Non-Academic Accommodations: Housing, Medical Dietary, Parking, and Accessible Transport Van
Brandeis provides a number of different types of accommodations to students with disabilities.
Student Accessibility Support helps students acquire academic accommodations, but there are different processes for housing, dietary, and parking accommodations, as well as requesting to use the Accessible Transport Van. If you require these other types of accommodations, it is important that you familiarize yourself with these different processes.
Housing Accommodations
The process for requesting and acquiring housing accommodations is managed by the Department of Community Living with support from the Brandeis Housing Accommodation Review Committee.
Housing Medical Accommodation Requests process
Medical Dietary Accommodations
Before you start this application, it is important that you have already reviewed the Brandeis Dining Services website to see if your food allergies, intolerances, and/or other medical dietary needs can be standardly provided in the dining halls. The medical dietary accommodation request is for those with medically documented diagnosis/-es that require special dining accommodations or have medically prescribed diet plans for the treatment of a medical condition.
Our goal is to meet medical dietary needs through appropriate accommodations within Brandeis Dining Services. All on-campus students are required to enroll in a meal plan. In rare circumstances, exemptions from this policy are granted only for medically documented cases of dietary need.
Requesting MyZone Access
The medical dietary accommodation forms are also required for those who are requesting access to MyZone. MyZone is a dining services campus “pantry” located at Lower Usdan Dining Hall, where food items needed by students with documented medical/disability dietary needs (e.g. celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and other identified food intolerances, etc.) are stored and prepared with precautions against cross contact. This area is always to be free of tree nuts, peanuts, and gluten containing ingredients and products for the safety of our students.
Steps in the Application Process
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Complete the entirety of the Medical Dietary Accommodation Request Form.
Please provide as much detail when filling out this form. This form is your opportunity to explain your medical diagnosis/-es and how your requested medical dietary accommodation will help you eat in the dining halls on-campus.
Your Medical Dietary Accommodation Request will not be reviewed by the committee until we have also received the Health Provider Report Form from your medical care provider. Please follow the instructions in the confirmation email you will receive after submitting this form.
All requests are reviewed by the Medical Dietary Accommodation Committee. This committee includes representatives from Brandeis Dining Services, the Health Center, University Services, and Student Accessibility Support. When necessary, the committee may consult with staff from the Office of Equal Opportunity. The committee meets regularly to review requests on a rolling basis.
If your request is approved, your accommodation will be in place for the current academic year. You will need to re-submit a new medical dietary accommodation request for the next academic year with updated documentation.
Parking Accommodations
The process for parking accommodations is primarily managed by Student Accessibility Support (SAS) with support from the Brandeis Parking Committee. Although decisions are made on an on-going basis, we recommend you begin the application process as soon as possible.
Important Notes
- All students (with or without disability) who have brought cars to campus must follow the guidelines of the Parking Office.
- Regardless of accommodations, all students must obtain a parking permit from the Parking Office. This includes students with DOT disability placards.
- There is limited parking at Brandeis due to the physical layout of the campus. For students with mobility limitations who need transportation to building entrances, Brandeis offers the Accessible Transport Van (see process below).
- Parking accommodations must be requested again each year as there are often changes to campus that factor into accommodation decisions.
Steps in the Application Process
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Please complete the entirety of the parking application. Incomplete sections could result in a delay in processing your application.
Please submit documentation from your current medical provider that meets the following criteria:
- Be from a licensed provider who has seen you recently.
- Confirm a diagnosis that you may be eligible for accommodations for.
- Describe the impact of the diagnosis in your daily life.
- Describe what might be helpful for you at Brandeis given the impacts of the diagnosis.
- Confirm the need for a car on campus.
- Be written in or translated into English.
This documentation can be submitted within this application or can be uploaded through a Secure Documentation Upload Link. If you submit the application without including documentation, a member of Student Accessibility Support (SAS) will follow up with you via email to provide you with the Upload Link.
This documentation will be kept on file within SAS.
If deemed insufficient, the Parking Committee may request further documentation or may request that the individual seeking accommodations make an appointment with SAS for further clarification of the diagnosis.
Application is reviewed by the Parking Committee (Parking Office, the Health Center, the Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC), and Student Accessibility Support). This committee meets regularly throughout the semester so all requests will be processed promptly.
Once the request is reviewed by the Parking Accommodations Committee, you will be emailed with our decision and next steps for you to take.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please email Student Accessibility Support, at access@brandeis.edu.
Accessible Transport Van
Accessible Transport Van (AT Van) is a free service through a division of the Brandeis University Escort Safety Service. The Accessible Transport Van service is available for students with mobility limitations (temporary or long-term) that shuttles students directly to their classes, residence halls, and other campus buildings when the use of other Brandeis transportation is not possible.
This van runs separately from the traditional Brandeis shuttle that is continuously circling campus at designated stops. This van runs off of a schedule based off of students' needs. For access to the Accessible Transport Van, please complete the application below.
Steps in the application process
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Please submit documentation from your current medical provider that meets the following criteria:
- Be from a licensed provider who has seen you recently.
- Confirm a diagnosis that you may be eligible for accommodations for.
- Describe the impact of the diagnosis in your daily life.
- Describe what might be helpful for you at Brandeis given the impacts of the diagnosis.
- Be written in or translated into English.
This documentation can be submitted within this application or can be uploaded through a Secure Documentation Upload Link. If you submit the application without including documentation, a member of Student Accessibility Support (SAS) will follow up with you via email to provide you with the Upload Link.
This documentation will be kept on file within SAS.
If deemed insufficient, the Parking Committee may request further documentation or may request that the individual seeking accommodations make an appointment with SAS for further clarification of the diagnosis.
Applications are reviewed by Student Accessibility Support staff members. Requests are viewed within three business days of submission. Business days are Mondays through Fridays, and does not include holidays.
At times, we may need to consult with the Parking Office, Brandeis Public Safety, the Health Center, and/or the Brandeis Counseling Center (BCC) regarding your request. This is to ensure we are properly and holistically supporting you.
Once the request is reviewed by Student Accessibility Support, you will be emailed with our decision and next steps for you to take.
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please email Student Accessibility Support, at access@brandeis.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
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After being connected to Accessible Transportation, the Head Coordinator of Events and Accessibility will contact the passenger and send a blank schedule that needs to be completed by the passenger. This blank schedule should include anticipated pickups and drop offs that the passenger will need for the week. As Brandeis students, you are aware that many classes start and end at the same time. This means students will be requesting pick ups and drop offs at the same time. We recommend scheduling your pick ups twenty minutes before you need to be somewhere, (i.e. the start of a class) and ten minutes after the end of your commitment (i.e. the end of a class) in case it runs late.
A new schedule is sent to passengers every week via email and once that schedule is filled out by the passenger it is sent to drivers. Drivers use this schedule for their daily pickups. The purpose of having a schedule is to avoid overlapping pickups but if passengers need an impromptu pick up they can contact the driver on call.
Please know that drivers in this role are dedicated in supporting their fellow students. We understand that there are times things come up which you cannot plan for. We want you to reach out to us for support when you need a pick up or drop off. It is important to note when you do reach out to us for an impromptu pick up, we may have another pick up/drop off at the same time, may be in the middle of supporting another student, and/or trying to navigate pedestrian/vehicle/train traffic. Your patience and understanding are appreciated!
Passengers are sent the driver schedule that details which driver is on call during the shifts. The driver’s schedule includes the driver’s personal cellphone number which passengers can use to contact the driver if any issues arise.
It is important to note that drivers will respond to messages at their earliest convenience, and drivers are prohibited from using their phones while actively operating the van. When a driver stops to pick up or drop off a student, they will then check their phones and respond.
The AT van runs from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. If you need a pickup or drop off outside of that time, passengers must contact Campus Public Safety’s business phone number at (781) 736-5000 to request a police escort.
The first point of contact for passengers who need help regarding Accessibility Transportation is the Head Coordinator of Events and Accessible Transport. This is a student manager who is in charge of AT drivers and can help address any issues the passengers may have.
You can email this manager and their information can be found in the introduction email sent to passengers.