Disability/Medical Accommodation Request
If you have special housing needs due to a disability or documented medical condition, or if your spouse, partner, or child is disabled, you can apply for early assignment before each assignment round.
You should file a Disability/Medical Accommodation Request if your disability or medical 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 horns and strobes, door openers, or being near a wheelchair accessible bathroom
Submitting a Disability/Medical Accommodation Request does not automatically guarantee you a space in University housing. You must submit a request annually since housing policies and medical conditions may change from year to year.
2015-16 Disability/Medical Accommodation Request
To be considered for a disability/medical exemption, be sure to:
- File a Disability/Medical Accommodation Request with the Office of Accessible Education by the spring application deadline. Please note that Disability Accommodation Request forms are due to the OAE before the annual Draw deadline. See the calendar for due dates.
- Specify in your housing application that you are willing to live in any residence or room that meets your medical needs.
| Office of Accessible Education 563 Salvatierra Walk Stanford, CA 94305 |
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In some cases, you may need to participate in the regular housing assignment process. However, you will be given a priority that will ensure your assignment to a particular type of housing space that meets your documented medical needs.
If you submit an application with a Disability/Medical Accommodation request and are subsequently assigned housing based on that application, you relinquish your right to participate in other assignment rounds.
If you do not turn in your request form by the spring deadline, please file your disability/medical accommodation request and your housing application as soon as possible. Your position on the list is determined by the date your disability request is approved. We will make disability/medical assignments in the subsequent rounds as spaces become available.
Documenting a disability
When returning the Disability/Medical Accommodation Form, you will need to provide documentation of your disability or medical condition as requested by the Office of Accessible Education if you have not done so already.
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; 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:
- Specific diagnosis and description of the disability, including an indication of the duration of the disability.
- Names of any tests that were given to determine the disability.
- Description of any treatment that the student is undergoing or has undergone related to the disability.
- Description of the probable impact of the disability in a university setting. It is not necessary to make recommendations about a specific accommodation.
How disability/medical requests are evaluated
R&DE Student 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 at the OAE. Your OAE Disability Adviser 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 exempt assignment, Housing Assignments notifies your new residence office only of your assignment and the physical amenities needed in your new room/apartment.
Overseas Study & Leave of Absence
If you study abroad, stop out, or take a planned leave of absence, you must:
- File a Termination of Occupancy form on Axess by the deadline listed in your Residence Agreement.
- Inform Housing Assignments.
- Inform the Office of Accessible Education.
If your disability accommodation request was approved prior to the Draw in May and you are guaranteed housing, Housing Assignments will meet your documented needs when you return to Stanford. However, there is no guarantee that you will be assigned to the same residence, room, or room type you vacated. Also, if you originally were assigned to housing with a group, you very likely will not be assigned to the same residence after you return.
See Going Away Mid–year for more information. Please submit a new Disability/Medical Accommodation Form by the appropriate deadline when you return.
Requests For Reassignment
If you live on campus and have a newly-diagnosed condition or changes to a previously-documented condition, you may request reassignment to another type of room or residence. Reassignments are made on a space-available basis and only for the student whose disability needs change—not for a group. Contact the OAE to make a reassignment request.
By filing a request for reassignment, you are indicating that:
- It is medically necessary for you to be reassigned.
- You are willing to live in any residence that meets your disability/medical needs.
If your request is approved and you are reassigned, you may not refuse the reassignment and remain in your previous residence.
Supplemental Residence Notice to the Owners of Approved Assistance Animals
Students who are approved to have assistance animals in Student Housing agree to comply with the policies listed in the Supplemental Residence Notice.