In a recent piece for The Walrus, Simon Lewsen (University of Toronto) argues that instructors and students are being left to “fend for themselves” on the front of academic accommodations. Lewsen discusses how an increasing number of accommodation requests and the fear of accidentally discriminating against students has overwhelmed instructors who are often already underpaid and overworked. The author highlights the need for a balance between “dizzying campus bureaucracy” and “a generalized culture of leniency” in order to encourage real learning without making the classroom restrictive. He also touches on issues such as a lack of resources for accessibility services and instructors’ lack of agency in conversations about accessibility.
