When a student’s accommodation letter goes out, implementing accommodations is a shared responsibility between faculty, students and SDS. We recommend faculty or a designee acknowledge receipt of the accommodation letter to the student. Students and faculty should connect (e.g. email, remote meeting, in-person) to determine how accommodations will be implemented in each course. This discussion should include:
- How each accommodation will work within the course format and structure
- How student needs may impact use of accommodations
- The faculty member’s expectations
- Any aspects of the course where accommodations may more complicated to implement
- A communication plan if the student experiences a flare-up of symptoms.
Testing Accommodations Implementation
- Faculty, or a school’s designee, are responsible for implementing exam accommodations for their courses; SDS can assist with planning and support for this process.
- All students should begin by connecting with their faculty to understand how exams are administered for each course and whether their faculty work with SDS to arrange some or all of the accommodations.
- Questions should be directed to your SDS advisor.
Additional Time on Coursework/Occasional Flexibility with Attendance Policy Accommodation Discussion
Accommodations like “additional time to submit individual assignments” or “occasional flexibility with attendance policy” often require more discussion to determine what is reasonable for a given course. Please connect with your faculty members as early as possible and let SDS know if there are any concerns about how this accommodation will work with the format of a particular course. SDS provides guidelines and support in navigating these processes.
In the discussion with faculty:
- Faculty may state they can provide more time than recommended because it will not impact the course.
- Students can also provide information about their potential needs and how they will need to use the accommodation. Providing information about the predicted frequency and duration can be very helpful and facilitate faculty understanding and agreement.
The agreement discussed can be written and emailed from the instructor to the student, with their respective SDS advisor CC’ed. It should include:
- How long in advance the instructor prefers notice of a student needing to utilize the accommodations
- An alternative plan if it is difficult to communicate during an exacerbation of symptoms.
- How long of an extension the student can receive past the original deadline.
- What assignments are not applicable to this accommodation (group assignments or online discussion posts as well as final projects/assignments due at the end of the term).
You can find the SDS Additional Time of Assignments Agreement linked in the accommodation letter.
Communication Access or Print Accommodations
Please provide your requests for your courses to receive ASL interpreters, CART providers, and alternative format of course materials as soon as possible so that SDS can coordinate the services earlier. If a class is cancelled, please let our office know as soon as possible.
Housing and dining accommodations
In your initial form, be sure to indicate any housing and dining accommodations you may need so that this can be discussed at your initial meeting with the SDS advisor.
- Housing accommodations are granted based on the impacts of the student’s disability. Please be aware of deadlines for priority in this process; these accommodations are requested on a yearly basis and accommodations are provided in a setting appropriate to the student’s year.
- Hopkins Dining strives to meet the needs of most dietary preferences, allergies, and medical requirements. Since these needs are individualized, please complete the questionnaire you will receive and contact SDS to arrange a meeting with the Hopkins Dining dietitian.
For both types of accommodations, advance notice is needed in order for accommodations to be in place at the outset of the semester. Accommodations can be requested at any time, but requests received after priority deadlines for housing can result in students being waitlisted for a space that meets their needs.
If you run into issues pertaining to the implementation of any of your accommodations or if your accommodations are not working, please contact your SDS advisor as soon as possible to discuss your concerns and explore ways to address them.