Johns Hopkins University is committed to ensuring our programs and services are accessible and inclusive. The University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which afford protection from discrimination for otherwise qualified students with disabilities.
Who does this process cover?
Students with disabilities who believe they were denied equal access in the form of appropriate accommodations, modifications, auxiliary aids or effective communication or who believe they have experienced discrimination as per Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Johns Hopkins University has adopted these grievance procedures to facilitate the resolution of ongoing concerns and complaints by students with disabilities quickly and effectively.
Reporting Concerns
A student with a concern may report the concern to the designated Student Disability Services (“SDS”) staff (“SDS coordinator”) at the school where they are taking courses, or, in certain instances, to the Office of Institutional Equity (“OIE”), as further discussed below.
A student should first contact the SDS coordinator at the school where the student is taking courses in a timely way to provide the SDS coordinator an opportunity to address the student’s concern. Here is a list of the student disability services coordinators at each school.
If the student’s concern involves disability discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation, the student can report the concern to OIE using the university’s Discrimination and Harassment Policies &; Procedures. Such concerns may be reported to OIE at any time.
Appeals and concerns about working with SDS
If a student is not satisfied with an accommodation determination or the resolution to a concern proposed by their school’s disability services coordinator, they can appeal those outcomes to the Executive Director, Student Disability Services (SDS), listed below:
Cathie Axe
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 410-516-1107
Concerns about working with disability services at a student’s school can also be brought directly to the Executive Director as well.
Formal Grievance Procedures
Students who are dissatisfied with the outcome of a reported concern to their SDS coordinator or an appeal to the Executive Director can file a formal grievance with the ADA Compliance Officer. The formal grievance should be filed as soon as practicable with:
Aaron Hodukavich
ADA Compliance Officer
Office of Institutional Equity
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 410-516-8075
The grievance must be in writing and include the following:
- The student’s name, address, email address and phone number;
- a full description of the student’s concern(s);
- a description of the efforts made to resolve the concern through by the SDS coordinator and Executive Director; and
- a statement of the remedy requested.
Upon receipt of the formal grievance, the ADA Compliance Officer will promptly review the information provided and determine whether the grievance involves past coursework or conduct, which will then be reported to OIE as discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation according to the the university’s Discrimination and Harassment Policies & Procedures (DHPP).
All other formal grievances are investigated by the ADA Compliance Officer and upon completion of the fact-gathering process, the ADA Compliance Officer will prepare and transmit a written reply to the student and the party(ies) against whom the grievance is directed.
Additional options to file a formal complaint
Students may always contact the following regarding allegations of disability discrimination in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973:
U.S. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1100Telephone: 800-421-3481
FAX: 202-453-6012; TDD: 800-877-8339
Email: [email protected]
Philadelphia Office
Office for Civil Rights
U.S. Department of Education
The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square East, Suite 515
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3323
Telephone: 215-656-8541
FAX: 215-656-8605; TDD: 800-877-8339
Email: [email protected]
Students may always contact the following regarding allegations of disability discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):
US Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights Section 1425 NYAV
Washington, D.C. 20530
Fax: (202) 307-1197
To learn more about filing an ADA complaint, visit www.ada.gov/filing_complaint.htm. To file an ADA complaint, students may send the information requested at www.ada.gov/fact_on_complaint.htm to the above address.
Students may also file a complaint online at www.ada.gov/complaint/.
For questions about filing an ADA complaint, please call:
ADA Information Line: 800-514-0301 (voice) or 800-514-0383 (TTY). Main Section Telephone Number: 202-307-0663 (voice and TTY)