With increased requests in academic accommodations, the University is seeking to refine their process for processing requests.
According to the Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion), in response to yearly student concerns and reports of unclear and insufficient for complex accommodation cases for both staff and faculty, an External Review Committee began reviewing the University’s academic accommodation system in spring 2024.
A working group, consisting of students, staff and faculty appointed by Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Matthew Evans, began addressing the issues revealed by the review in September, according to the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic).
The final report on the Review of Student Academic Accommodations, made public on June 3, 2024, highlighted a 173 per cent increase in students registration with Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) over the past five years, going from 2,256 to 6,165 students. QSAS is one of the main systems for students with accessibility needs disabilities, working with them to create personalized academic accommodations.
While some respondents in consultations and online questionnaires thought this increase was indicative of simply a greater amount of students with disabilities over the years, others questioned the rigor of the academic consideration registration process. The report followed consultations with students, staff, and faculty in October 2023.
The interim working group is now focused on addressing five key accommodation issues, including confusion over the seven-day extension, assignment modifications, retroactive accommodation approvals, confidentiality and intellectual property violations via GLEAN and NoteQ, and defining when accommodations extend beyond the course instructor’s responsibility.
When it comes to obtaining academic accommodations, views are diverse among students and faculties—with some finding the process “perfect” and others not getting the help they need.
Nawal Youssef, HealthSci ’28, shared her experienced with applying for academic accommodation in an interview with The Journal. She explained that a major barrier in the process is the requirement for an official diagnosis, which can be difficult for students with invisible chronic illnesses.
“The process [of diagnosis] can also be really long,” Youssef said. “I wish there was a better way that you can vouch for yourself, because I know exactly what I need.”
Obtaining diagnoses for chronic illnesses, and particularly invisible ones like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome can take up to several years.
While Youssef, believes it’s easy to find the platforms and locate them within the 15 minutes, the process of diagnosis remains complex—one that she finds to be a struggle. Yet, she remains hopeful the working group will be able to fix the issues found by the external review group.
According to the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), a final report addressing the five issues will be submitted in spring 2025.
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