Accessible housing and meal plan adjustments

Requests that fit housing

Housing accommodations cover the physical room and the way you live in it. Common requests include step-free entry, a roll-in shower, grab bars, visual or vibrating fire alarms, a ground-floor location, air conditioning for heat-sensitive conditions, a private bathroom, or a single room when a roommate would interfere with treatment, sleep or a medical routine.

At most schools the disability services office reviews the request and the housing office assigns the room, so you may deal with both. Requests usually need documentation explaining why the feature is necessary, and offices often set a deadline months before general room selection. Submitting late can mean waiting for a room to open.

Animals, attendants and safety

Service animals trained to perform tasks are allowed in campus housing. An emotional support animal is handled differently and needs approval as a housing accommodation through the office's process, usually with documentation from a provider.

Personal care attendants are arranged by the student rather than the college, but the college should let an attendant you hire have access to your room, and some will assign a room with space for one. Ask housing about an individual emergency evacuation plan if stairs or alarms are a concern, and make sure residence staff know it exists.

Submitting late can mean waiting for a room to open.

Meal plans and dining

Food allergies, celiac disease, diabetes and some digestive conditions can make a standard meal plan hard to use. Dining services can often prepare meals to order, give access to an allergen-safe station or kitchen, or arrange a meeting with a campus dietitian. When none of that works, a student may request a modified plan or a release from a required plan.

Start with the disability office, which can make the request formal, then meet dining staff to work out details. Get any release in writing, including how it affects your bill.

Costs to ask about

Schools differ on whether a single room approved as an accommodation costs the same as a standard double. Ask housing what you will be billed before you sign. If an accommodation raises your housing or food costs, the financial aid office may be able to reflect it in your cost of attendance.

Bring the bill and the approval letter to the aid office together. Seeing both lets the office weigh the accommodation and its cost and decide what to adjust.