Guide to Appeals from Disability Accommodations Decisions

Grievance process

Any MSM student who believes that they have been denied academic or clinical adjustments required by law shall have the right to invoke the Office of Inclusive Learning & Accessibility Services. This grievance procedure is designed to address disagreements or denials regarding requested services, academic adjustments, or modifications to institutional academic practices or requirements.

You may appeal any accommodation decision denying an accommodation request in full or in part. You may also appeal from a decision concluding that you are not eligible for a disability accommodation because you have not established that you have a disability. The appeal process is intended to provide students with the opportunity to bring forward questions regarding substantive or procedural errors or evidence of bias that occurred during the accommodation review process. The appeal process is not intended to initiate a new accommodation review process at a higher level. General dissatisfaction with an accommodation decision is not grounds for an appeal.

An appeal from an accommodation decision must be based on one or more of the following grounds:

  1. There was a procedural error made during the accommodation review process that substantially impacted the outcome of the decision (e.g., you were not given an opportunity to participate in an “interactive process,” or the collaborative effort to arrive at a reasonable accommodation).
  2. There was a substantive error (such as a misunderstanding of your accommodation request) made during the accommodation review process that substantially impacted the outcome of the decision. To submit an appeal based on substantive errors, you must demonstrate that you already attempted to address the error(s) with the person(s) who made the original accommodation decision and were unable to resolve the issue.
  3. There is evidence of bias on the part of the person(s) who made the accommodation decision that rendered them unable to consider your accommodation request objectively and completely.

 For a full description of the leave of absence policy and procedures, please visit the MSM Student Handbook