Some Boston University professors said the Office of Disability Services adequately provides information to professors to aid them in making decisions on extending deadlines and tailoring academics to match specific student need.
English department chairman William Carroll said he thinks the system is fair and that at one time or another every professor has granted a student some extra ‘leeway’ if he or she is under particular stress.’
‘I have received a letter from the Disability Services office,’ he said. ‘I frankly don’t have the technical expertise to judge which students do or do not need extra time, so I take the word of the experts that the result will be fair.’
Associate mathematics professor Glen Hall agreed.’ ‘ ‘
‘I, and the mathematics and statistics department as a whole, follow the instructions of the Disability Services Office as carefully as possible,’ he said. ‘It is important that this be organized by the Disability Services Office, both so that the individual student can be carefully evaluated and so that the testing and grading process is fair, and is seen to be fair for all students.” ‘
The Office seeks to provide for students with disabilities a wide range of resources, student cooperation and independence in the process is encouraged, officials said. Director of Disability Services Lorraine Wolf said the office provides accommodations to offset the difficulties school might impose.’
‘[Accommodations] are individualized for each student,’ she said. ‘It can include things like extra time for exams, use of computers for exams, or reduced course load. We tailor it depending on the student’s disabilities, what they need, and what program of study they are engaged in.’
The students must maintain a level of independence, however, when it comes to coordinating with their professors, she said. Once they are approved, it is the student’s responsibility to work out how the mandate for accommodations will come into play.
In order to receive an extension or another mode of assistance, the student must first fill out a Request for Accommodation form, she said.’
‘If students are approved to receive extra time on tests, after we have reviewed them and approved it and the dean of their college has approved it, they receive a letter addressed to a faculty member by name and with the current date,’ she said. ‘The student and the professor work out the details of where and when the exam will be.’
Wolf said problems occasionally arise throughout the process.
‘Occasionally students get lazy, occasionally faculty might teach at a different school and assume that [BU] does it the same way another school does,’ Wolf said. ‘Those are areas that might be potentially difficult, but I think we do a good job of letting students know what they need to do and what their responsibilities are.’
As a rule, Disability Services does not authorize extensions for regular coursework, although exceptions can be made, Wolf said.’
‘There are some limited circumstances in which someone might be ill and need to postpone a deadline,’ she said. ‘But ordinarily, that is not an accommodation that we approve for students. Rather, we work with them on improving their time management.’
Hall said disabilities do not need to hinder a student’s learning.
‘Disabilities need not hinder a student’s achievement and my experience is that the Disability Services Office works hard to see that it does not,’ he said.’ ‘
Hall said Disability Services should provide resources regarding the logistics of accommodating students.
‘I wish they had more resources to help with implementation,’ he said. ‘The department just does not have ‘distraction free space’ available at all times, but issues like space are university-wide concerns.’
Whether or not fairness is called into question, Disability Services is willing to help in any way it can, Wolf said.’
‘ ‘The system works out well to the extent that students are comfortable being their own advocate,’ Wolf said.’
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