Laws and Policies

The Rights of Students with Disabilities

To get a general overview of disability and compliance on the SDSU campus, see the Office of Employee Relations & Compliance, which covers topics such as:

• How does the law protect students with disabilities?
• What is a disability?
• What is an institution's obligation toward students with disabilities?
• What are the rights of a student with a disability at SDSU?

California State University (CSU) Policies and Guidelines

• CSU Policy for Provision of Accommodations and Support Services to Students with Disabilties (PDF)
• Executive Order No. 926: Policy on Disability Support and Accommodations
• CSU Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) - Ensures access to information and electronic resources to all individuals, regardless of disabilities.
• Students who would like to file a complaint of sex discrimination can refer to Executive Order 1097.
• To file a complaint on the basis of harassment, discrimination, and/or retaliation, please fill out a Discrimination/Harassment/Retaliation Report

Informal Dispute Resolution Procedures

If you have a comment or complaint, we at Student Disability Services (SDS) would very much appreciate the opportunity to know about your complaint and to address — and hopefully correct — your problem informally.
Service delivery complaints or concerns should be made with the Interim Director of Student Disability Services, Lynn Gagne.  Students should describe the complaint or problem in writing. 

Your description should include:

1. The disability-related incident or action of complaint
2. The date(s) of occurrence
3. The requested resolution

Please submit to:

• Lynn Gagne, Interim Director
  Student Disability Services
  San Diego State University
  5500 Campanile Drive
  San Diego, CA 92182-4740

The SDS Interim Director will review the complaint and respond accordingly within ten (10) days.  The student will be contacted by phone and/or a meeting will be scheduled to further discuss the issue and explore possibilities of resolution.

Students may be asked to provide written authorization for the Interim Director to speak with those whose actions caused the complaint, in order to reach a resolution.

If a reasonable solution to the complaint cannot be reached, the student may submit a complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman or the Office of Employee Relations & Compliance.

Formal Dispute Resolution Procedures

Students who believe they have been denied accommodations to which they are entitled for qualified disabilities may also use the Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Complaint Form for Students. This process is administered by the Center for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (CPHD). Students are not required to go through informal dispute resolution before filing a complaint with CPHD.

If you have exhausted the University's resources and still believe a reasonable solution cannot be reached, you can file a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights.