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Academic Accommodation of Religious Obligations

The University acknowledges the pluralistic nature of the graduate and undergraduate communities. Accommodation will be made to students who experience a conflict between a religious obligation and scheduled tests, mid-term examinations, final examinations, or requirements to attend classes and participate in laboratories. The type of accommodation granted will vary depending on the nature, weight and timing of the work for which accommodation is sought. Accordingly, the request for alternative arrangements normally must be submitted to the instructor in charge of the course within two weeks of the distribution of the course outline. A student requiring accommodation may submit the request to the instructor directly. Program Counsellors can provide additional guidance about the process and support to students making an accommodation request, if needed. The instructor has a responsibility to provide reasonable alternative arrangements that do not put the student at an academic disadvantage. In the case of a conflict with a final examination, the instructor should reschedule the examination to another time during the examination period taking care that the new date and time does not put the student at an academic disadvantage.

In the event that a student is not satisfied with the accommodation offered by the instructor, the student may appeal to the Department Chair, or Director of the School, who may grant alternative accommodation. A student who remains dissatisfied with the outcome of their request may seek the assistance from Diversity and Human Rights (DHR) to facilitate a resolution.

For a current list of major holy days, please contact the Diversity and Human Rights (DHR).

What is an accommodation?

Accommodation is a shared responsibility. It can be thought of as a modification – to a policy, process, requirement, rule, standard, building, method of communication – to remove barriers to participation. The purpose of accommodation is to ensure that an employee or student is not unfairly excluded from work, academics, facilities or other services on campus. If you are concerned that you are not sufficiently familiar with your rights under the Human Rights Code, please contact DHR for guidance before you discuss the accommodation request with the instructor or student.

FAQs for Students

How do I request an accommodation?

When should I request an accommodation?

My instructor is not providing fair or reasonable accommodation. What should I do?

If you aren’t satisfied with the accommodation offered by the instructor, you may appeal to the Department Chair, or Director of the School who may grant alternative accommodation. If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of your request, reach out to the Office of Diversity and Human Rights to facilitate a resolution.

Please note that you may reach out to the Office of Diversity and Human Rights (DHR) at any time if you have questions or are unsure about the process.

FAQs for Faculty & Staff

What is my responsibility as an instructor in providing an accommodation?

If a religious obligation, such as observation of major holy days, prayers or spiritual practices, dietary requirements or fasting, etc., presents a barrier to full and equitable participation in a University activity, an appropriate accommodation must be provided to the point of undue hardship. The Ontario Human Rights Code provides three instances when assessing whether the accommodation would cause undue hardship:

Cost
Outside sources of funding, if any
Health and safety requirements, if any

No other considerations can be properly considered. The person requesting the accommodation has no obligation to prove that the accommodation will not cause undue hardship. Rather, the onus is on the institution to prove, with objective, real, and direct evidence, that it will.

If you are concerned that you are not sufficiently familiar with your obligations under the Human Rights Code, please contact DHR for guidance before you discuss the accommodation request with the student.

If a student asks me for an accommodation, what would that look like?

When a student requests a religious accommodation for an exam, mid-term, test, or other course requirement, the instructor has a responsibility to provide an accommodation that is reasonable, and that does not put the student at an academic disadvantage. This could look like (but is not limited to) the following:

Rescheduling an exam, mid-term, or test on a different day/time.
Requiring the student to submit another type of assignment, or assigning the value of the exam to a later exam
Being allowed extra time
To exit class briefly to engage in a prayer
To have food permitted if an exam is after sunset during Ramadan

I've never heard of this religious or creed belief, practice, or observance - can I ask for this information?

It is not necessary for someone to show that the belief, practice or observance is an “essential” element of the creed; required or recognized as valid by religious officials or “official” creed teachings; or consistent with the beliefs, practices or observances of others of the same faith. As a general rule, the accommodation provider should take requests for accommodation in good faith, unless there is evidence the request is not genuine; limit requests for information to those reasonably related to assess needs, limitations or restrictions, and make the accommodation.

If a resolution cannot be reached with the student, you can seek the assistance of DHR to facilitate a resolution. Note that this means that both you and the student would be involved in the consultations with DHR.

The religious or creed belief, practice, or observance isn't listed on the Multi-faith calendar. What does this mean?

Academic Accommodation of Religious Obligations

What is an accommodation?

FAQs for Students

FAQs for Faculty & Staff

Additional Resources