Appeal and Grievance Procedure

To ensure that all programs and services are fully accessible to students who have special needs, Golden Gate University's Disability Services program provides that students can quickly and equitably resolve complaints internally through the Disability Services Appeals Process. The Committee on Students with Disabilities will make decisions in the appeals process based upon legal decisions concerning Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and supporting evidence provided by the student and the university. Supporting evidence includes: documents provided by the University or by the student; decisions made by Golden Gate University's Learning Disability Consultant and the Disability Services Coordinator; and the stated educational objectives of courses, programs and activities.

Students may file an appeal through the Disability Services Appeals Process to resolve one of the following:

• Eligibility decisions made by the Disability Services Coordinator for students seeking accommodations for physical, psychological or temporary disabilities,
• Eligibility decisions made by the Learning Disability Consultant,
• Decisions made by the Disability Services Coordinator to determine appropriateness of academic accommodations,
• Decisions made by the Disability Services Office to deny services to a student for abuse of services provided by Disability Services.

Students wishing to file a discrimination complaint based on their disability status, regarding actions, or decisions (excluding those above) against students, staff and faculty of Golden Gate University should file a suit through the Student Code of Conduct. Students filing for this reason should not file an appeal through the Disability Services Appeals Process.

1. Informal Review (Informal Appeal)

Because Golden Gate grants accommodations on an individual basis, students are encouraged to work closely with the Disability Services Office throughout their involvement with the program. Thus, students are encouraged to work with the Disability Services Coordinator to resolve their complaint or dispute before they file a formal appeal. To begin the informal review process, students should contact the Disability Services Office at the following address and telephone number:

536 Mission Street, Suite 417C
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-442-7228

2. Formal Appeals Process

• Students must file the Disability Services Appeal Form with the Disability Services Office at the San Francisco Campus within 30 working days of the action in question.
• Students should also submit a typewritten explanation with the grievance form-this includes any further supporting documentation.
• When submitted, the Appeal Form, the letter from the student and any supporting documents will be forwarded to the committee members within 5 working days. The members of the Committee will then render a decision in writing within 15 working days from the date when the appeal was filed with the Disability Services Coordinator.
• The committee will convene only when a student files an appeal.
• In the formal appeals process, the committee may:
• affirm, reverse, or modify a decision of the Disability Services Office, the Disability Services Coordinator, or Golden Gate University's Learning Disabilities Specialist;
• request further documentation from the student or from the Disability Services Office before decision is rendered;
• or, recommend that the student file a discrimination complaint.
• Decisions made by the Committee on Students with Disabilities are final, unless otherwise stated by the Committee.

Students dissatisfied with the appeals process or the decision of the committee may file a discrimination complaint with the Office of Civil Rights (180 days to file).

Note: If students are denied an accommodation on the basis of poor documentation or inconclusive documentation, students will be reevaluated upon receipt of new documentation that may alter the current decision or finding of the Committee.