Division for Academic Success

Confidentiality is an important component of the work at DAS. Students can come into the Division for Academic Success without fear of judgement, whether discussing academic difficulties or disability-related concerns, and without concerns that what they communicate here will be directly communicated with faculty or other students. If there is a need to discuss concerns with academic departments or service providers, students must sign a release for DAS to do so. No information about disabilities nor accommodations will appear on transcripts nor diplomas.

Academic support services are available to all VCU Health Sciences students, with or without a disability, and include skill building (note-taking, studying, exam-taking), time management, preparation for board / licensing exams, and often utilizing a brief learning patterns assessment. Support can be provided to individuals or groups, on a one-time or ongoing basis. One-on-one meetings are confidential and can be made for in-person or online via Zoom.

Becca Owens - CERT, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Gerontology, Health Administration, Patient Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, Clinical Radiation Sciences

Carson Marquart - BS in Health Services, BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences

Debbie Roberts - School of Medicine Year 4, Residents, Fellows, School of Pharmacy

Emma Evans - School of Medicine Years 1-3, Nurse Anesthesia, School Of Nursing

Joshua Hann - Accessibility Technologist, support for all Health Science programs 

Sadie Mackay - PhD in Health Related Sciences, School Of Dentistry, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, School Of Medicine Master's / Ph.D. Programs

The Learning Connections Inventory (LCI)

The Learning Connections Inventory is designed to assess individual learning patterns and can help your Learning Specialist tailor study suggestions for you. Knowing these patterns can also help create better efficiencies around time management while avoiding certain pitfalls associated with simply copying the study habits of others. It is FREE for all Health Sciences students!

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality inventory that examines how people prefer to use their perception and judgment. It can also be very useful for evaluating academic resourcefulness, career fit, and interpersonal dynamics. Ask your DAS contact about taking the MBTI!

DAS offers disability support services to students in the VCU Health Sciences schools. Disability support services are provided for documented disabilities and can include academic and / or clinical accommodations, as well as individual consultations. Meetings are confidential, your specific disability information is not discussed with your professors nor department, and your accommodations / disabilities do not appear on your transcripts nor diplomas.

The Student ADA Grievance Process

The grievance process is a separate resolution pathway from an appeal process.  A grievance addresses concerns of students who believe the university has either denied or failed to provide an accommodation outlined in the SAEO or DAS Student Accommodation Letter (e.g., an accommodation is denied or  not provided in a class).  See Accessibility and Reasonable Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities policy, Section 7.

To assist in proper routing of grievances, please note the following steps that the student must have taken prior to filing a grievance. 

1. The student is registered with the respective office, SAEO or DAS, for accommodations;
2. The student requested an accommodation letter from SAEO or DAS be sent to a VCU employee or department (“the respondent”); and
3. The accommodation letter was received by the respondent whom the student believes has failed to provide an accommodation as outlined in the letter.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  The incident in question cannot occur prior to the respondent’s receipt of the accommodation letter.  For example, an instructor’s refusal to retroactively enforce the accommodations within a student accommodation letter cannot be the subject of a grievance complaint.  

ADA grievances should be filed through SAEO or DAS under the Student ADA Grievance Process. Below is a step-based grievance process. If the concern involves actions taken by the director of SAEO or DAS office, the student may proceed directly to Step 3  – Formal Grievance / Complaint.

Step 1  - Student Works with Case Manager for an Assisted Resolution

Assisted Resolution provides support for students who are seeking to quickly resolve the concern prior to entering an informal grievance process.  Students must request this assistance from their Case Manager and should follow the process below. 

1. The student contacts their assigned Case Manager in SAEO or DAS for assistance with the concern;
2. The SAEO or DAS representative will acknowledge concern within two (2) business days or as soon as is reasonably practical thereafter;
3. The Case Manager will assist the student by facilitating discussions between the student and the other party or parties; and,
4. Students should make every reasonable effort to work with their SAEO or DAS representative so that a timely resolution may be achieved.

The Case Manager will gather relevant information and may speak with involved parties in an effort to clarify and resolve the issues underlying the grievance. As part of this information gathering, the student will have the opportunity to suggest witnesses who may have relevant information or present other evidence to the representative. The Case Manager will notify the student and involved parties via email of the outcome, including any relevant finding, rationale, and resolution, within five (5) business days of receiving the complaint or as soon as is reasonably practical thereafter.

If such assistance does not resolve the concern to the student’s satisfaction, the student may proceed to Step 2  – Informal Grievance, below, with the SAEO / DAS Director within five (5) business days of the Step 1 outcome email notification.  If the SAEO or DAS Director serves as the Case Manager, the student is encouraged to file a Formal Grievance with the ADA Coordinator.

Step 2  - Informal Grievance 

Informal Grievance is available when the SAEO / DAS Case Manager is unable to resolve the student’s concern in Step 1 or when the Case Manager is the subject of the concern. The Informal Grievance Process is designed to facilitate a satisfactory resolution of the grievance in an informal manner and involves assistance from the director of SAEO or DAS, respectively. Students should follow the process below.

1. The student must submit a written request using the method utilized by the respective office.  SAEO utilizes the SAEO Grievance Form that the student must submit to initiate the informal grievance.  To file a grievance complaint through DAS, the student must email the DAS director; and the complaint must include: (a) the date of the incident; (b) indicate the name(s) of the person or office against whom the student is filing a grievance, if applicable; (c) please describe what happened in as much detail as possible. Include dates and any relevant background; (d) list outcome(s) or resolution(s) the student is seeking; and (e) student may attach additional documentation if needed. 
2. The director or their designee will  acknowledge receipt of the concern within two (2) business days;
3. The student will meet with the director or their designee to seek shared understanding of the student’s concern;
4. The director or their designee may speak with involved parties in an effort to clarify and resolve the issue(s) underlying the concern; and,
5. The student may submit documents directly related to their concern such as emails, correspondence, and class materials from those who have information relevant to the specific concern.

The director will provide a notification of determination to involved parties within ten (10) business days via VCU official university email. The notification will summarize the concerns as understood by the director, and actions taken to date to resolve the concern. If the student’s concerns are not resolved via Informal Grievance, the student may proceed to Step 3 Formal Grievance / Complaint within five (5) business days of the Step 1 outcome email notification.

In limited situations involving time-sensitive deadlines and / or circumstances in which the director or their designee determines that an Informal Grievance will be an ineffective means to resolve the concern, such as when there are repeated instances of refusal or denial by the same employee (staff or faculty member), and if the director believes it is in the best interest of the student to immediately elevate the concern to the ADA / 504 Coordinator, the director may do so in consultation with the student. The concern will then follow the process outlined in Step 3. 

Step 3 – Student Submits a Formal Grievance with the University ADA Coordinator

If the student’s concern is not resolved in Steps 1 and 2, or if the concern involves action taken by the director of SAEO or DAS, the student may submit a Formal ADA Grievance / 504 Complaint to the ADA / 504 Coordinator.

A student can submit a Student Disability Accommodation and Accessibility Grievance Form or email a written complaint to ADA & Accessibility Services.  The written complaint should be sent to ADAservices@vcu.edu and must, at minimum provide:

• A detailed account of the concern;
• The steps taken to date to address the concern; and,
• The remedy sought.

The complaint should also include any supporting documentation, such as:

• The Student Accommodation Letter;
• Course specific information;
• Communications between individuals involved; and,
• Other directly related information that details the incident of refusal or denial, specifically.

The ADA / 504 Coordinator, or their designee, will:

1. Review the submitted material within ten (10) business days or as soon as is reasonably practical thereafter;
2. Provide written notice to the individual(s) who are the subject of the complaint;
3. Contact the student and any involved individuals or units if necessary to clarify and resolve the complaint;
4. Notify the student and the individual(s) who are the subject of the complaint of the finding, including a summary, expected resolutions, and specific steps to implement remedies (if any), including appropriate time frames. This notice of resolution will be sent through the university’s official email system within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of the complaint, or as soon as reasonably practical thereafter.
5. Update the student about any unexpected delays (for example, a scheduled university break or where a party may be unavailable);
6. Forward information for review to the School, College or unit manager, Human Resources or the Provost’s Office for further consideration or actions.

It is the expectation of the university that all individuals who are alleged to have failed to accommodate a student’s disability be available to participate in the review process in a timely manner and will immediately implement and support the university’s recommendations to provide reasonable accommodations.  

Step 3 concludes the University grievance process.

Student Disability Discrimination Complaints Not Related to an Accommodation Concern

Equity and Access Services reviews reports of discrimination based on disability submitted by students, employees, and third parties to determine whether the complainant was subject to discrimination as prohibited by the university’s Preventing and Responding to Discrimination policy, consistent with Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. See Reporting a Discrimination Complaint for more information.

Beyond the Division for Academic Success, the full process explained can be found on the Equity and Access Service - Complaint Process page.

Virginia Commonwealth University does not discriminate in admissions, treatment, employment or access to its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin (including ethnicity and actual or perceived shared ancestry), age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), parenting status, marital status, political affiliation, military status (including veteran status), genetic information (including family medical history), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights

Act of 1964; the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008; the Virginia Human Rights Act; the Virginia Personnel Act; and other state or federal laws and university policies. VCU prohibits sexual harassment and sex-based misconduct, including sexual assault and other forms of interpersonal violence. VCU also prohibits discrimination against employees or applicants for employment because they have inquired about, discussed or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding accessibility policies, the ADA, Sections 503 and 504, and related statutes and regulations: Katy Washington, Chief Accessibility Officer, 912 West Grace Street, 2nd Floor, Box 842549, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284-2549, (804) 828-1347, adaservices@vcu.edu 

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies and Title VI: Cleopatra Magwaro, Associate Vice President of Equity and Access Services. Complaints of discrimination, harassment and retaliation may be directed to Equity and Access Services at equity@vcu.edu, (804) 828-1347, 912 W Grace St, 2nd Floor, Box 843022, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3022. Complaints may also be filed with the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Department of Human Resource Management.

The following person has been designated to serve as the overall coordinator for purposes of Title IX compliance: Elizabeth Scott-Francis, Title IX Coordinator & Director of Outreach and Support, Equity and Access Services, 912 W Grace St, 2nd Floor, Box 843022, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3022, (804) 828-1347, titleix@vcu.edu. Inquiries about the application of Title IX to VCU may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@vcu.edu or to the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

The Testing Center at DAS is used for students from across all Health Science programs. Some utilize the Testing Center for utilizing their accommodations on their course exams, others practice for licensing and / or other standardized tests. The Testing Center provides a quiet, distraction-free, proctored environment for test taking on the MCV campus.

The Well - VCU Wellness Resource Center

University Counseling Center - VCU 

RamStrong