Enhancing Institutional EDI Knowledge of Disability and Academic Accessibility: 

• Students requesting extensions as a disability-related accommodation are provided extension guidelines from Accessible Learning Services. 

• There may, on occasion, be exceptions to these guidelines for specific disability-related reasons (for example, when a disability-related reason prevented the student from engaging in the accommodation process). 

• With increased efforts to embed accessibility in curriculum, applying the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can reduce the need for extension requests. These include: breaking down large assignments into smaller components with respective due dates or implementing a “voucher” system allowing all students an opportunity or two to submit assignments late without penalty or rationale. 

• It is understood that there is value in structure, timelines and building responsibility in our students, but peer review supports pedagogical value in compassion and suggests rethinking deadline and late penalty policies.  

Visit our ALS Information for Faculty website to learn more about extension accommodations. 

Please email us at accessible-learning@humber.ca with suggestions for key accessibility-related topics that you would like us to address through the Communiqué.