Housing Accommodation
The University of Cincinnati recognizes that students with disabilities may require a housing accommodation to fully participate in the residential component of the university experience. Accessibility Resources actively works with Housing to provide housing accommodations within University managed properties in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA).
Accessibility Resources' Role in Housing Accommodations
Accessibility Resources receives and reviews all applications for housing accommodations, determines a student’s eligibility for an accommodation due to disability and identifies the reasonable and appropriate housing accommodation(s) to be provided. Accessibility Resources does not identify locations for students to be placed or manage roommates.
Housing's Role in Providing Housing Accommodations
Upon the approval of housing accommodations Housing is notified of the student’s approved housing accommodation(s). Housing determines a student's room assignment; students with approved housing accommodations do not self-select a room assignment. Housing’s top priority is to provide students with a living environment that best meets the approved accommodation(s). Housing will determine the student's specific room assignments based on:
- Approved housing accommodations
- Stated preferences within the student's profile (preferred locations, roomate groups, etc.)
- Spaces currently available
Applying for Housing Accommodations
Students who wish to request housing accommodations due to a disability must:
- Apply for housing. Students can visit Housing's website to apply
- Complete a Student Housing Accommodation Request Form
- Please upload your documentation (or a Housing Accommodation Medical Professional Form [PDF] completed by a qualified medical professional) through our Documentation Submission Form.
Accessibility Resources staff will review each request for accommodation on a case-by-case basis. Incomplete Student Housing Accommodation Application Forms or applications submitted without the Housing Accommodation Medical Provider Forms cannot be reviewed.
Official decisions regarding housing accommodations or requests for additional information will be communicated via the student’s official UC email address only. Applications are typically reviewed and processed within 7-10 business days. Details about a student’s room assignment will be provided directly from Housing Service either via email or through the student’s housing profile.
A diagnosis or medical provider recommendation alone does not guarantee the request will be approved. The Accessibility Resources staff considers the nature of the condition’s symptoms and all available accommodations and supports when making final decisions and recommendations.
Accessibility Resources considerations for approving housing include:
- Is the accommodation request an integral part of the treatment plan for the disability?
- Are there other effective means that would achieve similar benefits as the requested accommodation?
- Does the disability create a barrier to equally accessing housing or components of residential like that is guaranteed to all students living within University residential communities?
- Is the impact of the condition life-threatening if the request is not met?
- Is space available to meet the student's request?
Housing Accommodation FAQ
- First-year and Transfer students moving to campus in Fall 2023 can submit a Housing Accommodation beginning February 1, 2023.
- Students currently enrolled/attending the University of Cincinnati and returning in Fall 2023 may submit a housing request for Fall 2023 when housing assignments open.
- Housing requests are accepted during the semester. Students should be aware that making a housing accommodation mid-semester may not be able to be fulfilled depending on available space.
- Housing accommodations approved mid-semester may require you to move to a new location.
- Approved housing accommodations only apply to the student with the disability
- housing makes every attempt to maintain roomate groups when finding locations that best provide approved housing accommodations. However, there are times when an approved accommodation cannot be met in a location that an also house a roomate group
- A specific roommate/roommate group is not an acomodation that Accessibility Resources can provide. Approved housing accommodations address a student's living environment. Other students cannot be an approved accommodation
- Accessibility Resources cannot provide a low distraction living environment accommodation based on a diagnosis of ADHD or learning disability
- By virtue of shared facilities, resources, and number of people living under one roof, students living within UC communities cannot expect quiet, distraction-free space within residence halls. Living within the community and learning to share space and be considerate of others is part of that learning experience.
- Residence halls across campus offer quiet study rooms/lounges. If you aren't sure where they are located contact your RA or RED. There are multiple Libraries around campus that offer study rooms for students to use. Students may need to reserve them in advance, consult each library for their procedures
- Approved housing accommodations can usually be provided in a variety of locations. A specific location is not typically part of an accommodation request. Housing will locate a placement that best meets the approved accommodation(s)