As you know, some students are granted accommodations for disability-related class absences.

• The instructor and student may want to use the new SDS form to document the accommodations granted for disability-related class absences.
• Please note that this form is no longer required. SDS received feedback from the UI community, leading to the optional use of this form.

The form may be found at the top of the SDS website under the title DRADM Agreement or at https://sds.studentlife.uiowa.edu/assets/DRADM.pdf (DRADM stands for Disability-Related Absence and Deadline Modification Agreement).

The purpose of this new form is to clarify communication between the student and the instructor while creating a way to resolve misunderstandings.

Also keep in mind that not all courses are appropriate for students needing accommodations for disability-related class absences.

For example, performance and participation-based courses often require students to be present for almost every class. Instructors must decide the number of absences that may be allowed without resulting in a fundamental alteration of the course.  This limit, in some cases, may not work for the related situation through no fault of the instructor or of the student.

In some cases, it may be better for the student to enroll in a different course. The student must be informed of this as soon as possible. As questions arise, please consult with me and with SDS on this matter.

As a reminder, note these ongoing policies and procedures related to SDS accommodations.

1. The need for an accommodation must be stated in the student’s Letter of Accommodation (LOA) from SDS.  Typical accommodations are described at the SDS website but are not defined in the LOA. See this page for more information about accommodations:

https://sds.studentlife.uiowa.edu/accommodations/descriptions/

2. Accommodations begin from the time that the student presents the letter to the instructor. In other words, accommodations are not retroactive.
3. Student and instructor rights and responsibilities are listed on these two pages of the SDS website:

https://sds.studentlife.uiowa.edu/instructors/rightsresponsibilities/

https://sds.studentlife.uiowa.edu/students/rightsresponsibilities/

4. SDS now offers technological solutions for providing class notes to students who need this accommodation and who find these options helpful. Many instructors also find these solutions convenient. https://sds.studentlife.uiowa.edu/accommodations/descriptions/classnotes/