Accommodations & Policies

The Testing Center on Washburn University's campus is monitored by university staff at all times during a scheduled exam. Exams are conducted under the following terms and conditions:

1. No walk-in testing is permitted. All exams must be scheduled by the student through their Student Accommodate portal no later than 24 hours before the exam.
   • Please note: if you are scheduling an exam for a Monday, please schedule it by the Thursday before to give faculty/instructors and SASO staff a full workday to process the request.
2. All cell phones, smart watches, and headphones must be presented to SASO staff when the student arrives for their exam. Electronics will be placed into a locked box supervised by SASO staff and may be retrieved by the student once their exam is completed.
3. Permitted items are subject to the discretion of the faculty to protect the integrity of the examination. No unapproved items will be allowed in the testing center unless approved as an accommodation.
4. Prohibited items within the testing space are as follows:
   • Cell phones, smart watches, headphones
   • Backpacks, purses, briefcases, etc
   • Unapproved course work, notes, clipboard, and books
5. Examinees will be continuously monitored by the testing proctor and by video recording.
   • Video recording of the examination is stored for two calendar weeks. After two weeks, videos are removed for privacy.
6. An exam will be discontinued if a student becomes ill, engages in inappropriate behavior, or is found to be cheating. All students must adhere to the Student Code of Conduct. If a student is caught cheating, SASO staff are required to fill out an Incident Report Form to document the event which goes to the Associate Vice President of Student Life for further action.
7. SASO staff are not permitted to give permission to take an examination on a different day than the rest of the class. If the student wishes to take their examination on a day different from the class, the student is responsible for contacting the course instructor for approval.
8. Effective March 21, 2025:
   • If a student misses a testing appointment three times without communication with SASO, they will be required to meet with the Director prior to additional testing requests being approved.
   • Once a student misses their third testing appointment without communication, they will receive an email with a link to schedule with the Director. The student will not be able to schedule future exams with SASO until this meeting has occurred.
   • If it is known that the testing appointment will be missed, please email accommodations@washburn.edu or call 785.670.1622. If you call and do not connect, please leave a voicemail with the student's first and last name, WIN, and reason for missing the exam. SASO will reach out to the student to reschedule their appointment.
   • SASO understands that situations may occur that result in missing appointments, but communication is expected when this occurs.

Accommodations at Washburn are determined based on medical documentation, academic history, and the interactive process completed by the student and one of SASO's professional staff members. If an accommodation is denied by the SASO, the student has the right to appeal the decision by completing these steps:

• The student will need to provide a written explanation of events and a request for reconsideration to the SASO Director
• After receiving the request, SASO may require additional documentation or supporting information to further evaluate the request.
• The SASO Director will meet with the student to discuss the request and the decision will be shared in writing following the meeting.
• If the process does not produce the desired result, the student may appeal in writing to the Title IX/ADA Coordinator at eodirector@washburn.edu

Like academic accommodations, housing accommodations require the student to complete the Student Request Form, submit supporting medical documentation, and complete the interactive process with SASO staff. Due to high housing demand on campus, housing accommodation requests are processed in the order of which the housing application is received, AND the accommodation process is completed.

We ask that housing accommodation requests are made at least one semester prior to attending as there may be additional steps in completing the request.

Housing accommodations may include:

• Modified furniture
• Single bedroom
• Emotional Support Animal (ESA)
• Please see our Animals on Campus Policy relating to animals on campus
• Dietary/Meal Plan related accommodations
• Please note – if you are requesting dietary considerations due to religious affiliation, please contact our Equal Opportunity Director at eodirector@washburn.edu

Per Washburn policy, animals are generally not permitted into university buildings unless they are approved to do so in regards to a disability related reason, such as a service dog or an assistance animal.

Service Animals:

• As defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is a "dog trained to perform a task directly related to a person's disability". Service dogs are not required to be registered with the Student Accessibility Services Office (SASO), but the handler may be asked two questions:
  1. Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
  2. What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
• When asking these questions, the handler should not be requested to provide any documentation, require the dog to demonstrate its task, or be asked about the nature of their disability.

Assistance Animals:

• Also referred to as Emotional Support Animals (ESAs), therapy animals, or comfort animals, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines Assistance Animals as "an animal that works, provides, assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a person's disability. An assistance animal is not a pet".
• ESAs may be approved as a disability related accommodation by completing the Student Accommodation Request Form and submitting our Assistance Animal Verification Form (docx.)
• Please note that the Student Accessibility Services Office (SASO) does not accept electronic registration documents of an ESA achieved from the internet for a cost as documentation per the Fair Housing Act (FHA) guidelines.

Academic requirements will be modified, as necessary, to ensure that they do not discriminate against qualified applicants or currently enrolled students with disabilities at the student’s request. The Student Accessibility Services Office (SASO) will recommend academic adjustments in compliance with state and federal mandates. Academic requirements essential to programs of instruction are not considered discriminatory. Modifications shall not affect the substance of the educational program or compromise educational standards. Modifications may include changes in the length of time permitted for the completion of degree requirements (including course-load), substitution of specific courses required for academic programs, and adaptation of the manner in which specific courses are conduction.

If you wish to request a course waiver or substitution, you must make a formal request with the Student Accessibility Services Office (SASO) in the form of the Student Accommodation Request Form and submit relevant and appropriate documentation to support the request. Once submitted, a committee comprised of the SASO Director, a representative from the Provost's office, a representative from the degree program of your selected major, and a representative from the degree program of the course you are wishing to waive/substitute will meet to discuss the request. Once a decision is made, the decision is communicated to the student in writing via their Washburn email address.