Student

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Scenario: A student has missed a number of classes and has not handed in several assignments. Although the student has taken a midterm and used accommodations, the student received a D for the midterm. At this point, the student is not passing the class.

The student with a disability has the same right to fail as anyone else. Their work should be equivalent to his or her peers. A faculty member may discuss their concerns with this student, just as they would with anyone else in their class who is experiencing difficulty.

There are numerous reasons why a student makes a late request. Perhaps he or she could not get documentation of his or her 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.

All students are expected to abide by SSU’s Honor Code.  Faculty will follow through with the usual reporting procedures established by the Office of Student Conduct should a student be suspected of violating the Honor Code.

It is not unusual for high ability students to be identified with a learning disability or other conditions at the college level.  Often the compensatory strategies used at the secondary level are no longer adequate in a demanding university setting. Students may call the DSS office at 707-664-2677, to schedule a “Prospective Student” appointment to discuss options, including referral to campus and/or community resources.

Textbook conversion is a time-consuming, labor-intensive task. Every semester the DSS office Alternate Media staff creates screen-readable text (e-text) or other formats for students.
Students need to be able to access their textbooks at the same time as others in the class. The DSS office may not be able to get material converted to an appropriate format in a timely fashion if there is a  delay in providing this information. This means students may have to start the semester without access to their textbooks.

No. Faculty are under no obligation to alter or waive their attendance policy. However, faculty are strongly encouraged to identify and determine how much attendance is considered an essential part of courses. The DSS office may make recommendations to faculty about unique circumstances where attendance considerations would be beneficial. Attendance considerations for students from DSS always carry a "standard of reasonableness" with them. It is always good practice for faculty to clearly state attendance requirements on the course syllabus.

Academic adjustments listed in the student’s Accommodation Letter are open for negotiation. Faculty can and should bring up concerns about specific accommodations to the DSS Advisor working with the student. It may be that a different accommodation would be better suited for this particular course and the DSS Advisor can help develop an alternative.
 

No. Standards are the same for all students; however, some students with disabilities may use accommodations to exhibit their knowledge, their production, and their meeting of other course expectations differently than their peers. For example, a student with low vision may produce an essay exam by using a computer rather than writing out an answer. The quality of the work should be the same.

If a laptop is an approved accommodation, a policy modification for the student with a disability is reasonable. In order not to publicly identify the student with a disability the instructor is encouraged to state on the syllabus something like the following:  "Exceptions for the use of a laptop may be granted for compelling reasons at the discretion of the instructor."