[Georgia_ahead] FW: Extension, extensions

Mon May 21 14:23:22 EDT 2007

Thanks for sharing!

Jacqueline Awe, LMSW
Director, Counseling and Disability Services
Department of Student Leadership and Development
Savannah State University
P. O. Box 20524
Savannah, GA 31404
(912) 356.2285/2202 Phone
(912) 356-2464 Fax
awej at savstate.edu

Empowering for Advancement

-----Original Message-----
From: georgia_ahead-bounces at ahead-lists.org
[mailto:georgia_ahead-bounces at ahead-lists.org] On Behalf Of Bonnie S. Martin
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 5:08 PM
To: georgia_ahead at ahead-lists.org
Subject: [Georgia_ahead] FW: Extension, extensions

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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