Petition Letter
Hello,
I am writing to request credit standing in my BIOL103. As a student with vision challenges and legal blindness, I faced significant difficulties during the course and the various assessments, and the grade I am currently assigned does not appropriately reflect my learning or the effort I put into the course.
Despite my QSAS advisor providing detailed information about my needs, the necessary accommodations were not applied throughout the term especially in assisting me with reading graphs and numerical values as I was not provided with a reader for these materials. This left me alone and without the necessary support to interpret the graphs in Collaborative quizzes, Content quizzes, and Group tutorials. As a result, I was unable to fully show my understanding in the course and my academic performance suffered as a result. I also needed to write to the professors and TAs to explain my needs on a weekly basis, and often my requests were rejected for the double time required in my accommodations. Because the assessments and lectures were inaccessible, I was unable to fully participate and needed to rely on a partner when needed and fell behind on a few tasks. I am hoping that this situation can be rectified moving forward so that I can receive the support I need to succeed in my academic pursuits.
After having communicated with my professor, I was told that the final exam mark would be applied to any missed assessments instead of providing extra time or a second opportunity to provide accommodated assessments. This made my final exam a very high stakes exam. To add to the stress, my BIOL103 on April 21st (09:00-15:00) final exam happened during Ramadan, a time when I was fasting and without any drink or food, which only negatively impacted my performance on the very high stakes exam.
It would be extremely unfair and inequitable to assess me on inaccessible assessments and content, and then to increase the stakes associated with my final exam as a way to rctify it.
Similar to the Chemistry situation which I outlined my other petition, it has been extremely disappointing to see all of my hard work jeopardized and my grades impacted negatively because of the lack of accommodations during the course and final exams that were beyond my control. As a first-year student with a disability at Queen??s, these experiences and lack of accommodations have been very distressing and disappointing.
I strongly believe that the lack of accommodations during the term severely impacted my ability to perform well on my assessments and impacted my performance. I respectfully request your kind assistance in dismissing my grade and granting me credit standing in BIOL103.
Moving forward, I will be keen on communicating to QSAS the lack of accommodation in any course as it comes up. I will also be a stronger advocate for my right to be accommodated instead of trying to meet the unrealistic expectations that are placed from professors or TAs who do not necessarily understand the complexity of my vision needs.
I attach the supporting documentation from email communication, and I thank you for your support and understanding.
Best regards,
Ibrahim
I am writing to request credit standing in my BIOL103. As a student with vision challenges and legal blindness, I faced significant difficulties during the course and the various assessments, and the grade I am currently assigned does not appropriately reflect my learning or the effort I put into the course.
Despite my QSAS advisor providing detailed information about my needs, the necessary accommodations were not applied throughout the term especially in assisting me with reading graphs and numerical values as I was not provided with a reader for these materials. This left me alone and without the necessary support to interpret the graphs in Collaborative quizzes, Content quizzes, and Group tutorials. As a result, I was unable to fully show my understanding in the course and my academic performance suffered as a result. I also needed to write to the professors and TAs to explain my needs on a weekly basis, and often my requests were rejected for the double time required in my accommodations. Because the assessments and lectures were inaccessible, I was unable to fully participate and needed to rely on a partner when needed and fell behind on a few tasks. I am hoping that this situation can be rectified moving forward so that I can receive the support I need to succeed in my academic pursuits.
After having communicated with my professor, I was told that the final exam mark would be applied to any missed assessments instead of providing extra time or a second opportunity to provide accommodated assessments. This made my final exam a very high stakes exam. To add to the stress, my BIOL103 on April 21st (09:00-15:00) final exam happened during Ramadan, a time when I was fasting and without any drink or food, which only negatively impacted my performance on the very high stakes exam.
It would be extremely unfair and inequitable to assess me on inaccessible assessments and content, and then to increase the stakes associated with my final exam as a way to rctify it.
Similar to the Chemistry situation which I outlined my other petition, it has been extremely disappointing to see all of my hard work jeopardized and my grades impacted negatively because of the lack of accommodations during the course and final exams that were beyond my control. As a first-year student with a disability at Queen??s, these experiences and lack of accommodations have been very distressing and disappointing.
I strongly believe that the lack of accommodations during the term severely impacted my ability to perform well on my assessments and impacted my performance. I respectfully request your kind assistance in dismissing my grade and granting me credit standing in BIOL103.
Moving forward, I will be keen on communicating to QSAS the lack of accommodation in any course as it comes up. I will also be a stronger advocate for my right to be accommodated instead of trying to meet the unrealistic expectations that are placed from professors or TAs who do not necessarily understand the complexity of my vision needs.
I attach the supporting documentation from email communication, and I thank you for your support and understanding.
Best regards,
Ibrahim