A Disability Related Absence is when a student is absent due to the direct effects of a documented disability. Students with this accommodation have disabilities which are episodic in nature and may impact their participation in class. If the Faculty Notification Letter indicates that a student has a Disability Related Absence accommodation, the instructor and student must complete a Disability Related Absences Agreement (DRA) typically within the first two weeks of class.
The DRA should be a collaborative effort between the instructor and student. The following responses (edited to suit) are a suggested starting point. If instructor and student are unable to agree on the parameters of this agreement, contact DRS for assistance. (Thanks to Andy Loveless for letting me edit and share his standard responses.)
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If in-class participation is essential to the course, please state the percentage of class that can be missed or number of absences permitted. Be as specific as possible. Avoid vague phrases such as flexible, to be determined, or open.
Participation is graded on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All students may miss up to two days without penalty to their grade. If a student with accommodations has already missed two participation days due to disability related events and experiences additional absences, then the student should contact the instructor to make up the class activity during office hours. -
How and when will the student notify the instructor of a disability related absence?
The student should email the instructor as soon as possible and mention this agreement. -
What is the process for turning in homework/assignments/projects due the day of a disability related absence? (Include maximum number of days assignments may be late.)
While homework is “collected” only once per week, our intention is for you to work on the problems throughout the week as we cover the material in class. The following policy applies to occasional short-term absences of a day or two. In the case of longer absences, contact the instructor to discuss options.
The settings on Webassign allow any student to request a three-day extension on any homework assignment with a small penalty to their grade. In the case of a disability related issue, the student should follow the standard procedure to request an extension on Webassign and email the instructor as soon as possible on or after the due date. If the student has completed at least 60% of the week’s assignment by the due date (as shown on Webassign), we will grant the standard three-day extension and waive the penalty. -
What is the procedure for making up a missed quiz, examination, or in-class graded assignment given on the day of a disability related absence?
In the case of a missed midterm exam, the student should email the instructor as soon as possible including information about when they will return to class. If possible, we will arrange for the student to take the exam in the DRS testing center the following day. If not, we will waive the exam and weigh the other exams more heavily.
If the student misses the common final, they should follow the department’s procedure to petition to take the make-up final.