Academic Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations are provided on an individual basis. Criteria used to determine whether a requested accommodation is reasonable
1. is based on documented individual need(s)
2. allows for the most integrated experience possible
3. does not fundamentally alter the essential requirements of a course or program
4. does not pose a threat to personal or public safety
5. does not impose undue financial or administrative burden
6. is not of a personal nature (e.g., paying for an attendant)

Some examples of reasonable accommodations that Penn provides its students with disabilities are as follows:

Allowing students additional time to complete exams
Allowing students to tape lectures
Reproducing reading materials, charts, and exams in alternate format (e.g., large print)
Permitting students to take exams in alternate locations
Permitting students to use equipment to take exams (e.g., word processor, CCTV)

Auxiliary Aids and Services

Providing interpreters, computer aided transcription services, assistive listening systems
Providing readers, note takers, taped texts, materials in braille

Other Reasonable Accommodations

Providing integrated accessible housing and transportation services
Providing access to extracurricular programs
Providing orientation to campus facilities
Providing adaptive technology in computer labs
Providing relocation of classes to accessible locations when needed

Accommodation Procedure

The Role of Students

After documentation of disability has been approved by SDS and accommodations proposed, letters are sent, with students' permission, to instructors in whose classes the accommodations are being requested. Instructors are expected to review the recommended/proposed accommodation(s) and are encouraged to engage the student in an interactive process in reaching agreement on appropriate accommodation(s). Students are encouraged to introduce themselves to their professors directly.

Students with disabilities are responsible for requesting letters to their faculty and academic instructors. If students are having difficulty connecting with faculty and/or department chairs, they should immediately request assistance from the responsible University office.

Role of Faculty and Academic Support Staff

Faculty and academic staff consider accommodations only for students who are registered with the Office of Student Disabilities Services and who present a verification letter from that office stating that a student has a disability and the accommodation requested. If the accommodation is found to fundamentally alter the structure of a course, the instructor will contact the Office of Student Disabilities Services as quickly as possible to seek adjustment. (Accommodation provides equity for students with disabilities, not unfair advantage; therefore, disabled students must reach the same performance standards to fulfill degree requirements as their non-disabled peers.)

Common academic accommodations that faculty and academic support staff may be asked to provide include, but are not necessarily limited to: alternate print format, exam modification (extended time), course information and reading lists in advance of classes, assignment extension, classroom relocation, permission for lectures to be recorded, or wear a lapel microphone (to carry the voice of the lecturer to the student using an assistive listening device).

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