Marquette University Law School - Request for Accommodation Due to Disability
Students with a temporary or permanent disability may be entitled to receive certain academic adjustments and reasonable modifications or use certain auxiliary aides and services in the process of fulfilling course or degree requirements. However, no accommodation will be considered reasonable that alters fundamental course content or places undue administrative or financial burden on Marquette University. Disabled students are required to meet the essential, academic, and technical standards established by the Law School, with or without accommodations.
The process of requesting academic accommodation due to a documented disability begins with an intake assessment meeting with a representative from the Office of Disability Services. After the Office of Disability Services (ODS) has verified a student’s disability, that student should arrange for a meeting with the Law School Registrar, Dean Bonnie Thomson. Additionally, the student is asked to fill out a Request for Accommodation Due to Disability form. The completed form should be submitted to the Law School Registrar at least 24 hours in advance of the scheduled intake assessment meeting.
Subsequent to these initial meetings, a decision letter will be sent to the student specifying the accommodations granted by the Law School. A copy of this letter will also be sent to the University's Office of Disability Services. Students are encouraged to meet with the Law School Registrar at least once per semester to discuss any changes in their situation that might affect this original decision.
Thereafter, students may submit a Disability Accommodation for Examinations form to request that the pre-approved accommodation(s) be applied to specific examinations, such as a mid-term or final exam. Only one form is needed per exam period to report all exams for which the student seeks accommodation. Disability documentation and accommodation requests under the ADA must be received by ODS and the Law School by or before November 1st for fall final examination accommodations to be considered, April 1st for spring finals, and students should meet with Dean Thomson directly to discuss summer final exam accommodations.
Policy for Accommodations in Non-Exam Courses
In courses in which grades are based primarily on something other than a single final examination, such as Legal Writing courses, seminars, workshops and Advanced Legal Research courses, the following may be considered a reasonable accommodation for a student whose documented disability involves a significant reading and/or writing deficiency:
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Student may receive up to one week of additional time for individual reading or writing assignments.
Regardless of extensions granted for one or more individual assignments, all coursework must be completed no later than the last day of the semester, as defined by the instructor (e.g., date of final examination). If a final examination is to be given in this type of course, it will be administered according to the original accommodation decision provided by the Law School.
This type of request must be submitted to the Law School Registrar at the beginning of the semester (i.e., no later than the Drop/Add deadline) in which the non-exam course is to be taken. The appropriateness of providing an extension of time is determined based on consultation between the course instructor, who is in the best position to ensure that an accommodation does not fundamentally alter the nature of the course or its essential requirements, and the Law School Registrar, who may be more familiar with the student's individual disability and needs.
Any proposed accommodation that provides more time for completion of an assignment other than as provided in this policy must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Confidentiality Policy
The Law School will treat all documentation and discussions regarding a student's disability confidentially. Information about a student's disability will be shared, at the discretion of the Law School Registrar, only with appropriate University or Law School administrators and faculty members who have a legitimate educational interest.
During your tenure at Marquette University Law School, all materials related to your disability are kept separate from your academic file, and upon graduation these materials will be forwarded to the Office of Disability Services for archiving. After graduation, any inquiries regarding accommodations that were received while you were a law student should be addressed to the Office of Disability Services.
Request for Accommodation Due to Disability (pdf format)
Disability Accommodation for Examinations (pdf format)
For more information or to set up an appointment, please contact Dean Bonnie Thomson.