What if I’m uncomfortable with providing a recommended accommodation?
Please feel free to contact the DSS office with concerns. In most cases we can work together to develop a reasonable plan to assist the student. Please be aware, however, that there is always the possible risk of a student filing a lawsuit for failure to provide an accommodation. When it comes to accommodations, there is no existing resource that defines “reasonable” for every student with every possible permutation of disabilities. If a complaint should go to court, the professor would need to be able to explain clearly why a recommended accommodation is not “reasonable” in their opinion. For example, if the professor feels that the accommodation would prohibit a student from fulfilling an essential educational component of the course, the court might find that to be reasonable. In general, a court will look at the possible adverse impact on the student of not providing the accommodation in making its ruling. Some examples of possible adverse impact include a lowering of the GPA that
