The purpose of this page is to provide guidance to graduate students, staff, faculty supervisors, and instructors in the Faculty of Engineering as to what should be done when a graduate student experiences an illness or a disability and wishes to seek an academic accommodation or is submitting a Petition (e.g. Petition for Program Extension; Petition for Extension for Comprehensive Examination; Petition to Add or Drop a course after the deadline) for which the basis of the Petition is the illness or disability.
- If a student is in immediate distress during business hours they should seek immediate help from Counselling Services or Health Services. If students are experiencing distress after business hours, students should be encouraged to call HERE247 at 1-844-437-3247 (TTY: 1-877-688-5501); Good2Talk at 1-866-925-5454. If in immediate risk or danger, they should call 911.
- If a staff or faculty member encounters a student in distress they should direct them or accompany them to Counselling Services or Health Services or call police services (x22222).
- If a student has missed a deliverable in a course (assignment, test, exam, etc.) due to illness, they should submit a completed Verification of Illness Form within 48 hours to the Departmental Graduate Office. The Departmental Graduate Office will notify the instructor(s) and the instructor(s) will provide accommodations as appropriate.
- If a student is submitting a petition (i.e. for program extension; dropping or adding a course after the deadline; or an extension for other program milestone timelines) on the basis of temporary illness, the student is required to submit to the Departmental Graduate Office a completed Verification of Illness Form as part of the Petition documentation. Those responsible for approving the petition will have access to the Verification of Illness form and will consider the level of incapacitation and duration of incapacitation, as well as any other non-medical information provided by the student, when considering the petition. If the student is submitting a petition on the basis of a temporary, permanent, or suspected physical or mental disability, they are required to contact AccessAbility Services. AccessAbility Services will conduct any required verification and will coordinate with the student and the Departmental Graduate Office in a manner that protects a students’ private health information.
- If a student knows or suspects they have a disability for which they are seeking accommodations, they must register with AccessAbility Services. The student is not required to, nor should they, submit any medical documentation to their academic home Department, supervisor, or course instructor. AccessAbility Services will conduct any required verification and will make a decision about whether or not accommodation is warranted. They may initiate dialogue with the appropriate academic partner(s) (e.g. course instructor, supervisor, Department Graduate Officer, etc.) then develop and document the specific accommodation plan.
For more information please contact the Manager, Graduate Operations in the Engineering Graduate Studies Office, Sarah Landy.