Accommodation Development

Academic accommodations are a planned variation in the way a student with a disability receives course curriculum and materials, participates in course activities or demonstrates the essential academic requirements needed to successfully meet the learning objectives of a course or program. At all stages of the accommodation process, the principles of respect for dignity, individualization, integration, and full participation shall be considered¹.

Academic Accommodations are designed to grant equitable and dignified access to learning environments while upholding academic integrity without altering the level or amount of work expected from students. “An appropriate accommodation enables a student to successfully meet the essential requirements of the program, with no alteration in standards or outcomes, although the manner in which the student demonstrates mastery, knowledge and skills may be altered.”²

_{¹TMU Senate Policy 159: Academic Accommodation of Students with Disabilities (link (opens in new window) )
²Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2004). Guidelines on Accessible Education (ISBN: 0-7794-7191-1). Toronto, ON: Canada.}

The development of academic accommodation plans varies for each student, depending on their individual disability-related needs. Accommodations are tailored to address individual disability related impacts that result in barriers to accessing the educational environment, and they are contingent upon the nature and degree of the student's disability within their specific program.

There is no one-size-fits-all set formula for accommodation plans. Each plan is determined on a case-by-case basis. AAS follows expert guidelines and current research when evaluating the appropriateness of reasonable accommodations. AAS considers the following when creating an academic accommodation plan:

1. Relevant documentation completed by a regulated health care provider who is qualified to diagnose the disability in question indicating the presence of a disability and its functional impacts in an academic setting. 
2. Recommendations from healthcare providers that are reasonable, appropriate for university settings, and accompanied by a clear rationale linked to disability-related functional limitations. Note: Accommodation recommendations are not automatically applied or guaranteed.
3. Students’ self-report of their strengths, challenges, how their disability affects their learning, past experiences with accommodations, supports and resources accessed, etc.
4. Essential program and course requirements 
5. University policies, procedures, and administrative regulations
6. Governing laws and legislations such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, The Ontario Human Rights Code, and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
7. Current research, expert guidelines

It is important to note that the Code does not guarantee “perfect” accommodation, nor does it guarantee the right to any one particular form of accommodation¹. The purpose of the Code is to accommodate a person’s needs, which may not always be their exact preferences or expectations.

At the heart of the accommodation process is the shared responsibility of all parties to engage in meaningful dialogue about accommodation, and to seek out expert assistance as needed². Collaboration, information-sharing, and exploring potential accommodation solutions, when necessary, are key aspects of this process.

Acknowledging that there can be multiple routes to academic excellence and rigor, the University encourages flexibility in creating and supporting reasonable academic accommodations for students with disabilities while maintaining academic standards. Individualized academic accommodations for students with disabilities may require different approaches that do not imply a lesser standard of performance. Flexibility in the design and support of student accommodations may promote fair and equitable processes and outcomes, and therefore support and augment academic excellence³.

_{^1,2Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2004). Guidelines on Accessible Education (ISBN: 0-7794-7191-1). Toronto, ON: Canada.}

_{³TMU Senate Policy 159: Academic Accommodation of Students with Disabilities (link)}

As per TMU’s Policy 159, there are limitations to the Duty to Accommodate. The University’s duty to accommodate students with a disability is limited in the following circumstances:

Undue hardship: The University shall discharge its duty to accommodate in accordance with applicable law and the University’s applicable policies and procedures by providing reasonable accommodations that maintain academic standards and academic integrity up to the point of undue hardship, which may involve consideration of:

• Costs
• availability of outside sources of funding
• health and safety requirements

In considering whether the provision of an accommodation would constitute undue hardship, inconvenience and the negative reactions and preferences of others shall not be sufficient.

Inability to meet essential requirements: In some circumstances, the nature and degree of a student’s functional limitations arising from a disability may mean that no accommodations that could be provided would enable the student to meet the essential academic requirements of a course or program.

Coming Soon

Essential requirements is a specific term used in the Ontario Human Rights Commission, referring to “the [bona fide] requirements of a task or program that cannot be altered without compromising the fundamental nature of the task or program. Determining what is an essential requirement and what is not is critical in distinguishing requirements that cannot be accommodated from what can and should be altered”.

What this means is the core and essential knowledge and skills that a student must acquire and demonstrate to meet the learning objectives of a course or program.

Functional limitations are restrictions in an individual's functioning that hinder the ability to perform tasks or activities used in daily life.

Medical Documentation verifies or confirms that a student has a disability, or that clarifies the impact of the disability, and any resulting functional limitations.

Medical documentation must be based on a current, thorough, and appropriate assessment from a registered health care professional qualified to diagnose and assess functional limitations and needs associated with disability.

Other supporting documentation may also reasonably be requested by the University as part of the accommodation process.