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Student Access
Equal Access

  2. Grievances

Grievances

ADA/Section 504 Grievance Procedure for Students 

Vanderbilt University is committed to encouraging and sustaining a learning and work community free from prohibited discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, which includes ensuring equal access to educational programs and activities to students with disabilities. The University complies with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of a disability, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

If you feel you have been discriminated against based on your disability, please contact the Equal Opportunity and Access Office (EOA) or use the online reporting form to file a complaint.

If an instructor or other university faculty or staff member has denied a reasonable accommodation determined by Student Access, please contact Student Access immediately to ensure access can be provided in a timely manner.

If you have a concern regarding an accommodation determination or the implementation of an accommodation, please follow the steps below.

Step 1:

Contact Student Access (615-343-9727) and request to speak or meet with an Access Specialist. The student and the Access Specialist will discuss the concern in attempt to provide a resolution.

Step 2:

If the student is not satisfied with the resolution proposed by the Access Specialist, the student should submit a written or recorded complaint to the Student Access Director, Jamie Bojarski  (Jamie.bojarski@vanderbilt.edu). The request should include the following information:

  1. the student's name, address, email address and phone number; 
  2. a full description of the student's concern;
  3. a description of the efforts made to resolve the concern through SAS/an Access Specialist; and
  4. a statement of the resolution requested.

Upon receipt of the complaint, the Student Access Director will provide the student with written notice acknowledging receipt of the complaint and will promptly initiate a review of the matter. Upon completion of the review, the Student Access Director will prepare and transmit a written reply to the student.

Step 3:

If Step 2 does not resolve the grievance, the student may appeal the determination of the Student Access Director to the Section 504 Coordinator, the Equal Opportunity and Access Director. To appeal, the student must submit a written or recorded request to appeal to the Student Access Director within 10 days of the Director’s written reply in Step 2. The Student Access Director will forward promptly the written or recorded complaint to the Section 504 Coordinator for additional review. The Section 504 Coordinator (or the Section 504 Coordinator’s designee) will investigate the complaint. The investigation may be informal, but it must be thorough. The Section 504 Coordinator generally will issue a written decision on the grievance no later than 30 days after its filing.

US Department of Education Contact Information

The availability of this grievance procedure does not prevent persons from filing a complaint of discrimination on the basis of a disability with the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights at the following address: Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education,  U.S. Department of Education, 61 Forsyth Street S.W., Suite 19T10, Atlanta, GA 30303-8927. Telephone: (404) 974-9406. Facsimile: (404) 974-9471. Email: OCR.Atlanta@ed.gov