Bursary Decision Appeal Procedure

Purpose     

To provide an accessible, effective appeal process for students with disabilities dissatisfied with bursary decisions made by Accessible Learning.

Preamble

Accessible Learning is a unit within Student Affairs and reports to the Dean of Students with a mandate to: (a) assess student requests for academic accommodations, (b) approve academic accommodations needed to ensure a student’s equitable access to the learning environment, (c) approve stuident applications for provincial and university bursaries established specifically for students with disabilities, and (d) students and the university on all matters pertaining to the accessibility and accommodation needs of students with disabilities.

Students with disabilities have the right to a transparent and fair desicion making process within Accessible Learning regarding bursaries established specifically for them by Laurier or the government.

Students with disabilities also have a right to appeal Accessible Learning decisions about their bursary application without reprisal and to have their appeal addressed promptly.

Nothing in this accommodation appeal procedure precludes students from seeking redress of Accessible Learning decisions through other appeal or complaint mechanisms available to them on or off-campus, including through Laurier’s Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management or the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.

Terms

Accessible Learning Online:  Accessible Learning’s client management system.

Appeal:  Oral or written statement by a student communicating their dissatisfaction with a bursary application granted or denied by Accessible Learning. 

Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD):  A government-funded bursary program intended to help students with financial need meet their disability-related educational cost for specialized services and equipment.

Accessible Learning Accommodation Bursary (ALAB) or Accessible Learning Accommodation Bursary for Graduate Students (ALAG): Laurier bursaries supported by donors, endowments, and student contributions available exclusively for students with disabilities who are: (a) registered with Accessible Learning, and (b) do not qualify for or have exhausted their eligibility for the BSWD.

Roles

Accommodation Consultant (Consultant): Accessible Learning professional responsible for  assessing a student's disability-related need for access to bursary programs. Leads First - Level appeal process.

Associate Director, Academic Accommodations: Supervises the work of Accommodation Consultants and advises on decisions related to academic accommodation and bursary applications. Leads second-level appeal process.

Director: Responsible for the overall strategic direction of Accessible Learning and ensuring delivery of accessible, dignified services that facilitate equitable access to the learning environment at Laurier. The Director conducts Third-Level appeal reviews and issues final decisions regarding academic accommodations and ALAB or ALAG bursary decisions. 

Financial Aid: Unit at Laurier responsible for advising students on financial assistance programs including the Ontario Student Assistance Program and the Bursary for Students with Disabilities.

Timeline for Bursary Appeal Submission

Students wishing to appeal a bursary decision by Accessible Learning must submit their appeal by the following timelines:

BSWD:  30 calendar days prior to bursary application deadlines posted on the Accessible Learning website. 

ALAB/ALAB: 15 calendar days prior to the last day of each term.

First-Level Appeal
Second-Level Appeal
Third-Level Appeal
Ministry Appeal - BSWD

First – Level Appeal

Students may submit their bursary appeal to their Accommodation Consultant in one of two ways: through email, or during a bursary appeal appointment.

Students should communicate the following in their bursary appeal: 

  1. The item and/or service they are for which they believe they were eligible but were denied.
  2. Information about their disability they believe the Consultant did not consider or considered incorrectly when assessing their bursary eligibility.
  3. Whether the information was provided to Accessible Learning (a) in their disability documentation, or (b) through a self-reported description of their disability.
  4. Any additional disability documentation they have that may support their bursary application.
  5. How the item/service request: (a) stems specifically because of the student’s disability, (b) is required to remove a barrier and ensure equitable access to the learning environment, and (c) is required only because they are a student attending university (i.e., would not be required if they were not attending university).

First – Level Appeal Granted

If the Consultant determines that the student is eligible to submit a bursary application for the requested item/service after considering the student’s appeal, they will submit a rationale in Accessible Learning Online for review by the Associate Director within 10 business days and email confirmation to the student. 

First- Level Appeal Denied

If the requested bursary application is denied, the Consultant must communicate their decision in writing to the student within 10 business days of having received the appeal. Consultants must communicate by email a written decision outlining the information they considered in denying the student’s appeal, including:

  1. Details about the student’s disability, including missing or unavailable information, if applicable.
  2. Government or university bursary guidelines,
  3. Input from the Associate Director, if applicable. Next steps available to the student if they wish to appeal the consultant’s decision.

Second - Level Appeal

Students who remain unsatisfied with a bursary decision made by their consultant can request a second level review by the Associate Director via email. 

The Associate Director will review the student’s file, including all information and communication gathered in the first level appeal. The Associate Director may ask to meet with the student to obtain additional information as required.  

Second – Level Appeal Granted

If the Associate Director determines that the request for bursary application can be granted, they will email confirmation to the student and the Consultant within 10 business days. The Consultant will then meet with the student to complete the application. 

Second- Level Appeal Denied

The Associate Director will communicate their decision to deny the requested bursary application in writing to the student and the Consultant within 10 business days of having received the student’s appeal. 

The Associate Director will communicate the following information in their written decision when denying a bursary appeal which may include: 

  1. Information about the student’s disability they considered and/or reconsidered.
  2. Government or university bursary guidelines
  3. Details about the student’s disability, including missing or unavailable information, if applicable.
  4. Additional information they directly from the student, if applicable.
  5. Next steps available to the student in appealing the Associate Director’s decision. 

Third - Level Appeal

If the Associate Director denies the student’s appeal, they will inform the student that they may appeal to the Director. The Associate Director may also bring the student’s appeal directly to the Director for response. 

The Director will review information in the student’s Accessible Learning file gathered by the Consultant and the Associate Director, and the rationale given for each decision. The Director may also meet personally with the student to gather additional information.

Third – Level Appeal Granted 

If the Director decides to grant the bursary application, they will notify the student within 10 business days, with a copy to the Consultant and Associate Director. 

Third – Level Appeal Denied 

ALAB/ALAG:  If the Director denies the student’s appeal for the ALAB or ALAG, they will communicate to the student the reasons for their decision via email within 10 business days upon receipt of the appeal.  The director’s decision is final. 

BSWD: If the Director denies the student’s appeal for the BSWD, they will communicate to the student the reasons for their decision within 10 business days upon receipt of the appeal and inform them of their option to appeal directly to the Ministry.

Ministry Appeal – BSWD only 

Students unsatisfied with a decision by Accessible Learning regarding their request for equipment and/or service funding through the Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD), can ask the University to submit their request directly to the Ministry for consideration through the following process:

  1. Inform their consultant by email that they want Laurier to submit their BSWD request directly to the Ministry for review.
  2. State the following in writing: (a) the services and/or equipment they are requesting through the BSWD, (b) the rationale for why they need these services and/or equipment specifically because of this disability and only because they are attending university, and (c) the barriers in the learning environment that these services and/or equipment will remove.
  3. The student may also include documentation from qualified health care providers that supports their request, if applicable. and any supporting documentation. 

Consultant will contact Financial Aid to confirm that the student meets the BSWD financial eligibility (i.e., previously approved for $1 or more of OSAP and have submitted the Ministry’s Disability Verification Form). 

Accessible Learning will arrange for the student to complete and sign the BSWD application. Accessible Learning will submit the student’s written appeal, their signed BSWD application, and its own written rationale for denying the student’s BSWD funding request. 

Financial Aid will submit all documents to the Ministry for review and communicate to the student and Accessible Learning the Ministry’s final decision.