Supporting Student Success

Students requiring accommodations related to a disability, ongoing medical condition, learning difference, or mental health condition should connect with Accessibility Services.

Some students may experience circumstances that are not disability-related but still require consideration or flexibility in order to participate fully in their studies.

Examples may include:

• Religious or cultural observances
• Family caregiving responsibilities
• Bereavement and significant loss
• Unexpected personal circumstances
• Other situations that may affect attendance, examinations, or academic participation

Students are encouraged to communicate accommodation needs as early as possible so that options can be explored in a timely manner.

• Race
• Colour
• Ancestry
• Place of origin
• Religion
• Marital status
• Family status
• Physical or mental disability
• Indigenous identity
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity or expression
• Age

There are some situations in which we encourage instructors to be flexible in cases of extenuating circumstances (unrelated to personal characteristics), but accommodation is not legally required. We typically refer to these as academic concessions.

Examples include:
• When a student has experienced the death of someone close to them;
• When a student has undergone a traumatic event.

Situations in which an instructor may choose to use their discretion to provide an accommodation, but are not legally required to do so include:
• Absence from class to attend a child’s sporting tournament;
• Leaving class to answer work-related phone calls.

Consider whether there are ways to address your situation while meeting your academic obligations. If that is not possible, you may wish to request an accommodation.

Notify your instructor as soon as reasonably possible.

When making a request:

• Explain the accommodation you are requesting.
• Describe the reason for the request.
• Indicate whether the need is temporary or ongoing.
• Submit your request in writing whenever possible.

Accommodation works best as a collaborative process.

Students and instructors are encouraged to discuss available options and work together to identify a reasonable solution that supports student success while preserving academic requirements.

If additional guidance is needed, support may be available through:

• Department or Program Leadership
• Student Life Office
• Respect, Diversity & Inclusion (RDI)
• Indigenous Initiatives and Partnerships
• Accessibility Services (for disability-related needs)

Accommodation requests may arise from religious observances, caregiving responsibilities, family obligations, significant life events, medical situations, cultural practices, or other circumstances that affect participation in academic activities.

Documentation is not typically required for religious or cultural observances. In some situations, supporting information may be requested to help assess accommodation needs or determine available options.

Possible accommodation options may include:

• Access to lecture recordings
• Access to missed course materials
• Alternative arrangements for group work
• Flexibility with participation activities where appropriate

Depending on the circumstances, accommodation options may include:

• Writing an alternate assessment
• Completing a replacement evaluation
• Reweighting assessments
• Other reasonable alternatives that allow learning outcomes to be evaluated fairly

BCIT is expected to provide reasonable accommodation unless doing so would create undue hardship. Considerations may include significant safety concerns, substantial costs, or serious impacts on the rights of others. Inconvenience alone does not typically constitute undue hardship.

Accommodation is a shared responsibility. Students should communicate their needs, while instructors and BCIT representatives work with students to identify appropriate solutions. Students are expected to accept reasonable accommodations, even when they may not be the preferred option.

Students with ongoing disability-related accommodation needs should work with Accessibility Services.

Depending on the situation, ongoing non-disability-related concerns may also benefit from support through Student Life or other student support services.