Student Accessibility Services (SAS) may recommend that a qualified student with a disability be permitted to audio record class lectures as a form of academic accommodation. Students who have been granted this accommodation must agree to abide by each of these provisions and sign the contract that appears below:
Students with disabilities are expected to attend classes in accordance with the professor’s attendance policy as stated in the course syllabi. When a student’s disability prohibits them from meeting the established attendance requirement, the student may request that an attendance exception be made as an accommodation from SAS. It does not permit students the option to miss an unlimited number of classes.
After the request for modified attendance is made, SAS will evaluate the request upon:
The following Office of Civil Rights guidelines can help faculty decide whether attendance is a fundamental component of a course:
Please note: Students approved for this accommodation are expected to contact the professor and SAS at sas@whittier.edu on the day of the absence related to the documented disability/condition and inquire about making up missed coursework. SAS may contact the student to inquire more about the absence.
Considerations to keep in mind about attendance modification:
Faculty are expected to complete and submit an Attendance Agreement that will be shared with the student and SAS. This agreement outlines the number of excused absences permitted within the scope of the accommodation and expectations should a student’s flare-up and subsequent absence cause them to miss an assignment or exam.
Federal law requires Whittier College to consider modifying deadline extension policies if a student’s diagnosis warrants this accommodation. Course deadlines for assignments are not determined by Student Accessibility Services (SAS). These deadlines are generally listed on the syllabus and made clear to the students well in advance. Students are expected to and responsible for planning accordingly to meet these deadlines.
However, SAS recognizes that some students with disabilities experience flare-ups of disability-related symptoms (either unpredictable or episodic in nature) that can impact their ability to complete specific assignments by the set deadline. When a student’s disability prohibits them from meeting the established assignment deadline, the student may request that a deadline extension be made as an accommodation from SAS. This accommodation may not be feasible in certain classes (e.g., courses where work is scaffolded) or for certain assignments (e.g., group work or assignments that will be reviewed in class the day they are due). Additionally, this accommodation is not the unlimited acceptance of late work.
Students approved for this accommodation are expected to contact their professor or SAS to request an assignment deadline extension in advance. Generally, students are expected to make a request at least 48 hours in advance of the deadline. However, the nature of disability symptoms may result in a request closer to the deadline. Understanding that accommodations are not retroactive, faculty are not expected to grant extensions for missed deadlines when an extension was not requested in advance.
Consider adjustments to course deadlines, provided that it does not result in a fundamental alteration of the course.
Students who are registered with SAS and have a verifiable need due to a significant memory impairment may be approved to utilize a memory aid during exams. This cue card is to be used to trigger information that the student may have difficulty recalling as a result of cognitive processing issues linked with memory. Its sole purpose is to serve as a way to trigger the student’s memory and not to provide them with the solution to test questions.
This accommodation is based on federal law’s requirement that students with this level of impairment be given an equal opportunity for information on exams they take. It may help them recall information that would not be accessible without the use of the memory aid.
A student who would like to apply for this accommodation must meet with a SAS staff member and provide the department with documentation from a qualified professional that justifies the use of this memory aid.
Memory aids can come in various forms. The most common are a one-sided or double-sided note-card, or a one-sided sheet of paper in size 12 font, double-spaced. Based on the faculty’s discretion, the memory aid might or might not include:
Even if SAS approves the accommodation, the decision to permit the cue card is determined by the student’s faculty and/or their department chair, since this accommodation cannot fundamentally alter course requirements. A faculty member may deny the use of the accommodation if they determine that the ability to memorize and remember information on exams is essential to the nature of the course and its goals.
If the aid is approved, the instructor is expected to review the content of the memory aid and remove information that may compromise course integrity.
If the faculty member and/or department chair approve the accommodation, the student must present their cue card to their professor for review at least two days prior to the exam. This can be completed by presenting the physical aid to their instructor or sending an email to them with the aid’s information included in it.
If the content is approved by the instructor, there are two options for sending the memory aid to SAS for distribution:
The College reserves the right to update these policies at any time, as needed.