Am I being asked to compromise academic standards or give the student with a disability an advantage?
You are most definitely not. If the existence of the disability has been verified, the accommodation should have the purpose of providing an equal opportunity to the student, in effect starting the student on equal footing with others. To compromise standards or “water down” the requirements would not assist the student to acquire a competitive degree. The student with a disability should be expected to fulfill all the essential course‐related requirements; if, after reasonable accommodations have been made, the student lacks the ability to meet the requirements, he or she is not “qualified” to complete that course, degree, etc. It is important, however, that such requirements really be essential, necessary to meet accreditation standards, licensing requirements, or certification requirements. Otherwise, substituting an equivalent requirement or changing the method of meeting requirements should be considered as methods to provide the student a more equitable chance at success.