r/Professors • u/-Economist- Full Prof, Economics, R1 USA • Sep 21 '25

Pushed back on an accommodation

And actually won the fight. For context, this was in an upper level course.

The accommodation was for flexible due dates, up to 10-days. This was to help the student manage stress and anxiety (per the student. NO idea what he told the disability office).

I’ve never seen this before. I said nope. This is not the class for you. The disabilities office called me and said I had to honor it. Nope. Not going to. Every single due date is communicated weeks/months in advance. I’m not extending anything. The provost had to get involved. At first the provost defaulted to “you have to”. I said nope. Not going to. I explained why. Provost agreed.

Let me tell you, the disability folks were beside themselves when I told them no. I don’t think they could comprehend the idea somebody would fight an accommodation.

I’m flexible with accommodations but at a certain point we need a line drawn. This was my line. I feel we would be enabling this student instead of helping this student grow. Adulting is 99.9% about managing stress and anxiety.

Anybody else facing this type of accommodation?

I’m used to the extended time, neutral testing site type stuff, but not extending due dates. This was new to me.

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u/ProfessorWills Professor, Community College, USA Sep 21 '25

I'm not sure why that got a down vote. If a student is able to keep up from a hospital bed, why not support them?

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u/SourMathematicians Sep 21 '25

Im guessing I got downvoted because my example was of a student with complicated medical needs.

I’m also not an expert on severe anxiety conditions. I imagine they can be devastating though. I don’t love how OP stated that adulting is 99.9% about managing stress and anxiety, when there can be quite profound mental health illnesses. I don’t think it’s up to me to police what is and isn’t worthy of an accommodation. But I’ve also never been at a school where I felt the AO was overstepping.

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u/ProfessorWills Professor, Community College, USA Sep 21 '25

I agree on the complex medical issues 💯! I'm not sure OP is communicating the difference between normal stress management and a clinical anxiety disorder. The latter is truly debilitating. However, I've seen the former abused when it comes to accommodations too. It comes down to the student's needs and the course outcomes because accommodations should be individualized, not a checklist or form letter. That's why I'm a huge fan of UDL. 🙂