Flex Accommodations

The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is responsible for identifying flexible accommodations for students with disabilities in a variety of learning environments and provide access and inclusion strategies when aspects of a course create barriers for students with disabilities. Flexible accommodation recommendations are outlined in an individualized DRC student accommodation letter students are expected to provide instructors.  

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DRC Student Accommodation Letters

DRC student accommodation letters are intended to serve as medical verification when the absence, missed deadline, or missed exam is due to disability. The DRC uses an extensive interactive process which includes seeking documentation or details about the student’s disability. Faculty will not be informed of the student’s disability, only the accommodations necessary to support the student’s success in the class.

A DRC student accommodation letter that addresses attendance, assignment deadline and exam rescheduling accommodations should be proactive in nature and should only be used for disability-related reasons. Flex accommodations are not intended to waive all deadlines, exam dates, or attendance policies, and cannot compromise course requirements. Rather, they are intended to be used on an as-needed basis with consideration of essential learning outcomes. For non-disability-related illnesses or non-disability related absences, please follow the guidelines provided in the University Policy on Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences.

Upon receiving a student’s DRC accommodation letter, it is important for faculty to clarify roles and expectations.  This will facilitate a clear process for determining what is reasonable for a specific student in a specific class and as it relates to attendance, assignment deadlines, and exam scheduling accommodations. 

If an instructor has questions about a student’s accommodations, whether they are being used appropriately, how accommodations are determined, or examples of when accommodations may be warranted, please contact the Access Consultant identified in the letter instead of the student. 

Suggestions to the Instructor

Encourage students to consult with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at the beginning of the semester to request a reasonable accommodation with regard to flexibility related to attendance, assignment structure of deadlines, and/or rescheduling exams as warranted due to the nature of a student’s disability barriers in the academic environment. 

Setting Expectations: Upon receiving the accommodation letter from the student, discuss how attendance, assignment, and/or exam accommodations will work in your class and identify the reasonable plan that works for the student and the class.  Accommodations could include but are not limited to, identifying the number of absences, timeframes for extensions, and/or the process for scheduling extended-time or make-up exams. 

Notification Plan: Make a plan with the student about how they will notify you of the need to use the accommodation(s) and how they will make up what they’ve missed, while being aware that students may not always be able to anticipate in advance when they will need to use their accommodation. 

Test Taking Alternatives: Time and space permitting, the DRC Testing Center can assist in administering an exam accommodation or a rescheduled exam. If you are not able to administer the rescheduled exam, please ask the student to reach out to the DRC Testing Center to schedule. 

Ongoing Communication: Communicate with the student throughout the semester to insure understanding of the expectations.  

Consult with the DRC and CEI: The DRC Access Consultant identified in the letter is available to discuss the accommodation request and to brainstorm ways your student can be accommodated.  Alert the DRC Access Consultant as soon as possible if things are not going as expected or the accommodations are not effective. For assistance in developing and identifying essential course requirements, contact the University of Minnesota Center for Educational Innovation (CEI) to request a consultation.

In some cases, students may miss more class or student work than is reasonable.  The University Policy on Makeup Work for Legitimate Absences notes that instructors are not obligated to accommodate a student who has missed so much of the critical components of a course, even for legitimate reasons, that arrangements for makeup work would not be reasonable.  In these cases, the earned letter grade, an Incomplete, or a Withdrawal may be options for the student.  Students can work with their academic advisers to explore the logistics involved in requesting an Incomplete or formally proposing a Withdrawal.  

Pro-actively Preparing for Flex Accommodations

As you develop your course content, materials and syllabus consider:

  1. What are the essential course requirements? 

  2. To what extent does your syllabus articulate your practices and policies on attendance and assignment completion? 

  3. To what extent do classroom interactions and/or timely assignment completion contribute to content learning in your class? 

  4. How is classroom participation and/or timely completion of assignments or exams an essential course requirement and method for learning in your class? 

  5. How does classroom participation and attendance contribute to the student’s grade? 

  6. Do you provide multiple ways of participating (clickers, online discussion, etc.)? 

  7. To what degree does a student’s absence and/or timely completion of assignments or exams affect their own and other students’ learning? 

  8. To what extent do your assignments build on one another, such that timely completion of one is necessary to start on the next assignment? 

  9. If a student misses an in-class activity, is there an alternative activity they can engage in to demonstrate learning and earn missed points? 

Consider incorporating the recommendations outlined in the Creating Community in the Classroom hand-out to support a welcoming classroom community for all students, including students with varying cultural backgrounds, gender identities, disabilities, and students who are first-generation.

For assistance in developing and identifying essential course requirements, contact the University of Minnesota Center for Educational Innovation to request a consultation.