Attendance Accommodation Process

• CARDS determines that the accommodation is reasonable.
• CARDS will send an Attendance Accommodation Agreement to faculty with guidance for faculty to fill out the agreement.
• Any questions should be directed to CARDS (212-854-4634 or cards@barnard.edu).
• The faculty member should sign and return the agreement to CARDS within three business days. If we do not receive a returned agreement within this timeframe, CARDS may need to fill out a standard attendance accommodation agreement (e.g. student will be provided 2 absences beyond stated attendance policy) on the instructor's behalf to ensure that the student is being accommodated.
• CARDS will send the agreement to the student once it is received from the faculty member and approved by CARDS.
• If the student has questions or concerns, regarding what the faculty has indicated in the agreement, CARDS will work to resolve these issues with conversations between faculty and / or students.
• Once the agreement is sent to the student, it will be considered active in three business days if the student does not respond.
• If the student notifies CARDS that they approve the agreement, it will be considered active immediately.
• CARDS, the student, and the faculty member will all receive a copy of the agreement.

If it is thought that attendance can be justified as an integral part of how the course is taught and/or how learning is to be demonstrated and measured, there can be a point at which disability-related absences cannot be reasonably accommodated. If at any point, the instructor and/or the student have any questions or concerns about this process, the Attendance Accommodation Agreement and/or the provision of this accommodation, CARDS should be notified as soon as possible so they can address
the concerns and work to resolve them. 

Federal law requires colleges and universities to consider reasonable accommodation for attendance if needed to accommodate a student’s disability. In making this determination, two questions must be answered: 

1. Does the student have a documented disability that directly affects his/her ability to attend class on a regular basis? 
CARDS will make this determination based on a review of documentation from the student’s physician or psychologist and will provide notification of this accommodation to the faculty member via an emailed Faculty Notification Letter.

2. Would accommodating attendance result in a fundamental alteration of the curriculum? 
Instructors make this determination in consultation with CARDS. 

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) has provided the following guidelines to assess if attendance is an essential part of a class: 

1. Is there classroom interaction between the instructor and students and among students? 

2. Do student contributions constitute a significant component of the learning process? 

3. Does the fundamental nature of the course rely on student participation as an essential method for learning? 

4. To what degree does a student’s failure to attend constitute a significant loss to the educational experience of other students in the class? 

5. What do the course description and syllabus say? 

6. Which method is used to calculate the final grade? 

7. What are the classroom practices and policies regarding attendance? 

Log in to the AIM Faculty Portal, then click the drop-down menu under "Class Instructions" at the top of the page. This will bring you to the Attendance Accommodation Agreement. You will be asked to fill out the below four questions within three business days of receiving a faculty notification letter: 

1. Proposed maximum number of disability-related absences allowed for students for this course (Please do not restate the number of absences allowed for all students in the course. Be as specific as possible. Avoid vague phrases such as “flexible”, “to be determined”, or “open”) : 

2. How and when will students with an attendance accommodation notify the instructor of a disability-related absence (email, phone, etc.)? 

3. Proposed procedure for turning in homework/assignments/projects due the day of a disability-related absence: 

4. Proposed procedure for making up a missed quiz, examination, or in-class graded assignment given on the day of a disability-related absence: 

If you have questions regarding how to answer these questions, please contact CARDS at cards@barnard.edu.

Please see below for additional FYIs about attendance accommodations.

• This accommodation is not a blanket reason to miss class.
• CARDS will still provide this accommodation even if faculty delay in responding to CARDS. If we do not receive a returned agreement within three business days from the faculty member, CARDS may need to fill out a standard attendance accommodation agreement on the instructor's behalf to ensure that the student is being accommodated. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT TO RESPOND!
• Some students register late in the term and some wait to respond to the need to sign the agreement. In these cases, faculty are not expected to provide retroactive accommodations. However, it may still be helpful to have this information, even at a late point in the term.
• At no time is the student required to present the faculty member with medical documentation verifying his/her disability related absence for this accommodation.
• Faculty are not obligated to re-teach material missed due to not attending class.
• Not every course component can be provided an extension.
• Students have the responsibility for completing all class work and should be held to the same standard as all other students.
• If the maximum number of allowed absences is exceeded during the semester, the student, instructor and CARDS case manager will meet to discuss an appropriate course of action (such as: student will be granted an incomplete if appropriate; student will be advised to withdraw from the course; the number of absences allowed will be reviewed, etc.). In this instance, CARDS must be informed as soon as possible so our staff can work with the instructor and student to come to a reasonable solution.