Attendance Flexibility

For students with chronic conditions that are episodic in nature, there may be periods of time in which they are too unwell to attend class. The purpose of reasonable accommodations is to ensure access, and this extends to providing flexibility within attendance policies to ensure students with disabilities are not disproportionately penalized for exacerbations of their condition that prevent them from being present for every class session, as their condition may be unpredictable and inevitable despite ongoing health and time management practices. 

Who Receives This Accommodation?

Students with disabilities who navigate disability-related experiences that are particularly chronic or episodic in nature may be approved for this accommodation. Granting Attendance Flexibility ensures that the student is not unfairly penalized for absences due to their disability if the absences do not fundamentally alter the essential elements of the class. 

How to Evaluate the Reasonableness of Attendance Flexibility in a Class

The accommodation for Attendance Flexibility should always be considered on an individual class basis, allowing for a diligent and critical analysis of how attendance is essential to the class learning objectives and pedagogical components. While an attendance policy may already be incorporated into the grading scheme and syllabus, and its value is inherent to student success and learning, this accommodation is intended to modify any stated attendance policies allowing some flexibility beyond that limit to account for the student’s disability-related need. 

The accommodation should be provided unless the accommodation significantly compromises the integrity of the course as offered. If instructors believe additional absences beyond the stated policy would fundamentally alter the nature or essential elements of their class, instructors should consult with Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) to determine reasonability. 

To evaluate the extent to which attendance is critical to the essential learning objectives of a class, and to determine whether Attendance Flexibility can be reasonably implemented, ARC will guide faculty through a discussion of the following points as recommended by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR):

1. What does the class description and syllabus say about attendance?
2. How is the final class grade calculated? Is attendance factored into the final grade?
3. Is the attendance policy consistently applied? (i.e., Have there been any exceptions made to the policy for non-disabled students, such as for athletic travel or religious observances? If so, these exceptions must also be granted to students with disabilities.)
4. Is there significant interaction between the instructor and students, and among students? If so, how much?
5. Do student contributions and participation in class constitute a significant component of the learning process (i.e., discussion, presentations, role play, group work)?
6. To what degree does a student’s failure to attend class compromise the educational experience of other students in the class?

When is Attendance Flexibility Not Reasonable?

In general, if the class is mostly lecture based, the in-class experience focuses on reviewing content available in the text or from instructor/peer notes, and involves little student interaction during class, more flexibility with excused absences and participation points is reasonable. 

However, there are various classes in which Attendance Flexibility as an accommodation would not be reasonable. Attendance could be critical to the learning objectives of classes that utilize significant in-class participation and interaction as a method of instruction; classes where student learning is created and assessed in the classroom through experiential or conversational means; and classes in which absences would compromise the educational experience of other students in the class. In these situations, less flexibility with excused absences and participation points is reasonable.

Considerations to Keep in Mind When Implementing Attendance Flexibility

• Limits are reasonable. Provide clear limits to the number of absences allowed and stay away from blanket “come-and-go and submit work as you please” policies.
• Make-up tests or missed work due to absences, when reasonable, will typically have short extension windows.
• The accommodation does not cover non-disability-related illnesses (such as cold, flu, etc.) or other non-disability-related reasons (such as loss of daycare, vacation, etc.) as to why student is absent.
• Accommodations are not retroactive. Instructors are not obligated to adjust previous penalties for absences if the instructor notification of accommodations email is provided later in the semester.

ARC Responsibilities in Supporting Attendance Flexibility

• Review documentation and meet with students to better understand their disability-related experiences. Through this interactive process, an Accessibility Advisor determines if a student needs modification to class attendance policies to mitigate disability-related impacts throughout the semester. If so, Attendance Flexibility will be listed as an eligible accommodation on the student’s instructor notification of accommodations email. 
• Consult and support faculty in determining reasonableness of accommodation or how to implement accommodation considering essential class elements. 
• Provide support to students and faculty when questions or difficulties arise related to the accommodation.

​Faculty Responsibilities When Facilitating Attendance Flexibility

• Once instructors have been notified of eligibility for accommodations, instructors should meet with the student to determine the extent to which they can reasonably modify any attendance policy for the specific class without fundamentally altering the learning objectives. ARC is available for consultation if instructors have questions regarding how the accommodation interacts with essential elements of the class and determining if or what adjustments are reasonable.
• If instructors believe the accommodation is not reasonable considering their class objectives or pedagogical methods, contact ARC immediately as instructors should never unilaterally deny an accommodation. Instructors are expected to clearly articulate why flexibility is not reasonable.
• Instructors should engage in dialogue with the student or ARC regarding new attendance expectations: delineate the preferred communication process when the student needs to notify instructor of a disability-related absence, any critical dates that cannot be missed, and whether there are any alternatives to missed participation points or quizzes on days in which the student is absent.
• It is highly recommended that an accommodated attendance agreement is summarized in writing via contract. The contract summary helps ensure everyone is operating from the same point of view and that any confusion of the agreement can be clarified. Students and instructors are welcome to include ARC on these discussions for documentation purposes.
• When a student needs to utilize this accommodation, they are responsible for notifying their instructor in a timely manner. Timely is defined as “as soon as is reasonably possible.” There may be conditions or circumstances in which a student is not able to contact their instructor prior to the class. 
• At no time are students required to present documentation to instructors to justify a disability-related absence. 
• ARC is always available to mediate any concerns about Attendance Flexibility, including concerns about academic integrity and logistics of this accommodation. ARC remains a neutral party in evaluating what is reasonable as an accommodation and is here to support instructors.

Student Responsibilities When Eligible for Attendance Flexibility

• Students approved for Attendance Flexibility must send their instructor notification of accommodation emails by customizing their accommodations via ARC Go! at the beginning of each semester, or as soon as they are made eligible for the accommodation. Please Note: Accommodations are not retroactive.
• Students must collaborate to determine the reasonability of Attendance Flexibility within the context of each class by either:​
  • Initiating contact with their instructor to discuss the boundaries of the accommodation and developing protocols for how it will be used, or
  • Requesting guidance from ARC. ARC will contact the instructor to assist in determining the boundaries of the accommodation and any necessary protocols.
• Students should clearly understand attendance expectations related to their accommodation. This includes knowing the finite number of absences that can be allowed, how to communicate with the instructor when they need to utilize the accommodation, any critical dates that cannot be missed, and whether there are any alternatives to missed participation points or quizzes on days in which they are absent. 
• It is highly recommended that an accommodated attendance agreement is summarized in writing via contract. The contract helps ensure everyone is operating from the same point of view and that any confusion of the agreement can be clarified. Students and instructors are welcome to include ARC on these discussions for documentation purposes. 
• When a student needs to utilize this accommodation, they are responsible for notifying their instructor in a timely manner. Timely is defined as “as soon as is reasonably possible.” 
• At no time are students required to present documentation to instructors to justify a disability-related absence.
• When a student is absent due to their disability, they are responsible for the class content, lecture notes, and information presented that day. The student should arrange how they will obtain this information.
• ARC is available to mediate any concerns about Attendance Flexibility throughout the semester. If the student experiences a significant flare of symptoms that greatly impacts their academics or reaches 50% of the agreed-upon number of absences, the student should reach out to ARC to discuss options and resources. 

Adapted with permission from Stanford University Office of Accessible Education Department.