When considering the type of assessment(s) to be utilized for your course, ensure there is a rational connection between the assessment format and the knowledge being assessed. There is a direct connection between course design and the academic accommodation process.
- Consider the diverse learning styles of students in your course when selecting assessment formats.
- Identify a variety of formats that can achieve the same learning outcome. Then, consider allowing students to select which assessment(s) to do.
A 1999 employment discrimination case outlined three main questions to reflect on when assessing essential requirements. The questions are as follows:
- Was the requirement established in an honest and good faith belief in its necessity?
- Is the requirement rational connection to the task (objective of the course and/or program)?
- What is the evidence for the necessity of doing the requirement in a particular fashion?
An additional question was established based on a different discrimination case in 2001:
- Is the requirement socially constructed in a way that unwittingly excludes a designated group based on assumptions about the group or requirement?
Considering the above questions when designing courses, reviewing Accommodation Letters and/or responding to accommodation inquiries from Accessible Learning Services (ALS) will help guide the process in determining whether accommodations conflict with learning outcomes.
Visit our ALS Information for Faculty website to learn more about accommodating students with disabilities.
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.