Students must initiate their request for reasonable accommodation by self-identifying as a student with a disability to the Disability Resource Center. After a student has met with the staff of DRC, with the student's permission, a memo outlining the required accommodations/services will be transmitted to the Associate Dean of the College of Law. The College of Law faculty and staff, under the supervision of the Associate Dean of the College of Law, will provide direct services at the Law Center. All guidelines regarding eligibility for services, documentation of disability, and types of accommodations/services contained in this Fact Book are applicable to students enrolled in the College of Law.
Pursuant to the American Bar Association (ABA) interpretation of Standard 212-3, …."Reasonable accommodations are those that do not fundamentally alter the nature of the program, that can be provided without undue financial or administrative burden, and that can be provided without lowering academic and other essential performance standards." As reflected in ABA Standard 304 and in internal policies of the University of Oklahoma College of Law, class attendance is generally deemed to be a fundamental aspect of legal education. Although the university recognizes that students with disabilities must be accommodated on an individual basis, students who have a disability that may impede their attendance nevertheless must meet the fundamental attendance requirements. Students who believe that their situations are extraordinary should consult with the Disability Resource Center, which will in turn consult with the Associate Dean for Academics at the College of Law and the individual faculty member involved. Given the availability of other accommodations such as a reduced course load, an attendance policy exception would be extremely unusual.
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