Reasonable & Unreasonable Accommodations
Personal Needs
The University is not responsible to provide attendants, individually prescribed devices, readers for personal use or study, or other devices or services of a personal nature.
Personal needs that necessitate an attendant are the responsibility of the student. Students with such needs must retain a personal assistant. This may include but not be limited to assistance in toileting, being repositioned in chairs, placing medication in the person’s mouth – any personal service. Failure to do so may result in an administrative stop being placed on future enrollment until such time as the student demonstrates a personal attendant will be with the student to attend to personal needs.
We strongly recommend that personal attendants are trained and certified. Requesting such services from an untrained, random individual can be a safety threat to both the student with the disability and the individual providing the service. Methodist University cannot assume the liability of risk involved.
Extended Time to Complete Assignments
If an assignment is on the syllabus at the beginning of the term, and explained thoroughly at that time, professors may consider this ample time for all students to complete an assignment. Time management is the responsibility of the student. In the case of an unforeseen event the student or Coordinator of Student Access & Accommodation Services may request a small limited extension. In any case extension of time will not be more than a few days or one week as decided by the instructor.
Readers
When determined to be an appropriate accommodation for a student with a disability, readers are provided for test taking only. Otherwise, readers are considered a personal service and the university is not responsible to provide them.
Scribe/Typist for Papers or Exams
The typing of papers is a personal service and is not provided by the University. However, for testing purposes, students with disabilities that limit their ability to write, may be furnished with assistive technology or a scribe.
Absences
Attendance is an essential component of post-secondary education. Students need to be aware that absences could impact them academically. Every attempt should be made to attend classes. Students are required to fulfill all course requirements and evaluation standards as specified in the course syllabus. Students who are experiencing an emergency or concern with attendance expectations are expected to do their best to contact instructors in advance of an anticipated absence. The full attendance policy can be found on page 17 of the MU Academic Catalog.
Other Examples of Unreasonable Accommodations
Additional examples of unreasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to
- Unlimited individual tutoring
- Waivers or course substitutions of courses that are essential to the program or core requirements
- Ungraded exams or exams on a pass/fail basis
- Excusing tardiness or lack of preparation
- Lowering passing scores
- Modification of class ranking
- Permission to re-take exams
- Permission to retake courses without record
- Information broken down into sequential form for testing
- Lowering of course load allowed
- Alternate test formats (Changing form multiple choice to essay for example.)
- Access to a program when a student is not otherwise qualified (with or without accommodations)
- A request that fundamentally alters the nature of a program or course
- A substantial alteration of the educational standards or mission of Methodist University
- Waivers of requirements that are essential to the program of instruction to meet licensing prerequisites and/or technical standards
- Requests that impose an undue financial or administrative burden
- Requests that concern a personal service in nature (i.e. personal aid)
- Requests that pose a direct threat to health and/or safety