A student came to me in the tenth week of the semester requesting accommodations. I believe this is too late to ask for accommodations and arrangements should be made at the beginning of the semester. I even made an announcement on the first day of class

In most instances, “yes.” There are numerous reasons why a student makes a late request. Perhaps they could not get documentation of their disability any earlier and, therefore, could not initiate accommodations earlier. Some students try to take a class without accommodations but find that they aren't doing well and need accommodations. Whatever the reason, students may make requests for accommodations any time during the semester.

On the other hand, there may be some situations where students make a request for accommodations so late that appropriate arrangements cannot practicably or reasonably be made. An example of such a request might be a student requesting an entire textbook be converted to alternate format at the end of a semester.

The University is obligated to provide accommodations only at the point when a student makes a request, and you and the DSS office are able to make appropriate arrangements. The student is too late if they reveal a disability after the completion of a class and requests a change in grading basis to Credit/No Credit or a deletion of a poor grade, for example.  Accommodations are not provided retroactively.

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