The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is committed to affording qualified or qualifiable individuals equal access and equal opportunity within the University, in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended in 2008. This includes implementing reasonable accommodations for individuals with a documented disability. The Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) oversees the accommodation process for students. The Civil Rights and Equity Office (CREO) oversees the accommodation process for employees and guests. The Director of CREO serves as the University 504/ADA Coordinator.
If a student, employee, or guest has a concern regarding the accommodation process, including: denial of an accommodation, timing of the process, and/or the implementation of accommodation(s):
- Concerns should first be addressed to the appropriate office.
- Students should contact SAS. SAS can explore the concern to help ensure a timely resolution to the matter. This may include but is not limited to direct outreach, information gathering, discussions, and exploration of potential alternatives with faculty and/or departments (Housing & Residential Life, Parking, etc.) involved in the implementation of the accommodation. SAS will also communicate with the student during this process.
- Employees or Guests should contact the ADA Compliance Officer at UNH.CivilRights@unh.edu. The ADA Compliance Officer will work with the appropriate UNH department to resolve the issue.
- If SAS and/or the ADA Compliance Officer has not been able to resolve the concern to the individual's satisfaction, the individual can file a grievance with the CREO Director by filing a report on the ADA Accommodations Grievance Form page. There is no deadline for filing a grievance; however, the University encourages the prompt reporting of a complaint, as the ability of the University to resolve the complaint may be hindered by the passage of time. This allows individuals to access or maintain access to the University’s learning, living, and working environment.
- The CREO Director will gather the relevant information for review. This includes
- The accommodation request, the medical documentation submitted, the letter that assigned the accommodation(s), and any other communications.
- The CREO Director may meet with the appropriate individuals to gather the relevant information.
- The CREO Director will review grievances related to the accommodation process and/or implementation with the following criteria:
- If the requested accommodation was denied by SAS or CREO.
- If the accommodation(s) provided by SAS or CREO were reasonable.
- Was there a failure or refusal to provide and implement an approved accommodation?
- Was there a concern regarding the timeliness of the accommodation process and/or implementation?
- The CREO Director will communicate, in writing, the determination to the individual who brought the concern/grievance forward and other appropriate UNH staff.
- If there are other reasonable accommodations to consider, the CREO Director will refer the individual back to SAS or the ADA Compliance Officer to participate in the accommodation process for new or updated accommodations.
- The CREO Director may determine that the accommodations are reasonable and will work with the appropriate UNH staff to ensure appropriate implementation.
- The CREO Director’s determination is final.
- UNH prohibits retaliation against anyone who makes use of this grievance process, and such retaliation can be a separate matter referred for discipline to the appropriate office.
- Records of the Grievance Review will be kept by CREO and will remain private in accordance with applicable University policies.
UNH has a Nondiscrimination Policy. If an individual believes they have been subjected to discrimination, they can file a report to CREO. Information regarding filing a report related to discrimination can be found on the Incident Report Form page.
Reporting to External Agencies
Information regarding reporting to outside agencies can be found in the Nondiscrimination Policy, section 6.8.
Report an Accessibility Barrier or Concern
UNH is committed to addressing accessibility barriers and concerns. While we do our best to proactively ensure accessibility, we also value feedback from the community. These barriers or concerns can be reported directly to CREO by contacting their office directly or completing the Digital and Physical Accessibility Limitations form.
