What to do if you need accommodations after you missed a deadline or a test?

A retroactive accommodation in one that is provided after a scheduled evaluation such as a test or assignment has occurred. Retroactive accommodations are most commonly used by students with mental health disabilities but they may be appropriate for students with other disabilities.

A retroactive accommodation is needed when you experience a sudden flare-up of your condition and you aren’t able to meet your academic demands because of it. Your condition impacts your functioning to a degree that you aren’t able to follow normal practices for accessing accommodations (for example, submitting a Test Request for test accommodations in time or due to your circumstance you were unable to inform your faculty or counsellor of your condition and required absence from school.)

If you know that your condition can worsen at times so much that it could interfere with your studies, you should discuss this in your accommodation appointment with your counsellor. Then they will include “may be absent for medical reasons” on your Letter of Accommodation which outlines all of the accommodations you will be using in the semester.

However, in many cases it is not possible to know in advance that retroactive accommodations will be needed later on. If that happens to you, when you are well enough, you will need to meet with your counsellor to discuss the missed tests and assignments. The counsellor will communicate with your teachers to discuss the possibility of retroactively accommodating the missed evaluations.The decision to grant a retroactive request will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the faculty in consultation with Counselling Services, as required. Opportunities for students to make up missed work will be consistent with the Class Absence Operating Procedure.

Your counsellor will ask you to provide documentation from your health care provider to confirm the rationale for the request for retroactive accommodations.

Please remember, your documentation does not have to include your diagnosis.