Housing and Residential Communities will consider requests for special housing accommodation based on medical need, as long as the requests are submitted by the deadline and accompanied by documentation from the appropriate medical provider. We will accept requests after the deadline but limited space means there may be no way to fulfill a request. Students still need to complete their housing application through the myHousing portal. Only one medical accommodation request form is necessary per academic year.
For all disability housing accommodation requests, HRC requires completion of the Medical Accommodation Form by the treating licensed clinical professional or health care provider thoroughly familiar with the student’s condition and functional limitations and/or restrictions. Family members through blood, marriage, or other legal arrangement cannot act as the professional or provider.
HRC is responsible for determining the acceptability of documentation and reserves the right to require additional information, as needed. HRC also reserves the option of seeking a second professional opinion regarding documentation submitted.
Recommended health care professionals who can provide medical diagnoses include physicians, nurse practitioners, surgeons, orthopedic or other specialists as appropriate. For psychiatric disabilities, students should provide documentation from a professional generally trained, certified, or licensed to diagnose and treat these conditions, including a psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, or social worker.
Please note that requests for particular housing assignments/living environments based on a student’s preference, rather than need, will not be honored. For example, a student with ADHD or anxiety seeking a single room to serve as a quiet, undisturbed place to study likely represents a preference, but not a necessity, for most students. Campus offers multiple different locations for quiet study and therefore, our limited single/private room accommodations are reserved for individuals with documented and substantiated needs and for whom a standard housing assignment with a roommate is not viable.
Once completed and signed, submit the form to Assignments Coordinator Jim Barron by either faxing it to 205-348-7135 or mailing to Box 870399, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. Only HRC will have access to and utilize this documentation for housing-specific accommodations.
The Office of Disability Services requires additional documentation to determine any necessary academic accommodations. Requests for accommodation through ODS are not the same and do not take the place of requests for accommodation in housing.
Students requesting accommodation in housing due to a medical condition can make the same roommate requests as other students. Incoming freshmen can request one preferred roommate and upper class students can request up to three preferred roommates.
UA recognizes that despite its good faith and reasonable efforts to provide fair accommodations to its policies, practices, and procedures for students with disabilities, students may ultimately disagree with the determination made by HRC. In the event of contention, the student may request a review by UA’s ADA Coordinator. The Vice President of Student Life will review all written appeals of the decision by the ADA coordinator to provide the final institutional review.
