Office of Disability Services

Guide for Dealing with Students Registered with OSD

Class attendance
While some students with disabilities may have clinical conditions that necessitate occasional absences, the Office of Disability Services does not establish class attendance policy. When documentation supports flexibility in attendance, the Office of Disability Services approves such accommodations for certain students. However, the Office of Disability Services defers to individual class attendance policies. Class attendance policies (when applicable) should be clearly stated in syllabi. These policies should be applied equally/fairly to all students.

Grading scale
Students receiving accommodations should be graded on the same scale as any other student in the class.  Accommodations are intended to provide students with disabilities equal access to the Mason learning environment as well to well as the resources to demonstrate that learning.   Accommodations should neither alter a course’s essential elements nor affect its integrity.  Accordingly, students with disabilities should not be given a grade advantage in the classroom by changing the amount of material they must master. Likewise, students should not be penalized for having received appropriate accommodations.

Accommodations through the Office of Disability Services
Accommodations are provided only to students registered with the office of Disability services. Faculty should direct students who report having a disability to the office.  Once students have scheduled an appointment with a disability coordinator, all clinical documentation submitted will be evaluated.  This review will determine whether a student qualifies for disability services, and if that is the case it will negotiate for appropriate reasonable accommodations.  If a faculty member suspects a disability, he or she should discreetly approach the student with his or her observations and suggest that the student contact the Office of Disability Services to schedule an appointment with a coordinator.

Exam Accommodations
The Office of Disability Services works with students and their professors to create an exam situation that emulates the course’s test environment as closely as possible and yet allows students to use the needed exam accommodation(s) necessary to help level the playing field. Professors are critical partners in the collaborative process to ensure that students get appropriate accommodations for their exams. Any student who requests exam accommodations will ask you to fill out a test form. After these test forms are completed, students will schedule a time to take their exam with the office of Disability services. Students are required to turn in their test forms to the Office of Disability Services one week in advance of the test. Exam accommodations include, but are not limited to:  
 

• Extra time, generally 50 percent extra time or possibly double time
• Distraction-reduced space
• A reader and/or a scribe
• Use of a closed-circuit television that enlarges print
• Audio-taped exams or exams converted to electronic formats
• Computers
• Assistive technology
• Adjustable tables
• Enlarged-print exams

Tag lines for syllabi
Faculty are encouraged to include a statement about the Office of Disability Services in their syllabi.

Example: "If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 993-2474.  All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS."
 

Disagreements with approved accommodations
If faculty disagree with an accommodation approved by the Office of Disability Services (listed on the student’s Faculty Contact Sheet), they should contact the office immediately.