Timely Notice and Setting Deadlines for Requests

Faculty have a responsibility to ensure access to all approved and requested accommodations are provided in a timely manner. The law does not define “timely manner” but the courts have provided guidelines on the meaning. In general, the provision of accommodations in a “timely manner” means the student is provided access to accommodations within a few days of submitting the request to the faculty member. Determinations of timely manner depend upon the nature of the accommodation and the course, and must be reasonable.

Faculty cannot set arbitrary timelines during which a student must submit a Faculty Notification Letter. Students have a right to request accommodations at any point during the academic term; however, they are responsible for submitting requests in a timely manner, allowing the faculty member time to arrange the accommodation.

As an example, a student who requests testing accommodations on the morning of the test typically did not provided timely notice and as such the faculty member is not required to provide the accommodations. On the other hand, if the student requested testing accommodations 24 to 48 hours before the test, the student gave timely notice and testing accommodations must be provided.

Faculty are encouraged to make a good-faith effort to accommodate even when timely notice is not provided; however, faculty are not required to provide retro-active access to accommodations.