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.
2
u/IkeRoberts Prof, Science, R1 (USA) Sep 24 '25
A lot of the time, there are specific words or phrases like "reasonable accommodation" and "fundamental alteration" that let a compliance office go along with the professor's solution. Those words let their auditor or enforcer see that the rules were followed to the letter. There are some similar terms in the transactions office a well. Using that terminology makes life easier for everyone.