Accommodated Attendance Guidelines

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Class attendance policies are not determined by the Access Center. Attendance is often an integral component of the pedagogic process and is consequently determined by faculty members. In many cases, attendance is fundamental to the course requirements. A percentage of a student’s final grade may be determined by a student’s ability to:

1. participate in discussions,
2. demonstrate the ability to think and argue critically,
3. critique a class member’s work, or
4. participate in group projects.

Attendance modifications will be determined by the Access Center on a case-by-case basis which will include obtaining information from faculty about how class attendance impacts the student’s ability to meet the academic standards of the course.

Students seeking to utilize their approved accommodation of flexibility with attendance must follow these procedures:

• Review course syllabus (attendance/late assignments/exam make-up policies).
• If you think it may not be possible to abide by a course’s attendance requirements due to your disability, submit a “Request Attendance Flexibility” form located in the “Current Students” section on the Access Center website, https://www.msudenver.edu/access/current-students/, Typically, accommodations are not provided retroactively so it is recommended that students complete this request form immediately following approval of this accommodation or at the beginning of each semester.
• If your condition worsens towards the end of the semester, you will need to contact your Access Center Coordinator immediately to discuss what options may be available to complete your courses. These options need to be considered individually, including the possibility of receiving an “I” (incomplete). Incomplete work must be completed within the specified timeframe or the “I” notation will convert to an “F”.

Even with some approved modification to a course’s attendance policy, students should be aware of the following factors:

• For certain courses (i.e. labs, studio classes, field placements), there may be limited or no opportunity to make-up missed class work because of the time sensitive structure of the course and the academic standards for students to learn and demonstrate mastery in an experiential or practical setting.
• Absences that are not related to the effects of a disability are not included in this accommodation (i.e. absences due to a common illness, car trouble, work, etc.). The student is responsible for following the course syllabus regarding absences due to non-disability related issues.
• Faculty are not obligated to re-teach material missed due to not attending class.
• It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the material and notes from missed classes.
• Regardless of the modification of the attendance policy, the student is required to meet all of the academic course requirements and to complete all assignments and examinations.
• Understand that this accommodation has limits. This accommodation is not a license for the student to miss class whenever they choose. Most classes have an absence limit that, once exceeded, makes it impossible to satisfy course objectives. Professors have a responsibility to uphold academic requirements and standards.