A retroactive accommodation is a form of academic accommodation that may be requested by a student with a disability after a deadline has passed; an assessment, test, or examination has taken place; or a course, practicum, milestone or program has been completed. In the specific circumstances listed below, such requests must be considered on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy on accessible education for student with disabilities (sec. 8.3.4).
a. Student discovers after the fact that their academic performance had been impacted by a condition they were unaware of at the time
b. Student was aware of their accommodation needs but they were unable to participate in the university accommodation process at the time due to their condition
c. Student did not have prior warning of an academic accommodation need
Process
Step 1: A student seeking retroactive accommodation who believes that their specific circumstances are aligned with any of the above criteria must communicate their request for retroactive accommodation to Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) as soon as possible and provide relevant documentation from a suitable professional (e.g., medical professional, social worker, case worker, etc.) that would support the request. If a student is not already registered with QSAS, disability-affirming documentation will also be required as per QSAS documentation criteria.
Step 2: QSAS ensures timely review of the retroactive request (including documentation) to determine whether the student’s request meets the threshold for provision of retroactive accommodation. The determination is communicated to the student in writing (e-letter).
Step 3: When a student's request meets the threshold for provision of retroactive accommodation, the student shall include the letter from QSAS in their submission to the Faculty1 Office for determination of reasonable retroactive accommodation in accordance with Faculty procedures. The submission should be made as soon as possible and normally within one week of receipt of the letter from QSAS.
Responsibilities of Faculty1 Offices
All Faculties must provide an expedited pathway to manage retroactive accommodation requests from students with a letter from QSAS supporting the request. A weblink to the process to be followed by students requesting retroactive accommodation regarding: i) a course or milestone that has not yet been completed and ii) a course, milestone, or program that has been completed2 must be posted on Faculty websites and communicated to students through appropriate channels. The information required from the student in their submission should be clearly identified and include the following: the letter from QSAS, a list of academic activities impacted (e.g., course code(s) and title(s)), program of study, requested outcome, and other relevant information specified by the Faculty/School. [Note that students are not required or expected to disclose disability/diagnosis as supporting documentation.]
Factors that may be considered in determining reasonable retroactive accommodation include:
- the timeliness of the request relative to the date of the letter from QSAS
- the amount of work completed by the student
- the extent to which learning outcomes and essential requirements have been met
- the impact on the student’s progression
- the student’s academic record
- any other relevant Faculty/program specific factors
The nature of the retroactive accommodation (e.g., alternate assessment, late drop, incomplete, re-weighting of marks, aegrotat, credit standing, or other) shall be determined in consultation with the Faculty or School responsible for the course or milestone if other than the home Faculty and communicated to the student, in writing, as soon as possible, usually within 5 to 10 business days. In certain circumstances (e.g., after completion of a course, milestone or program and in consideration of Faculty-specific contexts) additional time may be required to determine reasonable retroactive accommodation.
The outcome will be copied to QSAS (qsas.intake@queensu.ca) and, as required, the Faculty or School Office
consulted.
Related Policies: Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities Policy
1 Faculty Office is that in which the undergraduate student is registered (i.e. the home Faculty). For students in post-
graduate professional programs and students registered in the School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, the
home Faculty is the Faculty or School that delivers the program of study. If the request for retroactive accommodation
pertains to a course(s) delivered by a Faculty or School other than the home Faculty, the home Faculty Office will share
the request with the other Faculty or School
2 Completion of a course or milestone is denoted as the end (last day) of the corresponding term (see key dates) or the date upon which outstanding work is required to be completed as per conditions specified with the student.