Why would a student need this accommodation?
An attendance accommodation is a modification of the course attendance policy by providing flexibility to the student. This is a reasonable request for students who are not able to abide by the policy due to disability-related reasons. Students’ disabilities addressed through this accommodation are typically chronic or episodic in nature or the student is undergoing an intensive treatment regimen.
How is this accommodation determined?
What happens if a student misses an exam due to a disability-related absence?
Student Responsibilities
Faculty Responsibilities
Verifying Disability-related Absences
A student’s diagnosis is considered private health information. In many cases students may not seek out medical care for each individual health crisis or flare-up. As faculty, you should not request medical documentation to verify student absences. SAS can assist with verifying disability-related absences.
ESAs are animals that provide assistance or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability or provide emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability.
For additional information about ESA, please contact Student Accessibility Services:
Please also see the SAS Procedural Guidelines:
Why would a student need this accommodation?
Students with disabilities would need extended time for individual assignments when the functional limitation imposed by their disability creates a barrier between the student and the task of meeting certain deadlines. This may be due to the symptoms of the diagnosis, the effects of medication or the need to use assistive technology to complete a task. This accommodation is meant to provide the student access, not ensure his or her success.
What is extended time for assignments?
Extended time for assignments applies to assignments which the student would complete on his/her own. In-class or Blackboard discussions and group activities or projects, whether limited to a single meeting or longer project, are not covered under this accommodation. Extended time for assignments is not a reasonable accommodation with time-bound discussions or group work, as it might fundamentally alter the assignment or the assignment’s objectives.
Approved extended time for assignments applies to a period of days - not weeks - and should be determined collaboratively between the student and each individual faculty member. Students should be informed that the accommodated due dates agreed upon must be met prior to the end of a semester. Incomplete's are not accommodations, they are academic decisions, and are at the discretion of each individual instructor. According to UTRGV policy, any student requesting an Incomplete must be currently passing the course (See Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs).
How is the extended time for assignments accommodation implemented?
The following steps are recommended by Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to implement extended time for assignments:
Additional Note for Instructors:
Instructors should keep in mind that accommodations must be meaningful but are not meant to lower academic standards. Instructors are the primary source of information about the course objectives, requirements and assignments, and should therefore guide discussion about a reasonable amount of time for assignment extensions. Knowledge of how long an assignment should take to complete for students without disabilities can provide a baseline for determining a reasonable extension period for students with various disabilities.
Testing accommodations are intended to change some part of the testing environment to compensate for limitations imposed by an individual’s documented disability. Some students who are registered with Student Accessibility Services qualify for an accommodation for extending time on testing. The amount of extended time is correlated to the test-taker’s disability or limitations. Accommodations may affect how a test is taken, but not the content being assessed. Extended time on testing does not provide an advantage, but rather, prevents a student’s disability from interfering with his/her ability to demonstrate knowledge.
Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis through a review of the student’s disability documentation (including functional limitations of the disability) and an interactive interview with the student. The determination of testing accommodations may also include a review of the student’s academic history, test-taking skills on various test formats, past testing accommodations, and the use of assistive technology, scribe or reader on tests.
Providing an entire class with extended time on a test does not satisfy a student’s accommodation for extended time on testing. If the class is given 2 hours for a test, a student with an accommodation for time and a half on the exam should receive 3 hours total. Students with an accommodation for double time should receive 4 hours total, and so forth.
Accommodations are not intended to alter fundamental curriculum requirements. There may be instances where a faculty member believes that extended time on testing conflicts with an essential course requirement. In such cases, Student Accessibility Services staff and faculty will deliberate regarding the reasonableness of an accommodation for extended time on testing.
Extended time on testing does not provide an advantage, but rather, prevents a student’s disability from interfering with his/her ability to demonstrate knowledge. When approved by Student Accessibility Services as an accommodation, extended time should be provided for any type of test, including online exams and quizzes.
If students in an online course are given 60 minutes for an online test, a student with an accommodation for time and a half on testing should receive 90 minutes total. Students with an accommodation for double time should receive 120 minutes total, and so forth.
Professors should not determine the amount of extended time, but rather, hold to the time stated in the student’s accommodation letter. If the professor believes the amount of time should be adjusted, he/she should contact SAS for discussion.
Only the testing time should be extended and not the window of time given for the students to take an exam. For example, if an instructor has provided students a window of five days (e.g. Monday-Friday) to complete a 60-minute exam, the window of one week does not need to be extended. Rather, extended time will apply only to the length of the 60-minute exam.
Instructors who have access to manually change the students testing time in the online course may do so according to the students’ approved academic accommodation. If assistance is required to adjust the time for an online exam, instructors should contact COLTT (Center for Online Learning and Teaching Technology).
COLTT
Brownsville Campus | Edinburg Campus
Office: Rusteberg 108 | Education (EDUC) 2.202
Submit a Ticket: UTRGV.edu/coltthelp
Phone: (956) 882-6792 | (956) 665-5327
Fax: (956) 882-6751 | (956) 665-5276
Faculty should implement only those accommodations which have been approved by Student Accessibility Services (SAS), as indicated in a student’s accommodation letter for the current semester or module
Although an instructor may want to assist a student by providing an accommodation independent of SAS approval, this is not recommended due to the following reasons.
As a faculty member, if you are ever unclear about your obligations related to students with disabilities or accommodations, please contact SAS.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Service Animals are defined as dogs (or miniature horses in some circumstances) that are “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.” The work or task of a Service Animal must be directly related to the person's disability.
When it is not obvious what service or task an animal provides, only limited inquiries are allowed (two questions) by law:
1. Is the animal required because of a disability? (A “Yes” or “No” response is required. Do not ask about the person’s disability).
2. What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?
Where are Service Animals allowed?
Service Animals may accompany persons with disabilities into places that the public normally goes, including buildings on campus unless admitting the Service Animal would be a fundamental alteration to the service or program or if there are environmental hazards or risks.
Under the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations §36.202, there are two instances where a public entity may exclude a Service Animal:
If a handler is asked to remove a Service Animal due to the animal’s behavior, the unaccompanied handler must be provided the opportunity to obtain goods or services. For example, if the handler is purchasing stamps at a post office or conducting business at a bank, the service or purchase of goods still needs to be allowed once the animal is removed by the handler. Only the animal can be excluded from the premises.
For additional information about Service Animals, please contact Student Accessibility Services:
Please also see the SAS Procedural Guidelines:
Accommodations are academic adjustments arranged by Student Accessibility Services (SAS). They are designed to enable qualified students with a documented disability an equal opportunity to participate in the university experience through equal access in courses, programs, activities or services.
Accommodations ensure that individuals with a disability have rights and privileges equal to students without disabilities. However, they should not require a substantial change in an essential element of the curriculum or substantial change in a program or service. Accommodations may include academic adjustments, auxiliary aids or adaptive technology, or services.
There are no pre-determined accommodations for specific disabilities. Each student is treated as an individual.
SAS thoroughly reviews all information provided by the student, including supporting documentation, and is cognizant of the need to uphold academic requirements when determining accommodations. SAS partners with faculty as needed to help determine the appropriateness of certain accommodations in the context of academic course requirement
Universities must provide equal access to educational programs and services and provide accommodations which have been approved by SAS.
If a student is not registered with SAS but reports a disability, faculty should refer the student to SAS. Unless an accommodation letter is provided by SAS, faculty are advised not to provide accommodations to students. Students registered with SAS will receive an accommodation letter each semester. Faculty with concerns or questions about accommodations are welcome to contact SAS.
Please also see the SAS Procedural Guidelines: