Accommodation Appeal and Grievance Procedures

The Office of Accessible Education at Harvey Mudd College is committed to supporting students as they engage in the rigorous, fast-paced curriculum. By providing co-curricular programs, training, and services that encourage student development in personal, social, and academic domains as they engage transitioning from high school to college, work to create a climate of inclusion and diversity, where students with disabilities are included as integral contributors to our intellectual community.

It is HMC policy to ensure that no qualified student with a disability (one who has provided documentation of disability and is registered with the Office of Accessible Education) is denied the benefits of, excluded from participation in, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in any College program or activity.

Accommodation Appeal Review Process

Students are able to appeal accommodation decisions made through the Office of Accessible Education using this process. Individuals wanting to appeal the decision must do so in writing within fifteen (15) working days of receiving the accommodation decision. The appeal should include a statement explaining the reasons why the decision is being appealed, and may also include additional documentation of disability. The appeal is to be sent to the Office of Accessible Education, who will convene an appeal review committee.

The Appeal Review Committee will provide individuals and the Assistant Dean for Student Accessibility Services an opportunity to present information useful to understanding the appeal. The Committee may decide to uphold the previous accommodation decision, support the appeal request, decide on an alternative, or decide that new information has been submitted which necessitates further review by the Office of Accessible Education. Information may be emailed to access@g.hmc.edu. Documentation may include medical records that clearly support the requested accommodation as necessary due to the functional limitations associated with the student’s disability.

The Appeal Review Committee will review and evaluate the appeal and supporting documentation, if any, and make a determination within fifteen (15) working days of receiving the appeal. Current accommodations as determined by the Office of Accessible Education will continue to be in effect, in order to provide access during the appeal review process, with any additional issues to be resolved as quickly as possible.

Students who are dissatisfied with the outcome of the appeal review process may file a Grievance.

Grievance Procedures

Grievance Procedure can be initiated by students who are dissatisfied with the Appeal Review Committee’s determination or who believe that they were subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability.

All additional documentation regarding your appeal must be submitted at the time of the individual’s appeal request.

The grievance will be reviewed and adjudicated by the Dean of the Students or designee (the “Dean”). The designee will not be the same individual who made the initial determination as to the request for auxiliary aids, services, or other modifications or accommodations.

An investigation, if deemed appropriate by the Dean, will be conducted by the Dean following receipt of the grievance. The Dean may review information and documentation contained in a student’s file and/or any other information pertaining to a request.

Within fifteen (15) working days of the receipt of the grievance, the grieving party will receive a written decision via email from the Dean.

The decision of the Dean shall be considered the final decision on the matter.

Retaliation against a person who files a grievance, or opposes a policy he/she believes to be discriminatory, is prohibited. Individuals, who believe that they were subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability by Harvey Mudd College, are encouraged to use the grievance procedure to resolve their concerns. Individuals may, however, wish to file a complaint directly with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 50 United Nations Plaza, Mail Box 1200, Room 1545, San Francisco, CA 94102, 415.486.5555 or email: ocr.sanfrancisco@ed.gov. Grievances with the Office of Civil Rights must be filed within 90 days of the alleged discriminatory event.