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Queen’s University has released the Academic Accommodations Interim Working Group Final Report and Recommendations, an important step in the university’s ongoing efforts to enhance Queen’s academic accommodation processes. 

Commissioned by the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) in response to the external review of the university’s academic accommodations policies and procedures, the recommendations focus on addressing the most urgent challenges identified by the reviewers, as outlined in recommendation 9 of the reviewer's report. 

“Academic accommodations are essential to ensuring all students have equity of access to education,” says Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Matthew Evans. “However, some of the processes needed to ensure that this happens can be complex, requiring significant time and coordination from faculty and staff. These recommendations are designed not only to enhance the student experience, but also to provide instructors, TAs, and staff with clearer guidance and simplified processes.”

The working group has developed a series of recommendations aimed at strengthening and clarifying academic accommodation processes. Examples of key recommendations include:

• Establish a formal dispute resolution process for academic accommodations, to be used when informal resolution between the student, Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS), and instructor is not possible.
• Conduct a review of extension accommodations to evaluate best practices.
• Develop university-wide guidelines for the adoption of educational technologies, ensuring that any new tools undergo appropriate consultation, integration planning, and IT security assessments.

While these recommendations do not introduce immediate policy changes, they represent meaningful progress toward a more accessible and supportive academic environment, both for students with disabilities and for faculty and staff who play a critical role in delivering academic accommodations.

To lead the implementation of the working group’s recommendations, the provost will establish a new Special Advisor (Student Academic Accommodations and Considerations) role within the Office of the Provost. The Special Advisor will also support broader, long-term efforts to improve academic accommodations at Queen’s, such as identifying new or improved processes and initiatives that can be implemented across the university. All initiatives and process improvements will be developed in alignment with the university’s responsibilities under the Accessibility with Disabilities Act (AODA) and informed by community consultation.

The working group was composed of faculty, staff, students, and senior leaders, a composition meant to reflect a wide range of perspectives from across the Queen’s community. The provost extends sincere thanks to the members of the working group for their dedication, thoughtful contributions, and sustained engagement throughout the past year.

“Providing effective academic accommodations takes sustained collaboration and commitment from every part of the university,” says Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion) Stephanie Simpson. “This report is an important step forward in that ongoing journey.”

The report and recommendations are available on the provost’s website.