Chapter 8:
Accommodations
The School of Law works with the Center for Learning, Access, and Student Success (CLASS) to enable students with disabilities to experience equal access to academic, social, and recreational activities and programs. The CLASS staff provides individual consultations to students who choose to disclose disabilities.
The Office of Student Affairs is responsible for coordination within the School of Law to ensure that approved accommodations are implemented appropriately. Any student who has questions about accommodations can reach out to Student Affairs.
Requesting Accommodations
School of Law students who wish to seek accommodations must follow Steps 1 - 4 of the Student Accommodations Process as outlined on the CLASS website. Students should note that the steps and language are primarily geared towards College and Graduate School students. Due to the anonymous grading policies of the School of Law, students should not follow Step 5 of the process, nor discuss their approved accommodations unless instructed to do so by the Office of Student Affairs.
Within the Center for Learning, Access, and Student Success, the staff member who works with all students of the School of Law is:
Dr. Jacqueline Friedman
friedmjn@wfu.edu
All law students seeking an appointment with CLASS regarding accommodations should be sure to schedule with Dr. Friedman as she ensures that all accommodations for the School of Law are applied equitably, and that the School of Law's unique process is followed correctly.
Should a student be approved for accommodations, their letter of approved accommodations will be forwarded to the Office of Student Affairs.
Upon receipt, the Office of Student Affairs will:
Review the approved accommodation to determine whether contact with professors is appropriate (e.g., for some in-class accommodations);
Determine whether accommodations may constitute any fundamental alteration to registered courses,
Communicate any additional instructions to the student for next steps or their responsibilities (e.g., to make contact with their professor);
If necessary, communicate with faculty members about particular accommodations to ensure they have knowledge; and/or
Provide relevant departments with notice of the accommodations for necessary system updates (i.e., Canvas and/or ExamSoft).
Administrative Implementation Timeline
Due to administrative processes outlined above, all approved accommodations should be received by the School of Law at least five (5) business days prior to any eligible assessment, event, or initiative for which the accommodations are expected to be implemented.
With the exception of new and emergent circumstances, students should consider this expectation when considering their need of accommodations, especially for assessments.
Fundamental Alteration
Should the Office of Student Affairs determine that approved accommodations may constitute a fundamental alteration to a registered course, the case will be forwarded to the Accommodations Committee for additional consideration. The Accommodations Committee will consider the course learning objectives, as defined by the syllabus, and the program learning objectives, and will determine whether honoring the approved accommodation would result in "a change in the essential nature" of the class (see Fundamental Alteration, 29 C.F.R. Part 28.4(z)).
If the Accommodations Committee determines that the accommodation constitutes a fundamental alteration, the Committee will issue its decision to the Office of Student Affairs and the accommodation will not be implemented. The Office of Student Affairs will alert the student of the Committee's decision.
Should the Accommodations Committee determine that the accommodation does not constitute a fundamental alteration, the Committee will issue its decision to the Office of Student Affairs and the accommodation will move forward in its implementation as outlined above.
In general, the Accommodations Committee procedure should be completed within 8 business days from receipt of the notice for review and consideration.