The case for course substitutions as a reasonable accommodation for students with foreign language learning difficulties

It has been observed for decades that some students have a particularly difficult time learning another language. Colleges and universities have an obligation to offer special language programs designed to help these students succeed in their attempts to learn another language. However, for those few students who cannot learn another language even with special instruction, allowing them to meet the foreign language requirement though the substitution of related courses is appropriate and does not constitute a fundamental alteration of the goals of a liberal education.