Attendance
Because attendance may be integral to the pedagogic process, faculty at the college, departmental, or individual level establish the attendance policy. DAS does not have a role in setting course attendance policies but always has a role in addressing accommodation requests that may require deviation from policies including attendance policies. (See policy entitled Determining Reasonable Accommodations).

In some cases, attendance is fundamental to course objectives; for example, students may be required to interact with others in the class, to demonstrate the ability to think and argue critically, or to participate in group projects. In other instances, students can master course content despite some or many absences.

Similarly, the faculty determines policies regarding make-up work and missed quizzes and exams.

The faculty is not required to lower or substantially modify essential course elements in order to provide an accommodation. DAS can provide faculty with information regarding the legitimacy of the absences, which is based on medical and/or psychological documentation regarding the legitimacy of the absences.

Faculty should make their policies clear so students can make informed choices about which courses to take. Faculty may choose to announce attendance/makeup policies on the first day of class, and to reinforce this information by including it on the course syllabus.

If faculty intends to disallow or restrict absences, they may choose to use wording similar to this:

"Your presence is fundamental to meeting the objectives of this course. Consequently, there will be (0, 1, 2) excused absences, and (0, 1, 2) makeup quizzes/exams."

Reasonable Accommodation & Attendance Guidelines
Illnesses or injuries of a temporary nature rarely warrant accommodations in attendance policy. They may warrant a withdrawal or a retroactive medical withdrawal. This is why those policies exist.

On the other hand, when a student has a chronic condition with random or cyclical acute episodes modifications to attendance policies may be appropriate.

Attendance accommodations should be established in advance, not retroactively. Syllabi with detailed attendance, lateness or participation policies should be a cue to discuss this topic with the instructor.

"Time in Seat" Policies
Policies identifying the number of allowable absences before they impact grades may be designed to motivate attendance; reflect the interactive or participatory nature of a course or be based on department, college or accrediting agency rules. As with any other policy, possible modification (rarely elimination) as a form of accommodation must be considered. Factors to consider would include their function in relation to the purposes of the course.

"Late Work", "Make Up" and "Pop Quiz" Policies
These policies all relate to attendance and should be included when you discuss attendance. As with modifications of "Time in Seat" policies, modifications of these policies as a form of accommodation may be appropriate depending on the nature of the assignment and its relationship to the pacing and progression of instruction.

"Excuse" Policies
When departments or instructors require a written medical excuse to justify an absence, and the student is under a self-care regimen, DAS can establish the number of excused absences that can be documented directly by the student's representation (based on expected frequency of episodes).

Is Attendance Essential? Factors to Consider:

1. What do the course description and syllabus say about attendance?
2. Is attendance factored in as part of the final course grade?
3. What are classroom practices and policies regarding attendance?
4. Is the attendance policy consistently applied?
5. Have exceptions been made for extenuating circumstances other than disability?
6. Is there classroom interaction between the instructor and students, and among students?
7. Are student contributions a significant component of the learning process?
8. Does the course rely on student participation as a learning method?
9. How does the presence of other students impact the educational experience?