DECIDING IF AN ACCOMMODATION IS REASONABLE

Related Policy – Pregnant & Parenting Students

About This APPENDIX

University Appendix

The university must provide reasonable accommodations. However, an accommodation might be considered unreasonable if it creates a fundamental alteration or is requested in an untimely manner. A responsible administrator makes this decision after talking with the correct offices.

• Fundamental Alteration: An accommodation is unreasonable if it would completely change the core requirements of an academic program. This means it would alter the required learning goals that are essential to the quality and integrity of a course or degree. For example, excusing a student from a required clinical rotation that is necessary for a professional license would likely be a fundamental alteration.
• Untimely Manner: A request is unreasonable if it is made for something that already happened (retroactively). For example, asking for an extension on a paper a week after the due date has passed would generally be considered untimely. An exception exists if a sudden medical issue made it impossible for the student to ask sooner.