Attendance Modifications
Active status students who are enrolled in courses at the University are expected to attend class regularly and in accordance with the attendance policy of each course. Course attendance policies are determined by faculty at the college, departmental or individual course level. Occasionally, students may have disabilities that impact their ability to attend class. While OSAS can verify that the student’s disability may cause difficulty with course attendance and an accommodation may be in order, it is within a faculty member’s expertise to determine whether modifying course attendance policies is reasonable.
In some cases, attendance is fundamental to course objectives; for example, students may be required to interact with others in the class, to demonstrate the ability to think and argue critically, or to participate in group projects. In other instances, faculty may determine that students can master course content despite some or many absences. Rarely, faculty may decide that students do not need to attend classes at all.
Important note:
This accommodation is intended to support limited additional absences for disability-related reasons in certain circumstances, but it does not entitle a student to be excused from substantial class attendance. Students who believe that they will be unable to attend a substantial number of classes as a result of their disability should discuss an alternative accommodation with their OSAS Specialist, such as a Reduced Course Load or a Health Leave of Absence.
Typically, faculty are not required to lower or to make substantial modifications of standards for accommodation purposes. OSAS applies the following consideration points (adopted from the Office of Civil Rights) to determine if class attendance is fundamental to course participation:
- Is there classroom interaction between the instructor and students, and among students?
- Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process?
- Does the fundamental nature of the course rely upon student participation as an essential method for learning?
- To what degree does a student’s failure to attend constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of other students in the class?
- What does the course description and syllabus say?
- What is the method by which the final course grade is calculated?
- What are classroom practices and policies regarding attendance?
- How is attendance related to the learning outcomes of the course?
- Are there any alternative methods that the student can acquire/demonstrate mastery of the skill that would meet the same learning outcomes of the course when not considering attendance as a factor?
- Are there other faculty teaching the same course/content? If yes, is the attendance policy the same in all sections of the course?
OSAS staff are glad to help address questions or concerns about this accommodation, or to assist with mediating the process to reach an agreement between students and their instructors. Download the Accommodation Attendance Agreement Form
Curriculum Substitutions
The University does not grant curriculum waivers as a disability-related accommodation. However, when appropriate, substitutions of some course requirements may be approved as an accommodation. If approved for this accommodation, students are still responsible for meeting the credit requirements of their program of study and the University.
Because there are a number of cognitive processes and other factors involved in learning particular content areas (e.g. foreign languages, math, science, etc), as well as numerous factors that can impact those processes, we look for students to provide a complete Neuropsychological or Psycho-Educational evaluation. The evaluation would assess all relevant processes, including cognition, content areas, attention, memory and psycho-emotional factors, among others.
For students who have paid the University Health Fee (separate from having student insurance), the Student Health Center can assist with referrals to local clinicians who conduct this type of evaluation. Additionally, students may want to consider contacting the Kortschak Center for Learning and Creativity (KCLC) and/or USC’s Psychology Services Center. Both departments offer reduced-fee evaluations on a limited basis.
Important Notes
- When appropriate, it is in the student’s best interest to request this type of accommodation as early in their time at USC as possible. The outcome of the request and OSAS’s review will inform future course planning and time towards graduation. Additionally, time may be needed to gather necessary documentation (noted above).
- Please remember, request for the accommodation does not guarantee approval. If approved, this accommodation is not retroactive, and cannot be applied to courses already taken, completed, and/or withdrawn from.
- Referral by an academic department, faculty member, advisor, or other University staff member to OSAS to explore this accommodation is considered merely a referral to the appropriate decision-making resource. This does not guarantee the accommodation will be approved.
- Difficulty or distress around participating in certain content area courses is separate and distinct from what qualifies as a learning-related disability in these areas. OSAS will gladly refer students to campus resources to help manage stress and build effective academic skills to help them navigate challenging coursework.
For all Foreign Language Substitution accommodations, OSAS works directly with the Office of Undergraduate Education. Students approved for this accommodation will need to meet with the Manager of Academic Advisement and Retention for advising and course planning regarding the FL requirement.
Deadline Modifications
Course assignments and deadlines for those assignments are determined by faculty at the college, departmental or individual course level. Occasionally, students may have disabilities that impact their ability to meet course deadlines. While OSAS can verify that the student’s disability may cause difficulty with deadlines, and an accommodation may be in order, it is within a faculty member’s expertise to determine if and when granting deadline extensions is reasonable for a specific course. In some cases, deadlines are fundamental to the course. In other instances, faculty may determine that meeting course deadlines is not critical to the course learning objectives.
Students approved for deadline modifications are encouraged to work with their instructors as early in the semester as possible to reach an agreement on how to apply this accommodation when and if it is needed. This is used assignment-by-assignment, rather than a blanket extension for all assignments. Additionally, this student is responsible for communicating with faculty regarding each assignment for which this accommodation will be needed. This should be done prior to the original assignment due date to determine a reasonable extension that does not compromise the integrity of the assignment, course, and/or program.
Important note:
This accommodation is intended to support limited and occasional deadline modifications for disability-related reasons in certain circumstances, but it does not entitle a student to submit all assignments after their established deadlines. Students who believe their disability currently prevents them from completing any assignments in a timely fashion should discuss an alternative accommodation with their OSAS Specialist, such as a Reduced Courseload or a Health Leave of Absence.
We recommend students approved for this accommodation talk through the following points with their instructors, in order to establish a course-level agreement with the professor for this accommodation.
- Are extensions on deadlines ever allowed for students without disabilities; for example, if a student has an emergency medical condition, an interview, or a trip on university business?
- What does the syllabus say about deadlines and extensions?
- Is it necessary to have finished the assignment in order to participate in subsequent classes?
- Will the assignment be discussed in subsequent classes, such that it is unfair to allow the student to have access to those conversations before the assignment is completed?
- Would allowing the deadline extension negatively impact the educational experience of other students?
- Is the material being learned in the class sequential? Does each week’s material build on the material learned in the previous week(s)?
- Are there other lab or class sections the student could attend to catch up on missed material?
OSAS provides an agreement form that can be used to discuss the accommodation. Download the Deadline Modification Agreement Form here.
OSAS staff are glad to help address questions or concerns about this accommodation, or to assist with mediating the process to reach an agreement between students and their instructors.
Priority Registration
Priority Registration may be considered as an appropriate accommodation in order to allow the student equal access to the educational experience. Rather than addressing the registration process itself, Priority Registration most typically helps to address disability-related obstacles with regards to activities of daily life and/or when other approved accommodations involve a good deal of advanced logistical planning for OSAS.
Some examples of scenarios when Priority Registration may be considered a reasonable and necessary accommodation include:
- Students whose disability imposes classroom access constraints due to mobility, speed, stamina, and/or endurance across setting or time of day.
- Students with significant or chronic medical conditions, or those following a strict treatment regimen impacting their ability to attend classes at certain times of day.
- Students who frequently arrange for on and off-campus service providers (e.g. personal care assistants, outpatient treatment programs, etc).
- Students who use services or accommodations that require significant planning and action steps on the part of OSAS (i.e. Alternative Text, Classroom Scheduling, Interpreters, CART, accessible classroom furniture, etc.)
Please note:
The University recognizes that students may experience a certain degree of stress related to the registration process itself. Distress related to this process is separate and distinct from a disability-related need for an accommodation in order to fully access the learning experience or learning environment. It is important that students meet with their academic advisors to understand course options and to help develop alternative schedule plans, should their top choice classes or schedules not be available. There are also additional support resources available through Occupational Therapy and Mental Health and Counseling Services that can support a student developing successful stress management strategies. Find out more about these additional supports on the More Resources page of this site.
If approved, Priority Registration allows for Undergraduate students to register for courses on the first day the Registration Period opens for the following semester. New/Incoming USC students approved for this accommodation will not be able to register before their Advising & Orientation session, but will have Priority Registration activated for them in the following semesters.
The Priority Registration accommodation may be relevant for some, but not all, graduate programs. For Graduate Students, the review process for this accommodation would include input from the student, Staff and Faculty advisors from the program of study, and the OSAS in order to determine if this accommodation was relevant and would appropriately accommodate the student’s area(s) of limitation.
- Students approved for this accommodation will automatically have their names and registration status forwarded to the Registrar by OSAS one week prior to the start of the Registration Period.
- The Registrar will process the revised registration standing for the student, which will be reflected in the student’s on-line account.
- Please note that it may take up to several days before Registration begins for the student’s registration date/time to reflect the accommodation.
Key Timelines
To initiate the accommodation request process, a student should submit a request for Priority Registration and appropriate documentation at least 3 weeks before the first day of registration to allow for the documentation review process to be complete and any relevant approval information to be processed by the Registrar’s office.
Important notes
- Students approved for Priority Registration must still meet all University, College and Departmental enrollment policies and requirements. Students should check their records and address any academic holds and permission-to-register actions (i.e. required advising meetings, etc) prior to their registration date.
- Priority registration does not exempt students from meeting per-requisite or class-standing requirements for courses. Further, it does not grant access to restricted or closed courses or sections.
- Priority Registration does not guarantee availability of classes or provision of courses/sections at specific times.
Reduced Course Load
Occasionally, the impact of a student’s disability may make it unreasonable for the student to manage a full course load. In these cases, a student may be eligible for an accommodation of a reduced course load. This means the student is enrolled in less than full-time credits/course load. However, the student maintains full access to the facilities and programming of the University.
Please read more about Reduced Course Load and Financial Aid on AskUSC
Though OSAS may approve the accommodation, students will need to understand the potential impact of the reduced load on factors such as outside financial aid and external enrollment requirements. When applicable, students are encouraged to share information about their reduced course load accommodation with offices such as the Office of International Students, the Athletic Department, Veteran’s Affairs, Financial Aid, and Academic Advisors to understand any potential impacts of the reduced course load.