If a student is not satisfied with the outcome of their request for accommodations, students can either submit additional information and supporting documentation to re-engage with the interactive process or initiate an appeal to have current information collected reviewed by another party.
Re-Engaging in the Interactive Process by Submitting New Information
If your accommodation request is denied, you may submit additional information or documentation from a licensed treatment or evaluation provider to re-engage in the interactive process. Any new information or documentation will be reviewed by the Office of Student Accessibility Services in connection with your previously submitted request.
The individual responsible for the initial determination will review the additional information and issue an updated determination that takes the new information into consideration. As part of this review, you may be contacted to discuss the new information before a determination is made. However, an additional discussion may not be necessary in every case.
To submit additional documentation, please email the relevant materials to Disabilities@widener.edu and indicate in your message that you are providing new information regarding a previously submitted accommodation request.
You may submit additional information at any time. However, re-engaging with the interactive process would pause any open reconsideration or appeal until a new accommodation decision can be made with all available information. Any accommodations approved as a result of new information cannot be applied retroactively to address circumstances that occurred before the accommodation was approved.
Accommodation Determination Appeal Procedure
If a student disagrees with an accommodation determination and does not have new or additional information or documentation they would like to submit to re-engage in the interactive process, the student may seek review of the determination through the procedure outlined below.
The appeal procedure consists of two levels: (1) Informal Reconsideration and, when applicable, (2) Formal Appeal. A student must complete the Informal Reconsideration process before submitting a Formal Appeal.
Step 1: Request an Informal Reconsideration
A student who wishes to contest an accommodation determination made by the Office of Student Accessibility Services must submit a written request for Informal Reconsideration to Disabilities@widener.edu within ten (10) business days of the date of the accommodation determination.
The written request must clearly identify the grounds upon which the student believes the initial determination should be modified.
Independent Review by Student Accessibility Services
A staff member from the Office of Student Accessibility Services who was not responsible for the determination in question will conduct an independent review. The review will consider the information gathered during the interactive accommodation process, as well as the grounds identified by the student in the request for reconsideration.
A written determination following the Informal Reconsideration will be provided to the student within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of the request.
Step 2: Submit a Formal Appeal
A student who has completed the Informal Reconsideration process may submit a Formal Appeal if the student believes that a procedural error occurred during the interactive process or Informal Reconsideration, or that bias affected the determination. Examples of procedural error may include failure to consider submitted documentation or failure to engage in the interactive process.
The Formal Appeal must be submitted within ten (10) business days of the student receiving the Informal Reconsideration determination. The appeal must clearly identify the alleged procedural error(s) and/or evidence of bias that the student believes affected the determination.
Formal Appeals should be submitted as follows:
Formal Appeal Review and Final Determination
The Provost or their designee, or the Dean of Students or their designee, as applicable, will review the Formal Appeal to determine whether the established procedures for the interactive accommodation process and Informal Reconsideration were appropriately followed and whether the information presented demonstrates that bias affected the determination.
The final determination will be provided to the student electronically within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of the Formal Appeal.
Confidentiality and Non-Retaliation: Information procured during the accommodation request process may be disclosed to relevant parties solely for the purpose of a thorough review.
Widener University prohibits any form of retaliation against individuals who lodge a complaint or partake in the grievance procedure.
Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination (EOHN) Policy: If you feel the actions of any person or entity at Widener University have been discriminatory based on your disability status, please report this experience to our Title IX office by completing the EOHN Reporting Form.
