCESS to determine the reasonableness of the accommodation based on the nature of the course, which may vary in terms of expectations for attendance and participation. The reasonableness of the request should be determined by the nature of the course and how essential attendance is to the curriculum. Performance related courses, (i.e. Dance, Speech, Studio Arts), Clinical Courses, Experiential Learning, Practicum Experiences, and/or Student Teaching are examples of courses in which attendance is integral to the learning experience. Missing several of those classes may not be considered reasonable.  On the other hand, classes that require that most of the content mastery be measured quantitatively using objective assessment methods may be more amenable to missed class sessions.  Given this context, it should be noted that any guidelines are just that, guidelines to provide a starting point for discussing an individualized plan based on the needs of the student and the nature of the class. This interactive process involving the student, the ACCESS office and the instructor should ensure that reasonable accommodations are available to qualified students AND that the integrity of courses are upheld. The ACCESS office will consult with the student and the instructor to explain the unique set of circumstances and/or to establish reasonable parameters. It is strongly recommended that these conversations occur at the beginning of the academic term, before such an accommodation should become necessary.

The U.S. Office of Civil Rights (OCR) states that requests for accommodations for absences due to a disability should be considered on an individual basis. The accommodation should be provided unless the accommodation threatens the integrity of the course as offered. If it is determined that attendance (as defined in the existing course syllabus) is an essential requirement and that a modification to the attendance policy would alter the integrity of the course, the faculty member is not required to make a modification. In such cases, it is important that the department/faculty member document this with ACCESS so that the student can then make an informed decision regarding alternatives.

Please consider the following guidelines to assess if attendance is an essential part of a class:

1. Is there classroom interaction between the instructor and students and among students?
2. Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
3. Does the fundamental 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 other students in the class?
5. What do the course description and syllabus say?
6. Which method is used to calculate the final grade?
7. What are the classroom practices and policies regarding attendance?

For your convenience, we have also included here a copy of the Intermittent/Extended Absence Form and Essential Abilities Intermittent/Extended Absence Form.  If you have additional questions, comments or concerns regarding the implementation or appropriateness of the IEAF accommodation in your course, please feel free to speak with an ACCESS representative directly or email us at myaccess@siue.edu.

Navigating Intermittent/Extended Absence Accommodations

If you receive an Intermittent/Extended Absence Accommodation form (IEAF) from our office, this means based on the student’s diagnoses, there’s a high likelihood for the student to experience either extended/intermittent absences from your course. These absences may come suddenly and without warning and will not be accompanied by individualized doctor’s notices but have been verified by a qualified physician and authenticated by ACCESS. 

Along with the standard accommodation letter, you will receive from ACCESS our IEA form to assist in the facilitation of an absence based agreement. If your course has standard attendance policies with which missed classes do not have a correlated penalty, please be informed that the student may miss class due to symptoms or circumstances related to their diagnosis and will follow up with you on opportunities to make up missed work, assignments or exams. The form will include an opportunity to affirm your agreement with the accommodation as well as provide insight to any activities that students will be permitted to miss and how long they will have to make up any missed opportunities after an absence, either intermittent or extended in nature. You may also indicate any opportunities in class that cannot be replicated or missed due to being related to an essential requirement of the course. 

Please note that absence based accommodations are an individualized process and are evaluated on a case by case basis through interactive dialogue between our office and the instructor with input from the student. Should you have any additional questions, comments or concerns regarding the process, feel free to contact the ACCESS office directly to discuss further.

Questions regarding an absence related accommodation

In order to refuse or refute absenteeism as an accommodation, the instructor should notify ACCESS in writing as to the reasons for the decision to deny attendance policy modification as an accommodation for the course. For this purpose we have an Essential Abilities IEA form which will allow instructors to detail specifically how attendance impacts the student's ability to demonstrate the essential requirements, how attendance or participation is factored into the final grade, the degree of interaction between the instructor and students, etc. 

The student retains the right of appeal which will be facilitated through the Office of Equal Opportunity, Access, and Title IX. In your written denial, faculty will be asked to address the following questions and provide evidence of the significant alteration of the course:

1. How does the absence of this student significantly alter the course requirements?
2. How does the fundamental nature of the course rely upon student participation as an essential method for learning?
3. To what degree does a student's failure to attend class constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of other students in the class?
4. What percentage of the course grade is altered by the absence of the student in the course?

Questions regarding this policy should be directed to the director of ACCESS by calling 618-650-3726.