Assignment Deadline Modifications: Guidelines and Procedures

Students registered with Disability and Accessibility Services (DAS) are expected to meet course assignment deadlines. Faculty have the right to establish assignment deadlines and late work/extension policies. These policies are usually communicated to students via the course syllabus at the beginning of each semester. However, in instances where a student provides documentation of a disability that involves random or cyclical acute episodes that may occasionally impact the student's ability to complete out-of-class assignments, DAS may recommend brief extensions of assignment deadlines as an accommodation.

The specific extension provided for each individual assignment must be determined on a case-by-case basis. In determining whether an extension is reasonable, or the length of an extension, instructors may consider the amount of advance notice provided for the assignment.

Students approved by DAS for a modification of course assignment deadlines must note that:

• This accommodation is generally not reasonable for group assignments.
• This accommodation is not applicable for scheduled in-class assessments (such as a test, quiz or final). A student should consult the faculty members absence policy if they cannot attend class to take a test.
• The accommodation may need to be strictly limited in time in situations where prompt completion of the assignment is essential to the student's ability to continue to understand or complete ongoing coursework.
• The student must notify the instructor, via email whenever possible, to identify the student's need for an extension prior to the stated deadline (unless this is not physically possible due to circumstances such as hospitalization).
• The accommodation is not intended to be applied retroactively. If a student waits to submit a request for DAS to notify their instructors of their approved accommodations until the mid-point or end of the semester, DAS expects that the instructor will consider the accommodation from that point forward.
• The accommodation of modification of course assignments only applies to situations where the need for the extension is related to the student's disability symptoms. It is not intended to cover situations such as work conflicts, personal issues, travel, etc.
• The accommodation is only intended to provide a time-limited extension up through the last day of classes.
• If a student needs assistance with communicating with a course instructor about a request for an extension, the student should email their DAS advisor.