[Georgia_ahead] FW: Extension, extensions

Fri May 18 17:07:52 EDT 2007

Below Randy Borst (past president of AHEAD) speaks to providing extensions
as an accommodation.  I thought this is a good dsshe-posting to send on to
those on this Georgia AHEAD list who may not get the dsshe list (it is hard
to tolerate at times). 

It is a long posting, but it shows the deliberate thought process we all
have to use when deciding if a request for an extension (or any
accommodation) is reasonable.  As with all we do, the only right answer is
"it depends".

Bonnie Martin
Georgia Perimeter College

-----Original Message-----
From: Disabled Student Services in Higher Education
[mailto:DSSHE-L at LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU] On Behalf Of Borst, Randall
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 2:42 PM
To: DSSHE-L at LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU
Subject: Re: Extension, extensions

There is one thing certain in this seemingly uncertain territory: if the
accommodation is given it must be given without penalty.  If an
extension is not given on the basis of disability but on the basis of
the instructor's good heart, then there can be a penalty.

Like many in the field, I struggled with the question for a long time,
and I've spoken with several folks in the field with proven experience
whom I trust.  Through those conversations, and by seeing the
dysfunction of that particular accommodation -- which I never liked even
though I gave it from time to time  in the past-- I have concluded that
deadline extension for submitting out-of-class projects is rarely a
reasonable accommodation.  I believe I don't misquote Scott lissner who
said something to the effect that: it is not a reasonable accommodation
to say, "deadlines don't apply to me because I have a disability, so
don't give me any."

First, the analogy to extended time for tests doesn't hold water.  A
test is a severely time-constrained learning activity.  For various
reasons that we don't need to go into here, time extensions are a tried
and true reasonable accommodation for in-class tests.  Most out-of-class
projects are not severely time constrained, though sometimes homework
given today is due tomorrow or the day after and may involve
considerable reading, writing, analysis, math problems, what have you.
In certain circumstances, where the physical or cognitive limitations of
the disability would not permit the student to get that sort of homework
done on time, an extension may be appropriate if approved in advance and
it is educationally practicable.  That is, what if there is homework
whose answers will be given by the instructor in the next class.  Then
it would not be educationally practicable to give the extension.

What if students have four weeks to do a research paper? Just because
they have a disability and perhaps get double time for tests, why should
they get eight weeks to do the paper?  Why should they even get four
weeks and one day?  If they couldn't get it done in four weeks, how
could they get it done in four weeks and one day or four weeks and three
days? There is just no way to say how long is needed and what is
reasonable.  What if the class has nearly a whole semester, do students
with disabilities get two semesters simply because they got double time
for tests?

After other students have handed in their assignments and are working on
the next unit of study, what is the student with the disability doing?
Last week's homework, yesterdays news -- it just doesn't make sense.  At
some point the semester has to end.

In most instances, the student is not told how many classes must be
taken, what level of difficulty for classes should be, etc.  So it
becomes very difficult to show that the student must have a time
extension for out of class projects.  The student must budget time and
take the number of courses that are within the student's functional
limitations and other value matters.  That's why extended time to finish
a degree program is given as a possible reasonable accommodation in the
Section 504 regulations.  You won't see anything in the regulations
about extended time for homework assignments.

Finally, the last time I looked up "student" in the dictionary the only
definition I found was "See procrastination."  So I looked up
"procrastination," and what did I find?  "See student."  Students
procrastinate.  Always have, always will.  I don't intend to give them a
license in the form of an accommodation memo to procrastinate.  And,
even more so, I don't intend to try and figure out how much of their so
called need for time extension has to do with disability, how much has
to do with inability, and how much has to do with normal student
procrastination.

Now there is one exception at my university.  One school's associate
Dean for academic affairs has expressed to me that student should be
given reasonable extensions of deadlines for a variety of reasons --
family, work, disability, etc.  So in the case of that school, I feel
that to deny students with disabilities who for various reasons must
work slowly my recommendation that they should be included with other
students who are given time extension for submission of out of class
projects might be discriminatory.  But I think even that is stretching
the point and that I wouldn't really have to do so.  I could tell
students that they are on their own to discuss the matter with course
instructors.

I have just had too many instances where faculty have come to me at the
end of the semester wanting to know what is a reasonable extension
because some student who was given time extensions for papers hasn't
turned anything in, all semester or has a paper that is six weeks late,
etc.

Now on the other hand, sometimes a student may experience some symptom
exacerbation having to do with disability and may need extensions in
specific instances.  It can be appropriate for disability services
offices to get behind the student and advocate for their needs.  But to
give blanket extensions for out of class projects is not generally a
reasonable accommodation.  Even when they do have temporary
exacerbations, and need extensions, they should be required to show what
work they had done on the paper before they got sick.  Not, "well I knew
I had six weeks to do the paper, but I didn't know I was going to get
sick during the fifth week, when I had planned to start it."

Randy Borst
Director of Disability Services 
25 Capen Hall
University at Buffalo 
Buffalo, NY 14260-1632 
Voice: 716-645-2608 
Fax: 716-645-3116 
TTY: 716-645-2616 
E-mail: reborst at buffalo.edu <mailto:reborst at buffalo.edu> 

Check out our web page at

<http://www.ub-disability.buffalo.edu> 

-----Original Message-----
From: Disabled Student Services in Higher Education
[mailto:DSSHE-L at LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU] On Behalf Of Fletcher, Melissa
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 8:55 AM
To: DSSHE-L at LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU
Subject: [DSSHE-L] Extension, extensions

Hello Colleagues! 

Is anyone else struggling with students asking for extensions on
assignments suddenly at the very end of the school year?  I'm curious
about your policies on this (e.g., requiring early notification to
faculty members), what you do when a student comes to you at the last
minute, and how to be both reasonable with the student but proactive
with our policies to prevent some frustration on our part and with
faculty.  This year I had seemingly a flood of students asking to make
up work for the year at the last minute.  All of them were approved for
limited extensions, all of them trained and encouraged to work with
faculty on what a reasonable extension would be for their class early in
the term, none of them had and it got pretty messy. 

In addition, we have one faculty member in an accelerated cohort model
program who has allowed [I]any[/i] student to take additional time after
the class is over, but they must also take a grade reduction.  

Legal? Reasonable?  What are others doing?

Thanks-
Melissa 

Melissa Fletcher, M.A.
Disability Services Director 
Concordia St-Paul  

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