Civil rights laws require reasonable accommodations of non-essential elements of academic programs in order to ensure access. The accommodations only change in the learning environment that permit students with disabilities to have equal educational opportunities.

Students with disabilities must meet or exceed academic standards with or without reasonable accommodations. Under no circumstances should any accommodation result in a fundamental alteration to the course.

We encourage students to request accommodations for the class early in the semester. Students are also advised to provide their accommodation (verification) letter and make an appointment with the instructor in advance. However, be aware that this is not always the case; some students may not request accommodations timely. Instructors do not need to honor retroactive accommodation requests.

Please contact the student's consultant for clarification. The name of the consultant can be found in the accommodation (verification) letter the student provides. 

Class attendance and assignment policies are set by faculty or departments. When the functional limitations of the disability affect a student's class participation, ODE may recommend flexibility with attendance and deadline policies as a possible reasonable accommodation.

However, flexibility with attendance and deadline policies may not be reasonable if class participation is determined as an essential component of the class.

Instructors do not have to grant retroactive requests from students.

When requesting extended deadlines, students must notify the instructors before the due date and make arrangements with the instructor to determine the new due date. The extended deadlines should not compromise the integrity of the course.

Instructors determine policies about make-up work and missed quizzes or exams. The instructors have the right to hold to their academic standards and are not required to lower or modify essential course elements in order to provide accommodations to students with disabilities.

Discussion between the instructor and the student is essential. Please contact the student's consultant with any questions.

Students with disabilities who qualify for the note-taking accommodation will ask a classmate to share notes. However, if the search is unsuccessful, the students may ask you for your assistance by announcing the class.

An example of the announcement is: A student is seeking a volunteer note-taker in this class. The note-taker will receive a stipend of $50 in UMoney per semester from the Office for Disability Equity. Please see me after class for more information.

Classrooms may be moved if the room is inaccessible to a student registered for the course. Whenever possible, a student may be moved to another section of the same course at the same time if that section is scheduled in an accessible location. However, not all students with severe mobility limitations, who may require room changes, have visible disabilities. A hostile learning environment could be created when questions are posed regarding a room change for a student with a disability. The Office of the Registrar notifies instructors before any classroom changes are finalized.

If this is an immediate emergency, call 911. 

If this is not an immediate emergency, call the Facilities Services Work Order at 406-243-6091 to report the problem. After hours and on weekends, call the UM Police Department at 406-243-6131.

Elevator breakdowns constitute temporary access barriers for students with mobility limitations. Students may miss critical course information, be unable to take scheduled exams or pop quizzes, or be unable to give required presentations. This is a no-fault situation in many respects, but the University still assumes the responsibility of equal access. In such circumstances, the student should contact the instructor as soon as possible and request assistance in obtaining course notes or rescheduling an exam or presentation. The student's attendance record should not be adversely affected.

ADA recognizes a service animal as a dog trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. Only service animals are allowed in public places such as classrooms. Generally, service animals are allowed anywhere the handlers are permitted on campus (exceptions may exist for health and safety).

Assistance animals, called emotional support animals (ESA), differ from service animals and are only permitted in housing. 

If you are unsure whether the animal is a service animal, you can ask the handler the following two permitted inquiries: 1) is the dog required because of a disability? and 2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

No. Students' verification letter does not state using a service dog. The handlers of a service animal are not required for approval, request, documentation, or proof of training. It is also prohibited to ask that the dog demonstrate its ability to perform the work or task.

Allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access and refusing individuals using service animals. A possible solution may include asking the dog handler to use different locations within the classroom or take a different section of the course.

The handler must keep their service animal under control at all times. You can ask the handler to remove the service animal from your classroom if: 1) the service animal is out of control, 2) the handler does not take effective action to control the animal, or 3) the presence of the dog poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others.

Please refer the student handler to the Office for Disability Equity for further guidance. Contact us directly if you require support.

Civil rights laws for people with disabilities are founded on the assumption: the same treatment does not always fairly measure. The laws protect students with disabilities from being subjected to the arbitrary measure of what is best for others, except in cases of the safety of others. The law assumes that modifying non-essential tasks should give students with disabilities an equal or fair chance to demonstrate their ability by minimizing their functional limitations to the greatest extent possible.

Examples:

With writing or typing limitations, the student may be an excellent writer even though they cannot print or type the letters and words. Thus, the physical act of writing is a non-essential task. The student's mastery of language and course material must not, under the law, be judged by their ability to manipulate a pencil or to use a keyboard. Providing a scribe to record the student's essay responses permits the student to show whether they can write effectively.

No unfair advantage over non-disabled peers is gained by using a scribe. In using this auxiliary aid, the student must clearly communicate the words and structure of their answer to the scribe, including punctuation and spelling. Even with extended time on an essay exam to compensate for the additional time of dictating to the scribe, the student can only hope for equal access.

If you are uncertain about an accommodation request, you can challenge the student's request in some ways. First, ask the student to provide their accommodation (verification) letter from the Office for Disability Equity (ODE) to ensure we recommend the accommodation. Please contact the student's consultant if the letter does not mention the requested accommodation.

If an accommodation request may cause fundamental alteration, undue hardship, administrative burden, personal services, or threat to self or others, the request is considered unreasonable and may be denied. See When accommodations are not provided.

Students may request accommodations that are not discussed with ODE. This does not always mean it is unreasonable under the law. If a request seems unreasonable, contact the student's consultant for guidance. We will work with instructors to suggest other alternatives to the student.

If you decide to deny the student's request as unreasonable, consult your department colleagues because denials of accommodation requests should be made at least at the departmental level and not by an individual instructor. Furthermore, clearly inform the student of your reasons for denying the request. If you have already consulted ODE, refer the student to their access consultant for further clarification. 

It is impossible to accommodate disruptive behavior on the part of a student with a disability. Students with disabilities must adhere to the Student Conduct Code like any other student. If disruptive behavior occurs, the instructor should give the student a fair warning and report an incident. Contact the Office for Community Standards or Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) for questions or concerns.

Our Planning accessible events will provide essential guidance. Prepare your presentations with techniques such as using a microphone, accessible documents, and captioned videos.

Contact Brandy Reinhardt at brandy.reinhardt@umontana.edu. For more information, go to Interpreting/captioning services for campus events.

We are a resource for faculty members, staff, departments, and schools. We are available for consultations on accessibility in the curriculum and teaching and interacting with students with disabilities. We can meet individually or present to a class, departmental meeting, or a larger group. To request a consultation, contact us at ode@umontana.edu or 406-243-2243.

The Office for Disability Equity does not provide testing accommodations for non-disability-related reasons. It is up to the instructors' discretion to grant extended test time or other test accommodations to English language learners. Additionally, instructors are responsible for the administration of any exams they wish to extend or accommodate for English language learners.