Disability Services Grievance Policy
Wheaton College is fully committed to complying with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act of 2008 (ADA and ADAAA) as well as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, ensuring that all qualified students with disabilities have access to Wheaton’s programs, activities, and services and are provided reasonable accommodations, auxiliary aids and services to ensure access.
Wheaton students who believe they have been denied access to reasonable accommodations that are required by law or that the approved accommodations have not been implemented appropriately may invoke the Disability Services grievance procedure. If students believe they have been discriminated against on the basis of a disability they should refer to the College’s policy on discrimination, harassment, and assault found here.
The grievance procedure is not intended to supersede other university policies and procedures, which may exist for addressing alleged violations of ADA and/or Section 504, and other issues of concern for which separate university policies and procedures exist, such as grade appeals.
Formal Grievance Procedure
If a student who has followed the appropriate process for requesting accommodations believes a reasonable accommodation was wrongfully denied or not implemented appropriately, the student should provide relevant information in writing and send the appeal to student.development@wheaton.edu to be reviewed by the Dean of Student Care and Graduate Student Life within 30 business days of the decision or incident.
The student’s formal grievance should clearly state:
- The reason and rationale for the grievance
- The specific facts and/or policies supporting the student’s position
- The resolution desired by the student
The Dean of Student Care and Graduate Student Life will review the appeal and related materials and render a decision. The student will be informed of the outcome.
If the student disagrees with the decision made by the Dean of Student Care and Graduate Student Life, the student can send a written appeal and related materials to the Vice President of Student Development within ten (10) business days of receiving the decision rendered by the Dean of Student Care and Graduate Student Life. The decision of the VP for Student Development will be final.