Accessible housing

How the request works

Housing accommodations go through Accessibility Services, not the housing office — you submit a request describing the barrier and documentation from a provider connecting it to a specific housing need, and an access consultant meets with you to work out what actually addresses it. Housing then receives only the approved arrangement ("needs a single room, ground floor, air conditioning"), never your diagnosis or records. This is a separate process from your academic accommodations, though you can start both in the same appointment, and it renews each year with a quick check-in rather than a full re-application unless the need changes.

The standard is whether the accommodation is necessary for equal access to housing — not merely preferred — so the conversation is about function and impact, not labels.

What can be arranged

Common approved accommodations include a single room (for a documented medical or psychological need), a room with a private or accessible bathroom, roll-in showers and other mobility features, air conditioning, a ground-floor or near-elevator location, a reduced-distraction placement away from lounges and high-traffic areas, visual smoke and doorbell alerts for deaf and hard-of-hearing residents, a room configured for medical equipment or a personal care attendant, proximity to a specific building or to accessible parking, and permission to stay during breaks when travel is a barrier. Temporary accommodations after a surgery or injury are handled the same way on a short timeline.

Not every hall has every feature, so an approval sometimes means a specific building rather than your first-choice community.

Timing

Requests are reviewed year-round, but the room-selection calendar is unforgiving: submit by the priority deadline in the spring (well before returning-student room selection, and as soon as you have paid your deposit as an incoming student) and the full range of qualifying rooms is available. Submit in August and you get whatever qualifying room is still empty. If your need arises mid-year, contact Accessibility Services immediately — mid-year moves happen, but they depend on what is open.

Assistance animals

A trained service animal (a dog, or in some cases a miniature horse, individually trained to do work related to a disability) may accompany you anywhere on campus, including your room, and does not require pre-approval — though notifying Accessibility Services and Housing avoids friction with roommates and staff. An emotional support animal is different: it is a housing accommodation only, requires the documentation-and-review process above, is approved for your residence and not for classrooms or dining, and comes with owner responsibilities (vaccination, control, cleanup, no disruption) that, if unmet, can end the approval. Start an ESA request early — it is one of the slower reviews.