The most common accommodations are assessment accommodations (eg. deadline extensions, excused absences, midterm deferrals, deferred finals, etc.). These are not the only ones available. 

Other academic accommodations through the University such as leaves of absence, course withdrawals with refund after the deadline has passed, etc. are also available.

Accommodation on the basis of disability, religion, and pregnancy or caregiving have additional  guidelines through University policy, outlined below.

 

In-Term Assessments

Students have the right to request academic accommodation for assessments before the assessment is submitted for situations including but not limited to personal disability, religious commitment, illness, and serious personal circumstances (Policy on Assessment of Student Learning, 7.1, 7.2). Typically, instructors require supporting documentation from the student in order to provide accommodation, in accordance with any Faculty regulations.

 

The process for requesting accommodation for in-term assessments (eg. papers, midterms, assignments, quizzes, etc.) in circumstances not including religion, pregnancy, caregiving, or disability registered with Student Accessibility and Achievement is as follows:

• Step 1: Contact your instructor*
  • *If you are a student in the Faculty of Law, contact the SAO.
  • You should contact your instructor before the assignment is submitted.
  • In exceptional circumstances, should some additional information become available after submission, you might be able to submit a request for accommodation within 7 working days of submission.
    
    
  • The Office of the Dean of Students can act as a liaison between you and the instructor, if necessary.
  • The Student Rights Researcher and Advocacy Commissioner is available to help draft an accommodation request, if needed. Contact studentrights@ssmu.ca.
    
    
• Step 2: Contact your academic advisor or Faculty Student Affairs Office
  • Should your instructor be unauthorized to help with accommodation, contact your academic advisor or Student Affairs Office to find out the appropriate request pathway.
  • Processes for academic accommodation often vary by Faculty.
    
    
• Step 3: Contact the Office of the Dean of Students
  • Should you experience difficulty with your instructor or feel uncomfortable discussing the issue with them, or if you feel your rights to accommodation are not being properly addressed, the Office of the Dean of Students can help liaise with the instructor, advisory, or Faculty SAO.
    
    
• Step 4:
  • Should you feel your rights to accommodation were not properly addressed in the steps above, you can complain to the Ombudsperson.
  • If you believe you were improperly accommodated for reasons of discrimination, you can complain to the Office of Mediation and Reporting.

 

Extensions

Depending on the Faculty, you may need to contact your Student Affairs Office to apply for an extension for in-term assessments, including missed mid-term exams. Reference the list below for the correct process for your Faculty.

• Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: apply to the SAO by following this link

Medical Notes

You may need a medical note to prove your accommodation needs. The McGill Student Wellness Hub is a student-fee or health insurance covered service on campus that can provide medical notes either during appointments or drop-in hours.

 

The Hub is currently doing day-of appointments, booked over the phone. To book a day-of appointment, you must call 514-398-6017 at 8:30am exactly, when the phone lines open. There are very few appointments available.

Medical notes can also be issued by medical personnel at private clinics, CLSC’s, emergency rooms, etc.

For the medical notes policy Click Here!

 

Final Exams

Final exam accommodations include rescheduling for reasons of conflict, deferrals for medical or personal reasons, academic accommodations for reasons of disability, and more.

 

Follow the hyperlinks to find more detail on final exam accommodations, or email studentrights@ssmu.ca with questions.

 

Religious

Students cannot be penalized if they cannot write exams or other evaluations due to religious conflicts (Policy for the Academic Accommodation of Religious Observances 5.1).

 

If you cannot meet an academic requirement that is not a final exam, you must inform your instructor at least two weeks before the date of the conflict. Potential solutions include:

• Rescheduling the assessment, or
• Preparing an alternative assessment for you, or
• Shifting the weight of the missed assessment to other components of the course

 

If the instructor and student are not able to agree on suitable accommodations, the matter will be referred to the Faculty’s Associate Dean of Student Affairs who will have the final decision.

 

For accommodation of religious conflicts with final exams, see Conflicts.

 

If your religious conflict is not properly or satisfactorily accommodated, reach out to studentrights@ssmu.ca and we can point you in the right direction.

 

Disability

 

Student Accessibility and Achievement supports students with documented disabilities (temporary or permanent) with reasonable academic accommodations to address their disability-related barriers.

Accommodations are put in place to reduce these barriers and may include writing exams at the SAA Exam Centre, additional time on exams, access to specific software, excused absences, negotiated extensions on assignments, learning support, note-takers, and more.

You need to have medical documentation attesting to your diagnosis. You can book a registration appointment with an Access Services Advisor at the SAA. If you do not have valid medical documentation you can book an info session with an Advisor to discuss how best to proceed in accessing this. Both types of appointments can be booked over the phone at 514-398-6009 or in person at 1010 Sherbrooke, suite 410.

The SAA can also act as a liaison between you and your instructor, helping you negotiate things like deadlines and absences. 

If you have been denied accommodation or supporting documentation, or require assistance in navigating the accommodation process, contact studentrights@ssmu.ca. 

Pregnant Students or Students Caring for Dependents

 

Students may seek accommodation for care-taking responsibilities if it is not possible to make alternate arrangements before the time of the academic obligation.

When requesting accommodation for in-term assessments, students must:

• Notify their instructor and relevant Student Affairs Office as soon as possible before the academic obligation,
• Provide supporting documentation requested by the University,
• Provide a reasonable explanation.

In cases of emergencies, students must:

• Inform the instructor and relevant Student Affairs Office no later than 48 hours after a missed academic obligation,
• Provide any documentation that is requested by the University
• Provide a reasonable explanation.

If the notification or documentation is submitted over 1 week after the date of the conflict and is without reasonable explanation, accommodation will not be provided.

For final exam accommodations, you must go through the regular exam deferral process outlined here.

Solutions

After these steps, the instructor and student will try to identify suitable accommodations which may include rescheduling, alternative method of evaluation, and arranging a note taker. 

Any disputes can be referred to the Associate Dean of Student Affairs who will make the final decision about what kind of accommodations to pursue.

Additional services on campus for student parents include the SSMU Daycare and McGill Day Care Centre. The McGill Family Care website is a great collection of policies and resources for parents on campus.

—See Guidelines for the Academic Accommodation of Pregnant Students and Students Caring for Dependants

If you are having trouble accessing accommodations for pregnancy or caregiving responsibilities, or have questions on how to access these accommodations, contact studentrights@ssmu.ca. 

Other Accommodations

 

Other accommodations such as leaves of absence, course withdrawals, being considered full-time for purposes of scholarship despite taking a part-time course load, etc. are accessed through the University. 

 

One not commonly discussed accommodation is E-flagging.

In exceptional circumstances, you can e-flag a course on your transcript – this means that it is excluded from your completed credits and GPA- by speaking with your faculty advisor, however please note that it cannot be removed from your transcript.

Contact your advisor for more information!

 

If your accommodation request concerns a disability that is registered with the SAA, contact the SAA for assistance. They can advocate for you to access these accommodations and provide the necessary documentation to support your request.

 

If you have any additional questions, contact studentrights@ssmu.ca and we can help point you in the right direction.