Disability Accommodations in Campus Housing
The process for requesting disability/medical accommodations for specific features of campus housing is managed by the Disability Accommodations Committee for Housing, a collaboration between Student Accessibility Support and Community Living.
We grant reasonable accommodations for specific housing features to students who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Fair Housing Act. All accommodation requests must be submitted and approved annually and need to be directly related to a documented medical/disability condition that impacts residential life.
Read on to learn the process for requesting accommodations. For answers to some frequently asked questions, visit our Housing Accommodation FAQ page.
If you have questions about this process or need assistance, please email housingaccommodation@brandeis.edu.
Deadlines and Important Information
Midyear and transfer* students joining us for Spring 2025, all of your forms are due November 6, 2024.
*Transfer students accepted on or after November 6, 2024, please email us! We are happy to work with you.
Past Deadlines
Incoming first year students joining Fall 2024, all of your forms were due June 12, 2024.
Incoming transfer students joining Fall 2024, all of your forms were due June 21, 2024.
For continuing students (rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors) forms were due February 14*, 2024 to be processed in time for Fall 2024 housing selection. *Community Advisor forms were due February 7, 2024.
Please note: If any deadlines are missed related to housing applications, housing selection or accommodation requests, we may not be able to implement approved accommodations before fall move-in.
If you are requesting disability accommodation in housing, you MUST also fill out the Housing Application or Housing Wait List Application on your MyHousing Portal. Rising juniors and seniors are not guaranteed campus housing, even with substantiated accommodation requests. All accommodated housing offers are contingent on housing inventory (and selection numbers if the requests are completed during the Spring Housing Selection Process).
Request Process
- Submit the Disability Accommodation Student Request Form. Provide as much detail as possible about the accommodations you need and how they will help you have equitable access to campus life. You must do this for every housing selection period you are requesting accommodations, even if you have previously had substantiated accommodations. Previous requests and approvals will not carry over automatically.
- Tell your treating health care provider who knows you and is qualified to speak about your disability-related request what you are requesting and ask them to submit supporting documentation.
- Off-campus medical/mental health providers must submit a completed, detailed Provider Verification Form. The medical provider cannot be a family member. The accommodations requested should be the same on the Student Request Form and the Provider Verification Form. If your provider is unable to fill out the form for any reason, email us at housingaccommodation@brandeis.edu for instructions on securely uploading other forms of medical documentation; we will send you a secure link. Please do not email any pieces of documentation as attachments. You may also request the form as a PDF that your provider can fill out in hard copy. We can provide a fax number upon request. (Our preference is the first two options provided as faxes can be delayed).
- Brandeis Counseling Center providers cannot complete the Provider Verification Form. Instead, they should submit letters describing the length of their relationship with you, your diagnosis if applicable, your disability symptoms, and how they impact you on campus. Email us at housingaccommodation@brandeis.edu for instructions on securely uploading a letter from the BCC. Please do not email any pieces of documentation as attachments.
- Please note; there are specific documentation guidelines for requests for emotional support animals. The Brandeis Counseling Center and the Health Center cannot submit documentation specifically for ESAs.
- Contact your medical/mental health provider to ensure they have submitted documentation.
- Once the Student Request Form and provider documentation have been received, the Committee will review your request. The committee does not review requests until both forms are submitted for a student.
- Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive an email from the committee with your accommodation status. This email will include what accommodations you are substantiated for, what accommodations requests are not substantiated for (if any), and will notify you if more information is needed before a decision can be made.
- After receiving the email, Community Living will reach out to you to select from available spaces that meet your approved accommodations. All substantiated accommodation requests are contingent on housing inventory and selection numbers. Juniors and Seniors will be offered accommodated spaces if their selection numbers are in the range of numbers receiving campus housing. As a reminder, rising juniors and seniors are not guaranteed campus housing even with a submitted disability accommodation request. Students with higher numbers may be placed on a waiting list for housing.