Disability Accommodation Letters: Compassionate and Clear Responses

By Gayle Golden
                                                   

Now is a good time to review practices for responding to – and understanding the nature of – disability accommodation letters, which students have probably given you already.

These letters are becoming more common for several reasons, chiefly the increase in students with so-called hidden disabilities, such as mental health conditions. In those cases, students may qualify for reasonable accommodations in classrooms on matters such as time allowed for tests, deadlines or even attendance.

Why these letters?

A request for accommodation when no disability is apparent does not mean a student is lazy or lacks resilience. Students have often faced a long and difficult road before they receive a disability accommodation letter for mental health reasons. To receive one, a student must present documentation to the Disability Resource Center counselors, and it usually means the student has been treated for any number of diagnoses, including anxiety disorders such as panic attacks, clinical depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder or other serious mental illnesses. Some disabilities may involve high-functioning students who are on the autistic spectrum or who have learning disabilities. In short, reasonable accommodations in the classroom are tools that help students with such disabilities succeed in college when they could not do so otherwise.

Why so many now? 

Mental health disorders account for most of the recent increase in disability accommodation letters. An estimated 30 percent of undergraduate students on the Twin Cities campus have been diagnosed with a mental health condition at some point in their lives, and another 25 percent probably have undiagnosed conditions, mostly anxiety and depression. If this seems higher than you remember from your college days, it is. Mental health conditions are more prevalent among our students today because treatments have improved and stigma has abated. During the past 15 years, more students with mental health illnesses have headed to college to seek a better future. In the past, many of these intelligent students simply didn't go to college. If they tried, they often flunked classes or eventually disappeared altogether if their illnesses flared up. 

How can we adjust?

As instructors, then, we are on the front lines of a significant change. This requires some adjustment on our part, admittedly not all of it easy. It’s important to note we are not mental health providers. Our role is not to provide therapy or to help these students with their disorders. Yet we can respond to them in a thoughtful and compassionate way, setting appropriate boundaries and encouraging their successes. Dealing with accommodation letters is one part of that response. Although taking time with those letters may feel a little inconvenient, a thoughtful approach can make a big difference for a student who needs these tools to move forward with purposeful life.

Here is some guidance on how to respond to these letters taken from the recently released report from the Joint Task Force on Student Mental Health:

• Acknowledge the letter. Students often feel worried about how instructors will perceive them when they send a letter. Dispel those worries. Email the student to say you’ve gotten the letter and that you’d like to discuss accommodations. If you have a large class with teaching assistants, be sure you convey that one of those TAs will be contacting the student. Be encouraging and straightforward. That’s all the student needs.

• Arrange a meeting. An accommodation letter will never spell out what you should do for the student. It will merely describe general accommodations a student might request. It’s up to the instructor and the student to discuss specifics for every class and situation. It’s critical to have that conversation. Generalizing about accommodations rarely produces any insight.

• Agree on reasonable accommodations for that class. This is the most important step – and the most misunderstood. Bottom line: Accommodation requests do not require total capitulation to the student’s needs. Quite the opposite. The accommodations are tools for students to use to help their success, but they exist in a world where not everything is possible. Other tips for this discussion:
• It’s important instructors be clear, as well as kind, about what they can and cannot provide for reasonable accommodations. As you begin that conversation, then, the accent should be on reasonable. The conversation should focus on mutual respect and a drive toward solutions. 
• Understand that not all students are experts at accommodation letters. They may not always know what they need, so they may ask for the moon and the stars. Others know exactly what to ask for. In the end, it’s important for you as the instructor help them settle on what’s reasonable. (It's important, too, that instructors work with the student's DRC Access Consultant listed on the letter if there are concerns or questions about any accommodation. The university is committed to an interactive process that includes the student, the instructor and the consultant.) 
• Encourage students to take responsibility for the accommodation. If a letter asks for deadline flexibility, for example, you can say that you will permit extended deadlines -- but only if the student contacts you in advance and sets a new deadline. Otherwise, you can say, it’s hard for you to offer blanket deadline-busting. If the letter notes attendance accommodations, you can say it’s very difficult to do well in the class if the student cannot attend most classes. Then you can discuss ways the student can make up material if he or she must miss a class. You can also discuss ways the student can alert you if attendance is a problem. These encourage student responsibility for the accommodations sought, which incidentally help students prepare for the world beyond college.
• Finally, explain why some disciplines -- journalism, for example -- need to impose deadlines for students. This will help them understand the importance of deadlines in skills classes, and it will help them assess their plans for their career. Most of these students have spent a lot of time considering how they will fare in jobs. Believe it or not, your course is not the first time they've encountered concerns about whether they can succeed in the professional world. Be kind and caring as you help them gain insight about their growth as they use these accommodations.

• Convey support and confidence in the student. It’s important you start off believing the student can succeed in the class. The student will be more motivated to do well and more forthcoming with concerns, which will feed success.

• Communicate any concerns through the semester. You’ll likely notice if a student begins to drop off as the stresses of the semester build. Communicate with the student in a timely fashion. It might take just a short email or a query after class. It’s not always guaranteed to help, but it can’t hurt. And it will help build the record you need to ultimately cast a wider net of support.

• Follow up with university support. If the student disappears altogether, which happens, be sure you reach out via emails copied to the student’s Disability Resource Center counselor, who will also reach out to the student. 

The reality is that students sometimes need several attempts to succeed. The lessons they learn from setbacks are often the ones they carry to ultimate success. What they’ll remember, though, is how you made them feel through those lessons. So do your best to offer compassion and support even as you set the boundaries they need. 

If you have a question or a comment for ProActive Teaching, please post one below or email me at ggolden@umn.edu.