Flexibility with attendance provides reasonable flexibility within attendance policies for students whose disabilities may impact their ability to attend class consistently. Students are still expected to meet the same learning goals and essential requirements of the course.
D&A access coordinators determine whether flexibility with attendance is appropriate on a case-by-case basis after reviewing documentation from the student’s medical provider. Because eligibility is established through this process, students are not required to provide doctor’s notes or other additional documentation for disability-related absences covered by this accommodation.
How to Complete the Attendance Policy Addendum
When an accommodation letter includes flexibility with attendance, the instructor and student should meet privately for 15-20 minutes to discuss the Attendance Policy Addendum (APA) and establish a clear plan for the semester. The APA should be completed as soon as possible after an accommodation letter is delivered.
In limited circumstances, such as when a course has no attendance requirement, the APA may not be necessary. Students and instructors should still discuss how the student will access missed information. If both parties agree the APA isn't necessary, the student should copy the instructor on a summary email to their access coordinator.
Before the Meeting
Instructors:
- Remember your responsibility to consider all accommodation requests individually — instructors may not provide blanket statements prohibiting flexibility.
- Consider the essential requirements of your course: What must a student be present for to meet the course objectives? The degree of flexibility that can reasonably be provided may vary depending on the structure and nature of the course. For example, a lecture-based course may be able to offer more flexibility than an interactive, discussion-based course in which attendance and participation are more directly connected to essential learning objectives.
Students:
- Consider how much class you may need to miss and how much advanced notice you can typically provide. Keep in mind that this accommodation provides reasonable flexibility, not unlimited absences.
- Think about what worked well in previous courses.
During the Meeting
Instructors and Students:
- Review the full APA together.
- Discuss course structure, disability impact and available flexibility.
- Agree on how the student will communicate absences and obtain missed information.
- Discuss any questions or concerns before finalizing the APA.
After the Meeting
Instructors and Students:
- Save a copy of the completed APA and follow the established expectations.
- Communicate with the student's access coordinator as soon as possible with any questions or concerns about what was agreed upon in the APA.
Students:
- Submit the completed APA to your access coordinator. Make sure to CC your instructor.
During the Semester
Concerns About Absences
- If an instructor hasn't heard from a student and is concerned, they may reach out to let the student know they've noticed their absence
- For concerns about a student's well-being or safety, contact the Behavior Concerns Advice Line.
If Circumstances Change
- If a student exceeds the flexibility agreed upon in the APA, the instructor is not required to provide additional flexibility. However, the instructor may consider whether the student has been following the APA guidelines and meeting course objectives and may offer additional flexibility at their discretion.
- If the student can no longer meet course requirements, options may include dropping the course or requesting an incomplete. If the students remains enrolled, the instructor's standard grading policy applies.