Accommodations Handbook

High school students with disabilities enrolled in concurrent courses are taking courses for Boise State University credit, which means students have the right to receive reasonable and appropriate accommodations for their courses through the EAC. If a student has a current 504 or IEP, they still need to establish accommodations with the EAC because 504s and IEPs do not apply to Boise State concurrent enrollment courses.

To learn more about the purpose and implementation of this accommodation, read our Concurrent Enrollment Accommodations resource document.

Students with disabilities and/or diagnosed conditions who are seeking accommodations for academics, housing, and/or dining need to establish services with the EAC. The entire process may take up to 30 days for accommodation approval. Documentation is required for accommodations, but provisional ones may be appropriate on a case-by-case basis. Due to the complexity of some accommodations, they may need to be reviewed by the Accommodation Review Team. Once accommodations are established, students will activate their accommodations every semester to apply them to their new classes.

Request Services

To learn more about establishing services with the EAC, read our Establishing Services and Activating Accommodations resource document.

Boise State University, the EAC, instructors, and students with disabilities and/or diagnosed conditions all have rights and responsibilities related to standards, access, and accommodations. Students with disabilities and/or diagnosed conditions have the right to accommodations in order to access services, extracurricular activities, housing, dining, academics, and any other components of the academic experience at an equal level as provided to any student on campus.

To learn more about your rights and responsibilities, read our Rights and Responsibilities resource document.

To learn more about accessible course materials, visit our Alternate Format and Accessible Course Materials webpage or read our resource document that explains the purpose and implementation of this accommodation.

The intent of the alternative to in-class presentations accommodation is to provide access alternatives to students who experience disability-related barriers to live presentations that impact their participation in the live class format. The accommodation is not intended to waive or remove course requirements, but to provide reasonable alternatives to ensure students are still able to meet the learning outcomes and expectations of the course.     

To learn more about this accommodation and ideas for reasonable alternatives to presentations, please review the Alternative to In-class Presentations resource document.

To learn more about alternative testing, visit our Alternative Testing webpage or read our resource document that explains the purpose and implementation of this accommodation.

There are several key considerations staff and instructors need to keep in mind when working with deaf or hard of hearing students related to communication and the learning environment. They should also consider how to work with ASL interpreters, including the role of the interpreter and how to communicate through the interpreter.

Students who are deaf or hard of hearing may receive ASL interpreting or live captioning/CART services for accommodations. Students who receive these services have specific cancellation procedures that need to be followed. Students who repeatedly late cancel or do not attend for their scheduled service may need to work with their coordinator to determine the barriers related to cancellations.

To learn more about the purpose and implementation of this accommodation, read our Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Related Accommodations resource document.

Some disabilities are episodic or unpredictable in nature, and as a result, it may occasionally impact the student’s ability to attend class, meet a deadline, or complete a quiz/exam. Accommodations for these concerns may include:

• Ability to reschedule quizzes/exams
• Occasional absences needed
• Occasional deadline extensions needed

To clarify expectations, a Flex Plan will need to be initiated by the instructor for these accommodations. The purpose of the plan is to clearly outline the flexibility allowed in regards to the applicable accommodations, while still maintaining appropriate course outcomes. The Flex Plan is initiated by the instructor through their Faculty Portal. One plan may be completed for each section of a course. Once completed by the instructor, EAC staff will review the plan and continue to engage in the interactive process with the instructor or accept the plan. Once accepted, the instructor and student(s) will be notified of the plan. If, after multiple reminders, the instructor does not create a Flex Plan for the course, the EAC will create one on behalf of the instructor.

If a student needs to implement their Flex Plan (for example – they need to request a disability-related absence), they will submit an implementation request through their Access Portal. We recommend students submit requests as much in advance as possible. Once submitted, the instructor will review the request and has the option to approve it or specify why there may be concerns. EAC staff is also able to review requests and engage with the student and instructor if there are any concerns. Implementation requests should be submitted by students any time they are needing to use one of their Flex Plan accommodations.

Ability to reschedule quizzes/exams

This accommodation does not provide opportunities for quiz/exam retakes. It allows for the student to reschedule a quiz/exam if they are experiencing an increase in disability-related symptoms that interfere with a quiz/exam date. Student should notify their instructor of a need to reschedule their quiz/exam by submitting an implementation request for their Flex Plan.

Only quizzes/exams taken at the ATC can be made up at the ATC. If being made up at the ATC, the instructor must contact the ATC. All other rescheduled quizzes/exams can be proctored by the instructor or PACS. If being made up at PACS, the instructor must contact PACS to coordinate the rescheduled exam.

Occasional absences needed

The occasional absence accommodation is not intended to be impacted every week and/or for every synchronous class meeting; it is also not an automatic excuse for absences.

Students have the responsibility of notifying their instructor as soon as possible, preferably before class, if they are needing to use their accommodation for attendance. We understand every class is different, and it may be difficult to understand the expectations and flexibility allowed for each class. This is why the Flex Plan and request to implement the flex plan through the Access Portal/Faculty Portal are in place.

 Occasional deadline extensions needed

The occasional extension on assignment deadlines is not intended to be used every week and/or for every assignment.

Students have the responsibility of notifying their instructor as soon as possible, preferably before the assignment deadline, if they are needing to use their accommodation for an extension. For assignments in which an extension is appropriate, the extension may allow for an additional 48-hours from the original due date. Even if a student completed the assignment within the 48-hour time frame, if the student did not notify the instructor of the necessary extension through submitting an implementation request, the instructor cannot assume the assignment was submitted late due to disability-related reasons and therefore late penalties as outlined in the syllabus may still apply. If extenuating circumstances require more than an additional 48 hours to complete the assignment, the student needs to specify that in the implementation request, preferably before the assignment deadline. The instructor may determine an appropriate and reasonable deadline for the assignment, and consult with EAC staff as necessary.

If any of the Flex Plan accommodations are significantly delaying the student’s progress in the course, the student and/or instructor should contact the EAC as soon as possible to discuss the circumstances.

Some students may be eligible for a classroom, lab, or accommodation assistant. In general, assistants are extensions of the student’s eyes, arms, and/or voice, or they may remediate inaccessible course documents or process course materials using specialized technology. Assistants are not tutors or personal aids.

To learn more about the purpose and implementation of this accommodation, read our Individual Classroom, Lab, or Accommodation Assistants resource document.

To learn more about note taking accommodations, visit our Note Taking Support webpage or read our Note Taking and Related Accommodations resource document that explains the purpose and implementation of this accommodation.