What if I need accommodations for a short time but don’t have a long term disability?

The Request for Leniency process is used when a student experiences  a short-term but significant health issue and wants an instructor to allow extra time on assignment deadlines. Because Walden University wants to treat medical documentation with the highest level of confidentiality, all medical documentation should be sent to the Medical Documentation office and not individual faculty members.

Staff members in the Medical Documentation office verify receipt of medical documentation for instructors, limiting disclosure of specific health issues.  Instructors make the final decision to grant or deny leniency. 

The medical documentation staff may contact the originator of medical documentation to ensure its validity.

How to Request Leniency based on a health issue:

1. Email or fax Medical documentation to: [email protected]  Fax:  1-800-878-5444  (please include Name, Student ID, and state the documentation is sent in support of a leniency request)
2. Next email your instructor asking for the specific leniency you need and CC (copy) [email protected]  on that email. 

Here is a draft of the kind of email to send to your instructor asking for leniency. Remember to CC the medical documentation unit on the email so we may reply directly to the instructor.

Dear Professor

Your name ________________

Your student ID_________________Your email address_____________________________

Your course number – with section number after the dash______________________________

A statement indicating the specific leniency you are requesting and plan to make up the work missed (example: extra time on application assignment for week).