Accommodating Students With Disabilities On Campus
Since January 1, 2012 the University of Saskatchewan has been implementing a sweeping new policy with regards to accommodation of students with disabilities. It states that it applies to all disabled students across campus that are registered with Disability Services for Students (DSS) and its implementation is the responsibility of everyone in the university community. The new policy is a refreshing change from the previous one, which placed much of the burden of acquiring accommodation on students.
The new policy states “The University will take all measures short of undue hardship to the University to ensure that students with disabilities have access to the University and the opportunity to succeed in their programs of study. Suitable academic accommodations are fundamental to support students with disabilities, but when provided, those accommodations shall not compromise the University’s academic requirements and standards.” As one reads through the entirety of the policy it is clear that they strongly adhere to this principle.
For example, under the old policy, students were often refused accommodations on the grounds of undue hardship. Now, just to clarify, undue hardship is the reason the university can refuse to provide an accommodation. But, what qualifies legally as undue hardship is some accommodation, which if provided, would bankrupt the institution. Undue hardship is NOT (as I have seen professors try and claim many times) the extra time commitment of coming in on a Saturday to set up laboratory samples needed for an exam or something else of that nature. In cases like this where accommodation was refused (even thought it is a legal requirement) students would have to go through the onerous and stressful process of appealing these kinds of judgments themselves, all the while having the lack of accommodation impact their grades.
Under the new policy accommodations recommended by DSS for one of its students MUST be provided to a student and it up to the professor to appeal the provision of them. Not only is this system easier on students and more in line with, uhhhh, the law, it also underscores the idea that University is a place where everyone is free to come and be successful at learning.
For more detailed information on the new policy for accommodating disabilities please visit their policy webpage.