Disability Housing Accommodations
Students with disabilities who have specific housing needs may work with Disability & Accessibility Resources (DAR) to request accommodations. As with all accommodation requests, we engage with students in an individualized and interactive process to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations.
Types of housing accommodationsHow do I request housing accommodations?
When should I request housing accommodations?
How long will my housing accommodations be effective for?
Summer Housing Program accommodations
Service animals and emotional support animals
Types of housing accommodations
Examples of disability-related housing accommodations for students include:
- Single occupancy room
- Wheelchair-accessible unit
- Housing on ground level
- Flashing emergency alarm in room
- Access to shared kitchen facilities
- Access to private kitchen
- Emotional support animal in on-campus housing
- Housing in substance-free community
- Meal plan and/or food service modifications
- Guaranteed on-campus housing during the academic year
This list is not comprehensive. If you would like to request one of these or other accommodations, please see below for information on how to request housing accommodations.
How do I request housing accommodations?
Students can begin the process by submitting a Housing Accommodation Request Form, along with medical and/or mental health documentation of their disability, by the dates listed below.
From there, DAR staff and students engage in an interactive and individualized process to determine appropriate accommodations for each student. In some cases, we may request additional information or documentation, or an appointment may be needed so we can discuss a student's needs further and review available options. We will contact students via their Reed email if an appointment or additional information is needed.
When a student is approved for housing accommodations, DAR will send a notification email to both the student and to Residence Life. Please note that all students seeking on-campus housing must register for housing through Residence Life, including students with approved disability accommodations.
When should I request housing accommodations?
DAR works alongside Residence Life in accordance with their room registration timelines. To ensure that Residence Life receives adequate notice of any accommodations that have been approved by DAR, it is important that students submit their accommodation requests (and supporting documentation) to DAR by the following priority deadlines:
- March 6, 2020
- Priority deadline for returning students to request housing accommodations for the 2020-2021 school year
- April 29, 2020
- Priority deadline for summer housing applicants to request accommodations for the 2020 Summer Housing Program
- June 1, 2020
- Priority deadline for incoming students to request housing accommodations for the 2020-2021 school year
If the priority deadline has passed, we encourage students to submit their housing accommodation request form to DAR and schedule an appointment with us as soon as possible to discuss what options may be available.
Mid-year accommodation requests
At times, new or changing circumstances may create the need for students to seek housing accommodations outside of the timelines described above. If a student receives approval for housing accommodations mid-year or outside of the usual room registration timeline, Residence Life will strive to meet the student’s accommodation needs within the available housing inventory. Students are welcome to contact Disability & Accessibility Resources at any time of year to begin the housing accommodation request process.
How long will my housing accommodations be effective for?
Housing accommodations are typically approved for up to one school year at a time, after which students may submit a new accommodation request if they require continued use of disability housing accommodations. While we retain students' original disability documentation on file, in some cases updated or more recent documentation may be needed to help us assess a student's current needs and ensure their accommodations are a good fit for their current needs.
Summer Housing Program Accommodations
If you are a current Reed student seeking on-campus housing during the summer break, and you have specific housing needs related to a disability, be sure to:
(a) apply to the Summer Housing Program through Residence Life, and
(b) submit a Housing Accommodation Request Form (along with supporting disability documentation) to DAR by the priority deadline listed above.
If you are accepted to the Summer Housing Program, DAR will work with you and with Residence Life to determine reasonable and appropriate accommodations for Summer Housing. Please note that the residential facilities used for Summer Housing may vary from year to year, and the particular housing and accommodation arrangements may differ from those available during the school year.
Emotional support animals and service animals
Students who are approved for an emotional support animal (ESA) as a disability-related accommodation may bring an animal to reside in their on-campus housing space. We encourage students to begin the accommodation request process well in advance of assuming care or ownership of an animal, as the accommodation process can take time and DAR cannot determine in advance whether a student will be eligible for this accommodation. In accordance with Residence Life's Pet & Animal Guidelines, students are asked to refrain from bringing an ESA to campus until and unless they have received approval through DAR for this accommodation.
Service animals that are trained to perform a specific task to assist a person with a disability are not required to be registered with the College, and do not require accommodation approval through DAR. Some students voluntarily choose to register their service animal through Residence Life, so that Community Safety and Facilities can take into account the presence of the animal if routine or emergency entry needs to be made to a residence.
For additional information about campus-wide policies concerning service animals and emotional support animals, please review Reed College's Animal Policy.