If a student does not agree with an approved/denied accommodation decision made by the DAS staff (generally an Assistant Director or Accessibility Specialist), the student may file an appeal using the DAS Appeal Process. The following steps outline this process:
Step 1: Student Submits an Appeal Request- If informal discussions with university personnel have not resolved the issue, the individual shall complete the appeal form received in an email communication from DAS staff or submit a written complaint to the Director of Disability Access Services within ten (10) working days of the event that led to the concern. If necessary, the Director may need to defer the complaint to a designee so that time frames may be met for the appeal request.
Step 2: DAS Director Reviews Appeal Request- The DAS Director, or their designee, shall meet with the individual within 7 working days of the receipt of the complaint if the student desires a meeting. The DAS Director, or designee, will provide the student with a written decision via NMSU email within three working days of the meeting with the student.
Process Note: When an appeal is being reviewed during Steps 1-2 and the student shares new personal information or documentation that was not provided at an earlier step in the process, the Director, or designee, reserves the right to refer the student back to the student’s initial DAS point of contact for reassessment of the situation. The presence of new information may have impacted the original decision if shared initially.
Step 3: Senior Associate Dean of Students Reviews Appeal- If the process set forth in Steps 1-2 does not resolve the issue, the individual may request a review of the appeal by the Senior Associate Dean of Students by submitting an email to the DAS Director within 10 working days of the DAS Director’s written decision. Upon receipt of this request, the DAS Director will forward all relevant documentation, including the complaint submitted to the DAS Director in Step 1 of the process. The Senior Associate Dean of Students shall be in contact with the student within 7 working days of receipt of the complaint. The Senior Associate Dean of Students will make a final decision on the appeal and will provide the student with a written decision via NMSU email within 3 working days of communicating with the student.
Step 4: NMSU ADA Coordinator Reviews Appeal- In situations where the DAS Director was the decision maker for approving/denying an accommodation request and the student is appealing, step 2 will be skipped and the student will follow steps 3 and 4 for their appeal. In these instances, the ADA Coordinator will review all relevant information sent to them by the Senior Associate Dean of Students regarding the student’s grievance. The ADA Coordinator shall be in contact with the student within 7 working days of receipt of the complaint. The ADA Coordinator will make a final decision on the appeal and will provide the student with a written decision via NMSU email within 3 working days of communicating with the student.
NOTE: Students may file a Discrimination Grievance with the Director of Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) at any time if the student believes that NMSU faculty or staff discriminated against the student on the basis of disability. Information on Accessibility and Discrimination can be found on the OIE Website or the student may contact OIE directly via email at equity@nmsu.edu or by phone (575) 646-3635.
