Key Info for this Podcast: 



Today we welcome Brittany Stone, a friend of mine and colleague in the Department where we work together. Today we will tackle some scenarios in which students/faculty may find themselves when requesting/interpreting academic accommodations through your school’s Office of Disability Services (ODS).





* Often what it comes down to is communication- a miscommunication or a lack of communication between students, faculty, and ODS. When a student knows their rights they are better able to speak up and advocate in a way that allows them to get their needs met.



Scenario 1: REGISTER FOR ODS:



* I’ve often encountered students who were used to flexibility on the part of their professors- due dates pushed back a week, some extra time on an exam, allowing for a missed class here and there. The problem with flexibility is that is does not offer any protection or guarantee. Just because a professor has allowed a student to submit 2 assignments late does not mean that he will let you turn that final project worth 50% of your grade in late even if you tell him it’s because of a disability.  If you do not register and document your disability according to your school’s policy you will not be protected.



Scenario 2: THERE IS A PROCESS/GO THROUGH THE PROPER CHANNELS:



* It’s important to note that the policies that govern ODS and the process of registering will vary from one school to another. And it is the student’s responsibility to make sure they go through the proper channels. One student I encountered was a Physical Therapy student in his final semester clinical rotation. He was in the process of appealing an academic decision to dismiss him from the program. He explained to me that while he had been diagnosed with seasonal affective DO several years before, he had never needed accommodations because he developed a number of effective skills to manage his symptoms. These were things like spending time outdoors during lunch, biking to work, use of a light lamp, packing nutritious snacks to keep his energy up. Throughout his time in the PT program, his grades had been high and he had been successful in his other rotations. For his final one, he chose a more rigorous placement at a large and busy hospital. His shifts often started before the sun came up, he worked through lunch, and by the time he was heading home it was dark again. Within a few weeks he was struggling to keep his symptoms in check. He noticed he was becoming forgetful, sluggish, and having a hard time recalling information including pertinent safety information. His clinical supervisor noticed too and documented unsatisfactory progress. During a meeting with his clinical supervisor he disclosed his diagnosis and asked for accommodations- a proper lunch hour where he could spend time outside. The student reported she said that she would “see what she could do” but that in a hospital setting there were no guarantees. The clinical supervisor documented the meeting in her weekly note to the faculty supervisor. After 2 more weeks of unsatisfactory progress the student was told by the clinical supervisor it was no longer safe to have him practicing with patients and he was suspended. So yes, the student disclosed, but he did not do so to the right person nor did he follow his school’s policy.



Scenario 3: SPEAK UP WHEN SOMETHING SEEMS OFF.



* Additionally, students run into issues when the accommodation isn’t working as intended or when there is a miscommunication between the intended accommodation and the faculty’s interpretation of the accommodation.

* Another student I encountered was registered with ODS and was supposed to receive time and a half on timed exams. She was still having difficulty even with the accommodation but did not go back to ODS for guidance until she received a failing grade on her final exam which also meant sh...