Students who have special housing needs due to a disability or documented medical condition can apply for early assignment through the Medical Accommodation Draw. Students should enter the Medical Accommodation Draw if their condition requires:

• A particular housing assignment that the regular assignment process cannot ensure
• A special room type or location (i.e. a room accessible by ramps or elevator, or a room on the first floor)
• Special accommodations such as strobe lights, door openers, and/or rails in the room

In order to participate in the Medical Accommodation Draw, students must file a Disability/Medical Accommodation Request and apply for housing in Axess by the Medical Accommodation Draw Deadline. If applying for both summer and the following academic year, separate Accommodation Requests should be submitted.

Medical Accommodation Draw Deadline
Friday, April 17th, 2015 
5 p.m.

You must submit a request annually since housing policies and medical conditions may change from year to year. Submitting a Disability/Medical Accommodation Request does not automatically guarantee you a space in University housing.

Mobility Resources

Students with mobility impairments may want to consult the Accessibility Summary Chart prior to making their room selections.

How the Medical Accommodation Draw Works:

1. Students are assigned an application number based on the tier they choose.
2. Students are considered in application number order. Students are assigned to a residence and room type based on their application choices, application number, and housing needs as determined by the OAE. Housing Assignments uses last year's cut off numbers to determine into which house a student can assigned. For example, if a student requires a single room and has a Tier 3 number, he would not be assigned to a single in a house tht went at a Tier 1 level in last year's Draw. He would be assigned to a single within a house that went Tier 3.
3. Medical Accommodation Draw results are announced on April 30th.

Groups and the Medical Accommodation Draw

Students who are participating in the Medical Accommodation Draw can apply as a group. Each group member must sign the student's Disability/Medical Accommodation form and apply for housing through Axess as a group by the Medical Accommodation Draw deadline.

Groups will be placed in the same residence together but they may not be assigned to the same room type. For example, a student who has a documented medical need for a single may apply with a group. Depending on the group's application number, the student with the documented medical need may be assigned a single while the other members of the group may be assigned other room types.

By participating in the Medical Accommodation Draw, students are forfeiting their right to participate in the main Draw.

To be considered for a disability/medical exemption, be sure to:

1. File a Disability Accommodation Request with the Office of Accessible Education by April 17th, 2014 at 5 p.m.
2. Specify on your housing application final choice that you are willing to live in any residence or room that meets your medical needs.

If you miss the deadline, please file your disability accommodation request and your housing application as soon as possible. We will make disability/medical assignments in the subsequent rounds as spaces become available. Groups will not be accommodated after the deadline has passed.

Documenting A Disability

When returning the Disability Accommodation Form, you will need to provide documentation of your disability or medical condition as requested by the Office of Accessible Education.

Who provides the documentation?

A professional who specializes in the area of your disability/medical condition must provide documentation. For example, an allergist must document an allergy; a psychologist, psychiatrist or social worker must verify a psychological disability; a learning disabilities specialist must verify a learning disability; an audiologist must verify hearing impairment. Documentation from a family member or family friend is not acceptable.

If you have a question about the choice of professional providing the documentation, contact a staff member at the OAE.

Documentation contents

The documentation must be written on the professional’s official letterhead, with the professional’s license number. The report must include the following information:

1. Specific diagnosis and description of the disability, including an indication of the duration of the disability.
2. Names of any tests that were given to determine the disability.
3. Description of any treatment that the student is undergoing or has undergone related to the disability.
4. Description of the probable impact of the disability in a university setting. It is not necessary to make recommendations about a specific accommodation.

For the diagnosis of a specific learning disability, please provide objective evidence of a substantial limitation to learning. At a minimum, the evaluation must address areas including aptitude, achievement, and information processing.

How Disability/Medical Requests Are Evaluated

Housing Assignments staff bases Disability/Medical Accommodation assignments on the recommendation of the Office of Accessible Education, the applicant’s residence choices, and his/ her application number. Final accommodation decisions rest with the University.

Confidentiality

To protect your privacy and ensure confidentiality, all professional documentation is kept at all times in a locked, confidential file at the OAE. The OAE will never send a professional report without your signature on a form titled, “Release of Information.”

Your OAE Program Coordinator will work with you to determine what information needs to be shared with University staff and faculty in order to assess and/or facilitate academic accommodations or other services.

University employees have an obligation to maintain confidentiality regarding a student’s disability, including a student’s housing assignment based on documented medical needs. To that end, the Office of Accessible Education will provide information to University staff only when necessary in evaluating and/or facilitating accommodations, auxiliary aids, and/or services. Except where provided by applicable law, disability information will not be shared with non-employees without the student’s express written permission.

If you are granted an assignment based on an OAE recommendation, Housing Assignments notifies your new residence office only of your assignment and the physical amenities needed in your new room/apartment.