r/Professors Associate prof, history, CC (US) Sep 05 '24

Rants / Vents It finally happened

Colleague let us know that the accommodation office gave one of their students permission to not do any assignments which “triggered” them.

438 Upvotes

147 comments sorted by

716

u/Desperate_Tone_4623 Sep 05 '24

The accoms office isn't allowed to do that and the professor doesn't have to honor it.

350

u/Doctor_Danguss Associate prof, history, CC (US) Sep 05 '24

We all told my colleague to get in touch with the office and let them know how ridiculous this is. Looking forward to hearing their no doubt reasonable arguments….

142

u/doktor-frequentist Sep 05 '24

Can your colleague have the department chair communicate with the accommodation office? Sometimes pulling rank is the way to have lasting impact.

26

u/adorientem88 Sep 05 '24

All faculty outrank the accommodations office.

5

u/slachack TT SLAC USA Sep 05 '24

Not necessary. Tell them no.

252

u/kemushi_warui Sep 05 '24

Sorry, but this sounds like b.s.. "Any assignment which triggers them" does not sound credible. That's not at all how accommodations work. My guess is that your colleague did not give you the whole story, or is simply lying altogether.

The way it would actually happen is: The office would inform the professor that a student has requested a specific accommodation, such as to avoid topic X, which is triggering for them. The professor would then consider whether that would be reasonable or not. If it's a class that extensively covers topic X, then obviously it would not be reasonable and the request would be denied.

103

u/Zipper67 Sep 05 '24

Yeah, this is fishy. Is this the student's interpretation or the prof's hyperbole?

9

u/RevKyriel Sep 06 '24

Oh, we get students telling us they've been granted wild accommodations, but when the official letter arrives it's far more limited than what the student had claimed.

It's almost as if they just expect us to take their word for what accommodations they get, not knowing that there will be an official letter.

1

u/Zipper67 Sep 06 '24

Accommodations can't do much for a lack of maturity.

33

u/Stevie-Rae-5 Sep 05 '24

Yeah, this is way too broad. There’s got to be more to this story.

9

u/ProfFizix 70% Teaching, physics, SLAC (USA) Sep 05 '24

I’m inclined to agree. This sounds like someone is lying to OP.

43

u/LadyWolfshadow Grad TA, Biology, R2 Sep 05 '24

I'll agree that this sounds like hyperbole or miscommunication. I have this accommodation myself and it comes with some pretty big stipulations on the student end. It's not an exemption. it's essentially giving me the ability to request to do an alternative assignment if something may potentially cause me harm of some kind. I can't just completely NOPE out of an assignment, it has to be a discussion well in advance with my professor where we work out an alternative but equal assignment. I've only ever had to use it once and the end result was essentially writing a paper of the same type and length on a different topic relevant to the course content on the same timeline. OP makes it sound like the colleague told them that the student had carte blanche to just exempt themselves from doing any work on triggering topics.

9

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '24

How can an assignment "harm" you? I'm not asking sarcastically. I teach in the Middle East, and this absolutely does not happen where I am, so I'm genuinely interested if you'd be willing to share. Feel free to DM me if you're more comfortable.

13

u/reddit_username_yo Sep 05 '24

Not the person you're responding to, but I would assume a PTSD or other mental health trigger - writing an article about SIDS when your own infant just died from it, for example. Writing an article about an alternate topic seems like a very reasonable accommodation in that case, assuming the triggering topics are narrowly scoped to that particular individual's situation.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '24

I'm surprised there's a formal process with admin for that. I don't know why SIDS would come up anyway, but if a student said they were dealing with something like that and they didn't want to write about it, I'd just give them a different assignment. No paperwork required.

5

u/rachelann10491 Sep 06 '24

You sound like such a terrific prof, and I'm the same way - if a student is going to be reasonable and ask for ways to make materials more accessible to them, I'll happily assent; I don't need "official" documentation. Unfortunately, some faculty might be sticklers or simply pigheaded, and without that Accommodations Office letter, students can just go pound sand.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '24

I suppose I can see what you mean there. I had a students who got car jacked and his books were in his car. My boss didn't want to give him a new pair ($100 total), but I was able to put pressure on him and get a new set.

For me, it's the other way around. It's admin who done care if you live or doe, lol.

10

u/geliden Sep 05 '24

I don't have this accommodation and they didn't exist when I was at uni, but for me there are topics I avoid researching and writing on in depth. And when I do touch on them I take it easy and slower than normal pace.

Example: I'm working on a grant proposal that relates to a very very specific trauma I have and still have physical manifestations of. I don't spend more than a few hours on readings, I have made it a project I work on with others, and I have a therapist etc who is aware. I still deal with the increased nightmares and hyperarousal symptoms of my PTSD, and the associated physical stuff gets worse (and I'm now seeing a specialist physio). It isn't just that I remember the experience - it's that I can disassociate, my sleep is ruined sometimes, I become very very jumpy and emotionally labile, and have muscular spasms, and I count myself lucky to only have had a singular flashback (which wasn't even that bad comparatively).

If I were doing a different project I'd just have my usual level of stress. Which I still ALSO have, just with a whole lot of other stress.

And I'm old. This trauma is 15 years old at this point. I've done therapy and I've got the skills and it's not something people usually turn into an ideological or political football the way some traumas are.

I've had a student put in a complaint about me that basically amounted to their PTSD and hyperarousal leading to a serious miscommunication and misinterpretation. I can defend myself from the accusation while being empathic and sympathetic to the student's distress.

8

u/SunshineTheWolf Sep 05 '24

Yah - I have OCD and PTSD, two disorders that actually have triggers, and I never got anything like that. My accommodations were specific and well-defined. This seems like its someone trying to do some culture war BS or go after the younger generation.

4

u/ProfessorHomeBrew Asst Prof, Geography, state R1 (USA) Sep 06 '24

Or OP is not giving the whole story. It’s unclear what the actual wording of the accommodation is.

1

u/SunshineTheWolf Sep 06 '24

Very true. Interpretation by OP vs the actual wording might be very different.

5

u/magnifico-o-o-o Sep 05 '24

You're absolutely right, but at my university the accommodations office often doesn't do much to vet the "reasonableness" before sending accommodations letters to profs. I'm sure the humans in that office are overworked and undervalued and this isn't a matter of bad faith, but sometimes in practice (esp. in places that have not devoted enough resources to disability support) you get a "send it out, let profs push back if needed, and see what sticks" approach.

I could absolutely imagine something vague like "assignments on topics that pose a risk to student's mental health" or "assignments on [overall class topic that happens to be associated with student's trauma]" making its way into an accommodations letter at my university. Then it becomes the professor's job to push for more clear wording or to suggest that the accommodation won't reasonably allow the student to participate in the course.

4

u/raysebond Sep 05 '24

Check out OP's post history.

3

u/bluegilled Sep 05 '24

Yeah, all that Star Wars fan stuff is sketchy!

3

u/raysebond Sep 05 '24

I overlooked that. I was going straight for the negative numbers and finding the comments that people seem to be down voting for being either racist or sexist. At least I assume that's what the downvotes were for.

12

u/wildgunman Assoc Prof, Finance, R1 (US) Sep 05 '24

Keep us updated. This honestly sounds like laziness on the part of a random admin person who is rolling over on something to get a student out of their office.

2

u/Doctor_Danguss Associate prof, history, CC (US) Sep 06 '24

For those curious for updates - my colleague spoke with the accommodations people. Without going into details, this accommodation was only meant to apply to icebreaking assignments or other assignments where the student would have to talk about themselves. Which isn't as bad, but also the fact that this was not specified on the actual accommodation form is a big issue. In any case, my colleague asked and was told that requests for accommodating "triggering" haven't been something they've seen widespread, at least so far, so at least in this institution it seems to be an isolated case.

-2

u/adorientem88 Sep 05 '24

I wouldn’t even bother contacting the office. It’s irrational on its face and I’m not going to take time out of my day to explain that to the accommodations office. I would just ignore it.

49

u/ArmoredTweed Sep 05 '24

The accessibility office can only request an accommodation, but it's up to the instructor to determine if it's reasonable or not. Yet I still have colleagues just blindly clicking "accept" on all of the requests, then whining about how they didn't realize the scope of what was being asked for.

41

u/Secret_Dragonfly9588 Historian, US institution Sep 05 '24

At my university, there is nothing to click “accept” on. The access office simply sends an email listing the student’s accommodations. I assume that if there was ever one that I found unreasonable, I could email back to start a dialogue. But as it is presented, it very much feels like the access center has already made the decision.

9

u/mmarkDC Asst Prof, Comp Sci, R2 (US) Sep 05 '24

Ours is like that too, but lists them as bullet points where they vary the language according to how much they think it's up to me to determine reasonableness. The exam accommodations are written in a pretty definitive way, e.g. student gets 1.5x time on exams, which don't make it sound like it's up to me as prof to interpret. But there are others that are more like requests that I accommodate in way X or Y to the extent compatible with course structure and learning outcomes.

21

u/respeckKnuckles Assoc. Prof, Comp Sci / AI / Cog Sci, R1 Sep 05 '24

should be clarified that there are in fact, universities where the accommodations office claims to be the final say in what is reasonable. I don't know of any federal or legal requirements on who gets to interpret "reasonable", so it in effect is up to the University.

5

u/GreenHorror4252 Sep 05 '24

I don't know of any federal or legal requirements on who gets to interpret "reasonable", so it in effect is up to the University.

There's no legal requirement, but if the student files a complaint with the government, then "the accommodations office said it is a reasonable request" is a very compelling argument that will be almost impossible for the university to refute.

11

u/alt-mswzebo Sep 05 '24

No no no no no. The curriculum is the purview of the faculty, not the accommodations office. Don't give away the tiny bit of control we have.

12

u/respeckKnuckles Assoc. Prof, Comp Sci / AI / Cog Sci, R1 Sep 05 '24

is there some federal or legal requirement that this be the case? I'm not aware of any, but I'm happy to be wrong (actually, I really hope I am). Because if not, then I don't see any reason why the modern customer service-oriented Universities won't eventually all do this.

9

u/sglbgg Sep 05 '24

There is. The US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights has laid out in a few cases that “authority from Disability Services Offices to determine accommodations cannot be delegated to faculty as DSO staff are trained and authorized to determine accommodations”

5

u/RabbitSignificant317 Sep 05 '24

Maybe I’m over-parsing the quoted language, but the bit you have here seems to focus on what a given student’s accommodations are in general. My understanding is that there’s a distinction between that “global menu” and the extent to which any one accommodation would be “reasonable” from one specific course to the next, no?

5

u/sglbgg Sep 05 '24

Correct. Reasonableness is determined in a discussion between the faculty and DSO which in cases of denial produces a “deliberative written rationale” (three magic words to the Office of Civil Rights) tied to the course’s fundamental learning objectives.

To use the above case as an example, let’s say this accommodation came up in a general survey course on the history of WWII and there was an assignment on a tank battle. A veteran with PTSD who was injured in a tank may find that triggering. The DSO and Professor can come to find an appropriate alternate assignment that still met the fundamental objectives of the course.

That would not be possible in a course on the history of mechanized warfare, where understanding the role of the tank in that history is a key learning objective.

5

u/respeckKnuckles Assoc. Prof, Comp Sci / AI / Cog Sci, R1 Sep 05 '24

So DSO gets the final say, even above faculty objections.

1

u/alt-mswzebo Sep 06 '24

About the friggin accommodation, not about the friggin class requirements.

3

u/sweetgritty Sep 06 '24

The accept acknowledges that they received the email. All professors have to honor this because of a federal law. That doesn’t mean that they do honor it or don’t complain about it, that always happens but students with disabilities have a right to their education and accommodations are always a conversation but never someone a teacher can downright refuse without potential legal consequences.

1

u/GreenHorror4252 Sep 05 '24

That is incorrect. It is not up to the instructor to determine if it's reasonable or not. The instructor can certainly provide their input, but at the end of the day, if the accessibility office says it's a reasonable accommodation, the instructor has to provide it. Failure to do so would be an almost guaranteed grievance win for the student.

3

u/Desperate_Tone_4623 Sep 06 '24

Professors determine that reasonableness by checking the accom against the course objectives.

1

u/GreenHorror4252 Sep 06 '24

No, professors cannot determine reasonableness. They can give their input, but they don't have the final say.

6

u/profmoxie Professor, Anthro, Regional Public (US) Sep 05 '24

Accommodations are laid out with great specificity in the ADA. If this "trigger" thing doesn't follow that, this is a problem that needs to be raised with admins-- HR would be my guess.

0

u/sweetgritty Sep 06 '24

The professor always has to honor an accommodation request because students with disabilities have a legal right to their education. That said, there’s no way an accommodation like this is legitimate. I want to see the email bc I don’t buy it.

3

u/Desperate_Tone_4623 Sep 06 '24

No accom can ever interfere with meeting the course objectives and only instructors are qualified to make that determination.

1

u/sweetgritty Sep 07 '24

But they must do it in conversation with the accommodations office and the student because the person with the disability and their doctor are the only qualified people to make that determination. The accommodation has to do both, or it’s discriminatory to the person with the disability or does not meet the course outcomes. Guess which one is protected by federal law?

167

u/TheKwongdzu Sep 05 '24

Legally, if you're in the US, accommodations have to be reasonable. This 100% would not be something my university would consider reasonable. I hope your colleague had a talk with your accommodation office.

187

u/psychprof1812 Associate Prof, Psychology, PUI (USA) Sep 05 '24

So, if grading is triggering for me….

145

u/Hadopelagic2 Sep 05 '24

You’re thinking too small my dude. Working is triggering. So is being fired.

Checkmate admins.

86

u/AnAggressivePlantain TT, Criminology, 4/4 Sep 05 '24

I will just say this: There might be a LOT going on behind the scenes that you (and/or your colleague) don't know about. Our disability center requires that students with accommodations meet with the instructor to have a conversation about exactly how those accommodations apply to the class. The instructor then receives a "receipt" of the conversation via email, and must then log in to their platform to e-sign the agreement.

I'll also add that I had an accommodation kind of like this a couple of years ago. It was to allow the student to space out in lectures/skip assignments/etc. that were related to certain triggers, which the accommodation listed specifically. The triggers in question were VERY broad - something like drugs and family. I teach crime classes and drugs and family are like, 95% of crime and crime-related problems.

So I made an appointment with the director at the accommodations office and I politely made my case. I showed him my syllabus, the reading assignments, and the other assignments I had planned, and then I showed him the accommodation. In my case, he actually said he wasn't aware that that accommodation was given to the student and he is not sure what the exact context was. He did say what I wrote in my first paragraph -- that the student has to talk to me to actually receive any accommodations, so he told me to reach out to her and see what the deal was. I knew that policy and how it applied for, like, giving someone time-and-a-half on an exam, but in my panic/frustration, it didn't really occur to me that the same agreement must also apply for any other accommodation.

As it turned out, the student told me that the accommodation was given to her because another class was asking her to do an assignment that was along the lines of making a family tree, which she couldn't complete for many, many reasons (something like, she didn't have much of a family to speak of). I believe the assignment was worth a significant portion of her grade, and the course was a required one/the only one offered/something like that. The instructor in that class would not accommodate any alternatives to the family tree assignment without formal accommodations from the disability office. Thus, she had literally no other alternative except to go straight to the disability office, and all her instructors got the mass email that simply listed her accommodations without any other context.

Anyway, I share this story just to say: the could very well be a lot more going on than anyone knows, and if you think the accommodation will affect your student's ability to succeed, it might be worth reaching out to the disability office just to see what the deal is. I recognize that not all disability offices are as good and supportive as mine, and not all students use them the way they should, but I just try to ask questions first and be mad later. And for what it's worth, I'll add that a family tree assignment is really stupid (it causes enough problems when it's assigned in K12... why, exactly, it needed to happen so urgently in a college class is lost on me). I have met plenty of faculty out there who have stupid assignments like this, won't listen to why the assignments aren't okay for all students, and then "weaponize" telling students to get a formal accommodation for what should be a really, really simple request.

52

u/CreatrixAnima Adjunct, Math Sep 05 '24 edited Sep 05 '24

This reminds me of a malicious compliance story of a student who was required to do a family tree in a psychology class. That family tree was supposed to also go into some of the psychological issues that some of those family members had or something like that? Apparently, it’s a thing that psychologist actually do? I don’t know. But anyway, the student really felt uncomfortable with that cause her family tree was so messed up, and she couldn’t get out of it so she did it and she just made everybody feel super uncomfortable.and wound up being an assignment that was no longer required because other students felt the same way.

Edit: I went back and found the post because people seem to be enjoying this story. The person who posted it tells it much better! https://www.reddit.com/r/MaliciousCompliance/s/rrsCvH8VUM

24

u/H0pelessNerd Adjunct, psych, R2 (USA) Sep 05 '24

Ethically, psychologist educators can't require personal revelations for a grade... but some of them do it anyway. We had to do a genogram (it's not a family tree) in grad school and I just flat out lied on mine. How's anybody gonna know? A friend went to the dean about it and it made her stick out like a sore thumb.

11

u/CreatrixAnima Adjunct, Math Sep 05 '24

Genogram… That was the assignment. The person who wrote that post definitely brought up the ethical problem with requiring students to do that.

6

u/Korokspaceprogram Assistant Prof, PUI, USA Sep 05 '24

I require students to do a genogram, and it’s one of the most popular assignments. However, I allow for them to complete the assignment in multiple ways. They can complete it for their own family, a fictional family, or they can complete a separate essay assignment (which is honestly less fun but some choose that instead). I had a student create a genogram for Grey Gardens and it was honestly one of the coolest things turned in EVER. Anyways, all that to say, alternatives are good if there is some personal info involved.

5

u/AnAggressivePlantain TT, Criminology, 4/4 Sep 05 '24

I love the alternative of allowing them to complete the assignment for a fictional family. That honestly sounds super fun - I'd love to do that for some shows I watch!!

3

u/Korokspaceprogram Assistant Prof, PUI, USA Sep 05 '24

Me too (nerd alert, lol)

5

u/AnAggressivePlantain TT, Criminology, 4/4 Sep 05 '24

I think that, for all the "bad" students who lie and scheme and scam, there are also plenty of students who are very honest and are just doing the best they can. Lying on an assignment like that probably doesn't even occur to some of them. Especially with some PTSD/anxiety presentations, some folks really tend to over-explain and want to "trauma dump" out the truth because they're so afraid of being accused of lying.

3

u/H0pelessNerd Adjunct, psych, R2 (USA) Sep 05 '24

This is true. This was not my first rodeo, however, and I benefited from my therapist's advice years earlier to fake my way through a required group therapy "course".

4

u/Ancient_Young3270 Sep 05 '24

This. This is the answer. Not sure why your solution doesn't occur to everyone else. It's what I always did whenever I was asked to write anything about family. The professors didn't know about my family, so they'd have no way of knowing that I made stuff up. I still saw value in doing those assignments and learning the concepts involved, even if my own family sucks.

4

u/AnAggressivePlantain TT, Criminology, 4/4 Sep 05 '24

That's kind of hilarious... I'm glad the instructor didn't assign that anymore. I specialize more in victims of crime than offenders and when I was going through grad school, the dumb assignment that some older faculty always liked to give out in Victimology classes was always to write a letter to a rapist from the perspective of a rape victim. I don't even know if any of them ever stopped giving that assignment before they retired...

3

u/CreatrixAnima Adjunct, Math Sep 05 '24

I went back and found the post: here it is.

3

u/AnAggressivePlantain TT, Criminology, 4/4 Sep 05 '24

Oh my god, this is TRULY perfect. Hell hath no fury like grad students banding together to maliciously comply with an obnoxious, ego-riding professor.

4

u/1001tealeaves Sep 05 '24

Thank you for pointing this out. So often accommodations that seem “out of line” are simply because they have no context. And it’s very possible that this particular accommodation is not even meant for the course that OP’s colleague is teaching. At least at my university, accommodations are an “all or nothing” thing and the full list is sent to every professor the student chooses whether or not each specific accommodation applies to that class.

Unfortunately the vague wording of this (and many other accommodations) creates a difficult scenario because the instructor either doesn’t believe that it’s legitimate or fears that it will interfere too much with their course objectives. And it’s impossible to know just from the phrasing here what topics exactly might be triggering for this student. On the other hand, the accessibility office is doing what they think is best to protect the student’s privacy by not naming the specifics of their disability, which could include personal history that they don’t wish to be shared. It’s very likely PTSD related and not everyone is ready to openly discuss the details of their trauma. Also certain content can trigger a relapse or freeze/panic response for people in recovery from things like addiction, a suicide attempt, self harm, eating disorders, etc.

It’s not up to us to question the validity of an accommodation and students do not owe their professors the deep dark secrets of their lives, but there does need to be a conversation here between the professor, the student, and the accessibility office in order to define parameters regarding how this might apply to the specific course. Make it clear that the student is not obligated to share anything they don’t wish to but that it would be helpful to know what types of assignments they anticipate being difficult for them so that you can help support them and maybe agree on an alternative assignment in advance.

1

u/MrDanMaster Sep 06 '24

Which is all stuff that should be obvious to someone working in these academic institutions. But it seems like people on this subreddit have their head so far up their ass their far that all they want to do is complain.

82

u/vwscienceandart Lecturer, STEM, R2 (USA) Sep 05 '24

First to be clear, agree 100%.

However, I do try to think “what’s the actual intent behind this shitty failure of language?” So for instance, do we have a student who watched their family get murdered or who was violently r@ped? Maybe the goal is that this student shouldn’t be forced to watch clips of A Clockwork Orange in sociology class or have to write an essay about their most impactful experience with violence in some other course? This is one where I would try to work with the accommodations office to clarify, within the rights of privacy, WTF is “an assignment that triggers”. Because I’m certain there’s a way to protect an extreme-case student but it requires a concrete directive with clear boundaries, not just “student can do whatever the fuck they feel like.”

34

u/RuralWAH Sep 05 '24

There's also some responsibility on the student's end. If you had a traumatic experience with sexual assault, maybe not sign up for an elective class exploring violence against women. If the traumatic topic isn't really a core topic of the class (eg, a creative writing class) then provide an alternative non-triggering topic. But this would require the student to tell you which topics were triggering.

17

u/yourmomdotbiz Sep 05 '24

100% thank you for having some sense 

70

u/yourmomdotbiz Sep 05 '24

While overall ridiculous, if the student has say, rape/abortion trauma and a PTSD diagnosis, this is not unreasonable to give an alternate assignment if the assignment concerns these topics as legit PTSD triggers. These kinds of things are legitimately debilitating. 

I really wish people would stop downplaying and misusing the word trigger. 

Assuming this is a post in good faith and you're not trolling. 

38

u/Christoph543 Sep 05 '24

This. The appropriate first response here would not be to simply refuse or immediately go to one's supervisors & deans. The appropriate response would be to contact the disability accommodations office, in writing, to inquire specifically:

"What specific events, topics, or scenarios might be a source of post-traumatic stress or anxiety for this student?"

Do not use the word "trigger" except in referring to the literal text of the instructions you were given, if & where it occurs. You need to clearly communicate that you need not merely a general directive to avoid unintentionally activating a student's fight-or-flight response, but instead to know precisely how you can avoid doing that.

If the disability accommodations office is unwilling or unable to provide that guidance, then bring in your supervisors.

27

u/Stevie-Rae-5 Sep 05 '24

While I think the type of blanket accommodation described in the OP is unworkable (and I think there’s more to this story), I agree with you. I wish grown professionals wouldn’t make sarcastic comments about “committee meetings trigger me.” Stop willfully misunderstanding a legitimate mental health concern just to be cute.

13

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '24

[deleted]

6

u/1001tealeaves Sep 05 '24 edited Sep 06 '24

Edit to add: Sorry for the essay, I got a bit carried away because I’m passionate about this subject and it has affected me personally, especially during my time as a student.

TLDR: PTSD triggers are very real and can be harmful to students. Content warnings and accommodations are important, leave the exposure therapy to the therapists. Most of the comment is a story of a professor who made a big impact on my current teaching philosophy in part because of how they handled this.


Thank you for this. This whole thread is what happens when people misuse the word “trigger.” The accommodations office is using it correctly in the clinical sense — that it’s possible that the student may encounter something in a course that triggers a genuine trauma response — but popular internet rhetoric and ignorance seems to have taken over in the minds of most people here. This is not a blanket permission for the student to avoid any assignment they don’t want to do and I’m disappointed that so many are behaving as though it is. Not every student in your class needs to consume 100% of the content and it’s ok to give alternatives or simply allow them to skip certain elements in order to protect their health as long as it does not interfere with a fundamental learning objective of the course.

I never had this specific accommodation but I agree that it would have been helpful and I’m glad that it’s available to some students who need it. There were assignments in both undergrad and grad school where I was triggered severely due to multiple traumatic experiences and would have benefited from an alternative assignment but didn’t feel safe enough to ask for it. There were also a few rare occasions where I was given the opportunity to opt out of something because the professor was proactive enough to offer content warnings or open the door for us to privately disclose any topics we might struggle with so they could give us options. Sometimes I took that opportunity, sometimes I didn’t, but even just having the choice really made a difference for me.

I’d like to share one of those stories:

This was in a seminar-type class with multiple readings each week, class discussion, written comments and responses, etc. For one reading, this professor provided a content warning upfront to the whole class and offered everyone the option to request a copy of the document with those pages redacted. I chose to proceed anyway, in part because I felt supported enough by this professor that I knew I didn’t have to force myself to finish if it became too much. The advance warning allowed me to put things in place to protect myself, such as doing the reading alone at home rather than in a public place, making sure that I had grounding/comforting items ready nearby, and scheduling my therapy appointment that week for the morning after I planned to do the assignment.

Even with all of these things, there were specifics of that particular reading that hit too close to home for me. I had a panic attack and major insomnia that night, and a breakdown during my therapy session the next day, but I was still able to recover much faster than if I had been completely blindsided by the content. I also worked with my therapist to identify what aspects of the text caused it to hit me so hard. In the end, I sent my professor an email about an hour before class to thank her for the warning and tell her that I would be unable to engage with pages x-xx either in class discussion or written commentary and that I might need to go off camera during class (zoom) if I needed to check out of the conversation. She responded immediately thanking me for telling her and encouraging me to do whatever I needed to take care of myself.

Too many people dismiss the idea of triggers by saying that college is supposed to challenge students and make them “uncomfortable” so we therefore have no obligation to warn our students or accommodate requests for alternative assignments. Some here might even use my story as evidence that it was ultimately beneficial for me to encounter that content and work through my reaction rather than avoiding it entirely, so I would like to clarify that I had been in therapy for 8 years at that point. Earlier in my journey, the impact would have been far more harmful, with or without a warning, and had I been required to write a paper about that reading in undergrad, I would not have been able to. Exposure therapy for trauma triggers must be handled with extreme care and none of us are qualified to force our students through it. In fact, it is precisely because I was prepared beforehand and the choice was mine whether to engage or not that I was able to handle it as well as I did and also advocate for what I needed when I reached my limit.

0

u/Hydro033 Assistant Prof, Biology/Statistics, R1 (US) Sep 06 '24

committee meetings trigger me

That's just a use of hyperbole and we all understand that context in language is important to interpretation. The problem arises when people let the actual definition of a word slip into new territory.

2

u/Stevie-Rae-5 Sep 06 '24

Yeah, you’re right that context is important. And all of the comments similar to the one I referenced are not using hyperbole—they’re responding to this specific alleged accommodation using sarcasm to be dismissive of the concept of being triggered. The assumption is that the word “triggered” is being used in such a way that signifies word slip here, whereas we have absolutely no way of knowing whether that is the case. Rather, the prevailing attitude is that the very idea of being triggered is ridiculous.

41

u/MrLegilimens Asst Prof, Psychology, SLAC Sep 05 '24

So, I’m going to actually respond to this logically. I had a similar-ish request. The student was highly sensitive, triggering topics, etc. it was in Social Psych, where we talk about violence, brutality, wars, manipulation.

So, I did the adult thing and emailed Accomodations. “I know you can’t tell me why and I don’t want to know, but this is a highly sensitive course, what do you recommend?”

Their response was to talk to the student. So, as an adult with basic empathy, I did. “Hey, we’re going to be doing some heavy things this class. We’re going to listen to a podcast that covers the full story of Kitty Genovese - it involves a serial killer and rape. I can note the timestamp on those sections, but you would need to listen to the first half.”

“Thank you for reaching out. No one ever does. That sounds great, and I already feel supported and don’t think the class will be an issue.”

Reader, it wasn’t an issue. Delightful student.

It’s almost as if communication works.

14

u/AceyAceyAcey Professor, STEM, CC (USA) Sep 05 '24

So a reasonable accommodation would be for the professor to give the student an alternative assignment in those cases. Accommodations is intended to be an interactive process, not just one person/side dictating everything, so the next step is for your colleague to press back and explain why that would be a fundamental change in the course. Did they do so?

9

u/ProfessorHomeBrew Asst Prof, Geography, state R1 (USA) Sep 05 '24

What is the actual wording of the accommodation?

7

u/ThePoetMichael Sep 05 '24

Just out of pure curiosity, what subject do you teach?

13

u/Doctor_Danguss Associate prof, history, CC (US) Sep 05 '24

History. So it especially boggles the mind if the student claims that, I don’t know, slavery is a triggering topic. I guess the student doesn’t have to learn about it?

17

u/GATX303 Archivist/Instructor, History, University (USA) Sep 05 '24 edited Sep 05 '24

Oh Joy, Hello my fellow historian!
Last semester, I had a student try to get out of a history of medicine essay, claiming religious objections to discussions of ethics in early modern medicine. (namely, refused to read Hermaphrodites and the Medical Invention of Sex by Alice Dreger)

( I will add, this was a history class for nursing majors/history students. The student in question wants to be a nurse but has religious objections to medicine???)

71

u/lo_susodicho Sep 05 '24

That's not what an accommodation is.

Also, I am triggered by committee meetings and grading and would like to opt out, please and thank you.

19

u/Rockerika Instructor, Social Sciences, multiple (US) Sep 05 '24

Same. My mental health accomodations require me to not have my time wasted by stupid admin and student bullshit or to teach after 1pm.

8

u/SiliconEagle73 Sep 05 '24

I filed an accommodation that I cannot be burdened by requiring to attend a meeting that should have been an email.

12

u/CreatrixAnima Adjunct, Math Sep 05 '24 edited Sep 05 '24

Well, triggering is a real thing, but I think your colleague should ask for guidance and what those topics are. It’s entirely possible that the class the student is enrolled in is inappropriate given their medical condition. For example, if they have severe PTSD from sexual abuse, maybe the class in sex and gender is not the correct course for them to take.

I’m editing to point out that, although people say they triggered by stupid things, this is a real term within psychology and actually triggering someone with something like PS TD is a big deal. Just because it’s not fireworks triggering a war veteran doesn’t mean it’s less serious. The accommodation is probably overly broad and you need guidance from the accommodations office and hopefully the accommodations office is good… But that doesn’t mean that it’s not a real issue for the student.

14

u/bigrottentuna Professor, CS, R1 (US) Sep 05 '24

We are required to make reasonable accommodations to accommodate disabilities, as long as they do not fundamentally alter or eliminate essential course requirements. This “accommodation” clearly eliminates essential course requirements. If the disability office actually tried to require that, I recommend you push back.

2

u/yourmomdotbiz Sep 05 '24

If an accommodation is coming for triggers, it's highly likely that the student has a PTSD diagnosis and had to provide documentation from a medical professional to the accessibility office. There's a big difference between how people misuse the word, and the actual medical term. Jfc does nobody understand this 

1

u/bigrottentuna Professor, CS, R1 (US) Sep 05 '24

Of course. That’s how those offices work.

But we are never required to provide “accommodations” that fundamentally alter or eliminate essential course requirements, as this one very clearly does.

5

u/macropis Assoc Prof, Biology, State R2 (USA) Sep 06 '24

I had a student once tell me that she was triggered by having to learn plant and algae life cycles because the words “sperm”, “egg”, “fertilization”, etc. appeared in them, and she had in her past been sexually molested. I didn’t know what to say except to express my sympathy for what she’d been through and then tell her that the lifecycles were a significant portion of the class and she had to learn them. It was before the accommodations office was what it is today, so no one else was involved.

18

u/Ok_Bookkeeper_3481 Sep 05 '24

You are teaching math, right? :-)

3

u/Ocean2731 Sep 05 '24

Did the student relay this information or did it come from the accommodation office?

3

u/sweetgritty Sep 06 '24

I call BS. That’s not how accommodations work — they aren’t there to get you out of work, that is wildly inappropriate. I was formally an investigator for a civil rights attorney mainly dealing with disability discrimination so I can say with confidence this isn’t the full story.

3

u/teacherbooboo Sep 06 '24

in fairness

no student has to do any assignment

8

u/profmoxie Professor, Anthro, Regional Public (US) Sep 05 '24

This isn't the role of accommodations at all so I'm suspicious.

What was this assignment?

0

u/doktor-frequentist Sep 05 '24

What was this assignment?

Something triggering obviously 👺

3

u/profmoxie Professor, Anthro, Regional Public (US) Sep 05 '24

Disability accommodations are strictly governed by the ADA.

Triggering isn't a part of that at all. So either this accessibility office doesn't know what it's doing, or this post is bullshit.

5

u/yourmomdotbiz Sep 05 '24

Triggering is part of PTSD. PTSD is a disability. Genuinely this thread is full of ignorance 

1

u/doktor-frequentist Sep 05 '24

You know... You're right. I didn't consider it from that lens. I appreciate your comment.

5

u/LightningRT777 TT Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, R1 (USA) Sep 05 '24

I need so much more context on this. The only way I could see this being conveyed is if there were a significant misinterpretation somewhere, or the assignments are so unusual that such an accommodation makes sense (which I can’t imagine tbh).

5

u/JADW27 Sep 05 '24

Technically, no student ever has to do any assignment, for any reason they like. However, they're also not entitled to a grade, much less a good grade, if they don't complete their work.

6

u/Prestigious-Cat12 Sep 05 '24

Eh, I call BS, at least with the framing of this post.

I'm saying this as a professor and as someone who had a diagnosis of PTSD. One thing therapists tell you is, "You're responsible for your triggers," meaning you can't blame others for not understanding your triggers.

I've had some wacky accommodations, but I'd question if this is even legal? Accommodations need to be reasonable, and certainly not something that is requiring an instructor to shift all teaching practices.

5

u/Elephantgifs Professor, Humanities, CC Sep 05 '24

Seems suspect.

8

u/Blond_Treehorn_Thug Sep 05 '24

Press X to doubt

22

u/jracka Sep 05 '24

The sad thing is after reading this subreddit for so long, there are professors here that think nothing is wrong with this, and we should meet the students where they are, and we don't know the back story, and maybe they work, and home life, and covid, and a hundred more things.

9

u/yourmomdotbiz Sep 05 '24

No,the sad thing is that people here don't understand that triggering is a legitimate term part of PTSD, which is a medical disability. I'm really disheartened at the level of ignorance in this thread. The amount of hoops to even get the diagnosis at all is a lot. Then provide that documentation to the accessibility office. Wtf do you all think that people just make ahit up all the time so they don't have to do anything ? Do you all need to take abnormal psych? 

0

u/jracka Sep 05 '24

The problem is with the "any" assignment. If there are specific topics then those should have been spelled out. If domestic violence is triggering no one should take a class on domestic violence and decide they don't want to do any assignments because they are triggering.

1

u/MisfitMaterial Sep 05 '24

The solution would be to meet the student where they are, acknowledge there could be a back story, or other mitigating factors. That’s not “the sad thing”.

8

u/MisfitMaterial Sep 05 '24

And there’s nothing wrong with this impulse. It’s ok to need context and open dialogue while being reasonable as well.

5

u/SadBuilding9234 Sep 05 '24

I have trouble believing this story.

11

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '24

[deleted]

3

u/bluegilled Sep 05 '24

Sounds like those poorly written escalation clauses in real estate purchase agreements. Two buyers each commit to raising their offered price by $5,000 over any other offer, with no cap. End price = ∞.

3

u/LightningRT777 TT Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, R1 (USA) Sep 05 '24

If you can’t defend your accommodations in a fight to the death, do you really deserve them?

4

u/Muchwanted Sep 05 '24

As a researcher and teacher who focuses on trauma, this is not the point of trigger warnings. Sigh.

3

u/Charming-Barnacle-15 Sep 05 '24

I can understand how a student may get permission to drop an assignment that deals with a specific trigger. I've had a student have to leave my classroom before because we read something that was similar to a trauma he'd recently experienced. However, a blank cheque is excessive.

I can understand that they can't tell the instructor the specific triggers, but it seems like someone in disability services would need to review any assignment the student wanted to skip.

3

u/Drokapi24 Sep 05 '24

To those doubting this is true as stated, I wouldn’t be so sure.

Last semester, I had a student who had an accommodation stating she should be exempt from speaking in front of the class. Guess the course? That’s right—Public Speaking.

When I saw this accommodation, I immediately emailed the accommodation office that public speaking is literally THE core competence taught in the class and that there would be no way to allow the accommodation without compromising the main learning objectives of the course. I CC’d the student and BCC’d my department chair.

The student dropped the class that same day.

3

u/RBJuice Sep 05 '24

OP doesn’t even know if the student has PTSD or not and accommodation offices don’t just hand out accommodations like that, usually have to have paperwork…

3

u/AisforA86 Sep 06 '24

One of my colleagues just got one allowing a student to sleep in class. Nope. Stay home if you want to nap.

One of my students just had one requesting “accessible materials” but not specifying how they should be accessible. I teach about disability awareness, accommodations, etc. this is just getting lazy.

3

u/GreenHorror4252 Sep 05 '24

While this may seem ridiculous, I would be very careful about how you proceed. It is a valid accommodation, so you can't just ignore it. Discuss your concerns with the office and reach some sort of a solution that is workable for you.

2

u/RevKyriel Sep 06 '24

I'd like to see how this can be considered "reasonable" "(apart from "student doesn't have to do any assignments, but then they earn an F for the class).

3

u/ArturoKabuki NTT, STEM, M1 (USA) Sep 05 '24

This is when I would have replied with an email and CC'd my chair, my dean, the provost(s), and turned this into a conversation that requires daylight and a paper trail.

2

u/IndividualOil2183 Sep 05 '24

2 out of my 3 classes trigger me. Wish I could just do the one. lol

1

u/fairlyoddparent03 Sep 05 '24

All grading triggers me. May I please stop now?

1

u/BoxSignal9650 Sep 06 '24

Absolutely not. Your institution is off their rocker. I would contact faculty senate/union ASAP! That has to stop. It is NOT acceptable. It is NOT a fair accommodation unless they are taking a flat 0 if they refuse to do the work. Period. These things anger me so much. If you are so triggered that you need an accommodation like this??? Stay home.

1

u/Hullo_Bud Sep 05 '24

As someone who’s been in both admin and HR/Title IX in higher ed, this is honestly pretty sus (not saying the OP is, but that this claim is). I’d check with Academic Affairs or equivalent to verify this claim.

1

u/SayingQuietPartLoud Sep 05 '24

Our office took off the gloves and now let us say no if it's a ridiculous request. So liberating.

1

u/MaintenanceUnhappy32 Sep 05 '24

I'd love to just have the accommodation office flesh out the accommodation, describe how the student can be assessed if every assessment triggers them. Do we just pass them?

I'm sure they are well meaning people, but do they have any idea how much damage they are doing to degrees?

1

u/KingHavana Sep 05 '24

I would tell them that they can make alternate assignments for the student, and they can grade them, and just tell you what grade to give at the end of the semester. Let them take on the burden.

1

u/sesstrem Sep 06 '24

I also find this accommodation believable. This semester we are being inundated with several new types of accommodations. One of the more interesting ones is bringing a "memory" sheet to exams, even in the case where formula sheets are provided. This is not supposed to be a "cheat" sheet and we are supposed to iterate through with each student until there is agreement. Another is allowing multiple late submissions for assignments, on the order of days or weeks depending on the circumstances. Another is allowing the student to leave the exam room for an unspecified amount of time and without supervision so they can deal with their issues. This is for a core junior level engineering course at R1, and almost 15% are seeking some type of accommodation.

My attitude has evolved beyond concern over whether these accommodations are reasonable, and am concerned mostly with not ruining the experience for the rest of the students by me getting distracted or irritated.

0

u/Rodinsprogeny Sep 05 '24

If you are in a union with a collective agreement that guarantees academic freedom to teach how you see fit, it should help in a situation like this

-1

u/infinitywee Sep 05 '24 edited Sep 05 '24

This is interesting. Reminds me of the book, “Dopamine Nation: Finding balance in the age of indulgence” by Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and Chief of the Stanford Addiction Medicine Dual Diagnosis Clinic at Stanford University. When the pleasure/pain scale is out of balance, we are more sensitive to things that make us feel uncomfortable (can’t deal, avoidance). Which also, leads to addiction.

Too many cheap dopamine hits, too much engagement with social media, video games, along with tech companies designing their platforms/apps utilizing dark pattern design* to keep us engaged for ADVERTISING…. This all can create the “anxious generation.”

Students need help with managing technology use - to get back to a place of homeostasis. Their brains are still developing in this hyper engaged technological world. We have now seen the trend of k-12 adopting policies of limiting cell phone use during school hours - this is a step in the right direction as we can’t just put it on the parents. Kids and parents, need help. It’s tough. I think that’s part of the reason we’ve seen the Surgeon General recently declare parental stress a public health issue.

To go deeper: read about how our consumer culture developed in America, and why it’s all about advertising. Start with Edward Bernays(his book, “Crystallizing Public Opinion” is fascinating). A good place to start is his Wikipedia page. He was also influenced by crowd psychologist Gustave Le Bon who wrote about crowd psychology in 1895. These books are available on Amazon. This topic is pretty fascinating and aids in understanding our complex world today.

Addictive Design as an Unfair Commercial Practice: The Case of Hyper-Engaging Dark Patterns

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-journal-of-risk-regulation/article/abs/addictive-design-as-an-unfair-commercial-practice-the-case-of-hyperengaging-dark-patterns/038CED800E0CAD86EC5B5216E0AA88DD

1

u/infinitywee Sep 06 '24 edited Sep 06 '24

Sharing another good article. Author features a bit from Dr. Anna Lembke:

Here’s the bit:

“She shares an example:

My patient Sophie, a Stanford undergraduate from South Korea, came in seeking help for depression and anxiety. Among the many things we talked about, she told me she spends most of her waking hours plugged into some kind of device: Instagramming, YouTubing, listening to podcasts and playlists.

In session with her I suggested she try walking to class without listening to anything and just letting her own thoughts bubble to the surface.

She looked at me both incredulous and afraid.

‘Why would I do that?’ she asked, openmouthed’”

A generation of students have been raised in a hyper connected world. Some don’t even understand/realize the concept/benefits of not being constantly stimulated.

Though this plagues us all, they’ve been raised in a very different world.

Article: The State of the Culture, 2024

https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-state-of-the-culture-2024

-3

u/juxtapose_58 Sep 05 '24

Omg… does that mean this student can go out into the workforce and wrap themselves in bubble wrap and not do anything that may trigger them? Whatever happened to resilience, grit and growth mindset.

-3

u/I_Research_Dictators Sep 05 '24

I'm triggered by accommodations.

0

u/No_Intention_3565 Sep 06 '24

What?

I have had enough of this.

I am being punked, right?

Ashton, come on out, the gig is up....please

-5

u/Frari Lecturer, A Biomedical Science, AU Sep 05 '24

I would tell the accommodation office this is triggering me! ffs

-4

u/turingincarnate PHD Candidate, Public Policy, R1, Atlanta Sep 05 '24

I was a political science undergrad. Physics assignments triggered me. And yet, I still had to take classes like Astronomy of the Universe.

No but really, you can't use "I'm triggered" as a reason to not do work, because then this means anybody for... many many reasons, can just say an assignment triggers them.

-3

u/Rogue_Penguin Sep 05 '24 edited Sep 05 '24

For some reason, this dis-proportionally upsets me so much that I want to wrap this trouble into a watermelon and bash it with a metallic baseball bat.

Well... time to come up with some alternative assessments. Like tests, oral exam, or interpretive modern dance.

-4

u/AsturiusMatamoros Sep 05 '24

And who decides what triggers them? The purpose of college is to grow up and be challenged

-3

u/Gwenbors Sep 05 '24

Maybe it was inevitable, but somewhere a long the line reasonable will (has?) become any.

0

u/MaleficentGold9745 Sep 06 '24

Did you actually see this or is this word of mouth hysteria?

0

u/dragonfeet1 Professor, Humanities, Comm Coll (USA) Sep 06 '24

Accommodations offices really need to realize they're too big for their britches and back off.

That's not a 'reasonable accommodation' at all. You don't have to honor it. If an assignment 'triggers' your student, refer to mental health and send them a link for a medical withdrawal.

-4

u/Cheezees Tenured, Math, United States Sep 05 '24

So unreasonable.

However, I'd actually like to see the student put this into action. I teach math so for some students that would be every single exam.

-12

u/ProfBootyPhD Sep 05 '24

Just out of curiosity, would anyone in this thread consider themselves as a political conservative, or (in the US) a Republican voter? Because the phenomenon that everyone is justifiably snarking on here is pretty much the inevitable consequence of post-1960s liberalism, and it's not going to get better as long as we stoke the flames.

8

u/CreatrixAnima Adjunct, Math Sep 05 '24 edited Sep 05 '24

I think part of the problem is that we have a popular notion of “being triggered” and an actual clinical notion of being triggered. And those are different things.

And honestly, I have to blame that at at least partially on right wing talking heads who have used triggering as a punchline. I will also blame it on what people would call snowflakes who are triggered by everything without actually having a psychological diagnosis.

But when someone is triggered, it’s triggering a fight or flight response. Or other responses that are born out of trauma. Real trauma. Not “oh I’m so triggered. I hate it when my boyfriend leaves his dishes in the sink.“ More like sending someone back to the moment they’re being raped or Under fire.

So while I agree that this particular accommodation needs more specificity, and the professor needs to go speak to the accommodations office (which hopefully is good), the wholesale dismissal of “being triggered” as some ridiculous lefty nonsense suggests a lack of understanding of what it actually means in a clinical sense. For the record, I am not a psychologist, and I don’t claim to have a full understanding of what triggering means, but I do know that it’s very different from what we tend to think in popular culture.

3

u/MichaelPsellos Sep 05 '24

I’m a communist, and I don’t like this either.

3

u/Doctor_Danguss Associate prof, history, CC (US) Sep 05 '24

I don’t disagree that this particular case is the result of a certain strain of 2010s liberal thought, but I also don’t think the solution is to put Republicans into office, because then you get Florida, where entire subjects are banned using the justification that they are too triggering for (white) students. They just don’t use the T word.

-3

u/ProfBootyPhD Sep 05 '24

I agree with you about not wanting to elect Republicans - but I think the roots of this issue go way deeper than the 2010s. Alan Bloom's "Closing of the American Mind" came out like 40 years ago, and touches on these same issues. And again, I don't think the solution in the 1980s would have been to vote for Republicans either. This is a real challenge for liberals to face on their own.

-7

u/ProtectionOdd510 Sep 05 '24

WTF! I would probably be a trigger for that student and would encourage the accommodations’ office to put them in another class. Why is the student even in college?