Housing Accommodations
Students requesting accommodation in housing should make the request and provide appropriate supporting documentation to the Disability Resource Center before moving into University Housing, generally at the time of application for housing. However, if the request for accommodation is made after the priority deadline, the University cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet the individual’s accommodation needs during the first semester of occupancy.
Priority Deadlines for Housing Accommodations
(Deadline has passed)
(Deadline has passed)
Documentation
Please note the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) warning regarding documentation from the internet:
“Some websites sell certificates, registrations, and licensing documents for assistance animals to anyone who answers certain questions or participates in a short interview and pays a fee. Under the Fair Housing Act, a housing provider may request reliable documentation when an individual requesting a reasonable accommodation has a disability and disability-related need for an accommodation that are not obvious or otherwise known. In HUD’s experience, such documentation from the internet is not, by itself, sufficient to reliably establish that an individual has a non-observable disability or disability-related need for an assistance animal.”
Housing Accommodation Process Overview
1
Apply for University Housing
University Housing Application about2
Submit the Housing Accommodation Request Form
Remember to include supporting documentation or ESA documentation. The priority deadline for the Fall semester is June 1, for the Spring semester is November 1, and for the Summer term is April 1.
Housing Accommodation Request Form about3
Engage in the Interactive Process
The DRC will review the request and documentation and enter an interactive process with the student. DRC staff may correspond, request additional information, ask more specific questions of the student, or request to meet with the student to discuss their needs. The DRC will direct the student as to any next steps needed.
4
Finalize Housing Accommodations
If the request is substantiated through the interactive process, the DRC will email the student and University Housing, and include an attachment of their DRC Accommodation Letter indicating the approved accommodation/s.
When the requested housing accommodation/s is not substantiated, students will have the opportunity to explore alternative resources and accommodations to address expressed disability-related barriers.
Students can also submit additional documentation to AskDRC@louisville.edu for a second review by the DRC Housing Committee. When students provide additional documentation and the request is not substantiated in a secondary review, the determination has been made. Students may appeal to the ADA Coordinator: Housing Accommodation Request Appeal Form
5
Room Assignment (not applicable for ESA accommodations)
When approved for accommodation(s), University Housing will assign the student to the lowest cost space available that meets their approved accommodation(s).
If the student is participating in an LLC, University Housing will assign the student to the lowest cost space available in or near the LLC that meets their approved accommodation.
*UHRE will review student accounts with approved DRC housing accommodations on a case-by-case basis to determine the appropriate housing rate. The criteria for determining if a student with an approved accommodation is appropriately charged includes, but is not limited to, a determination of where the student would have lived and what rate the student would have been charged, but for the approved disability accommodation.
6
Room Selection (not applicable for ESA accommodations)
After the student has been assigned by University Housing, students will have the ability to self-assign into a different space, if desired. This gives students a similar opportunity to select a space to meet any housing preferences. Students are responsible for the rate assigned to their self-selected space.
If a student chooses to self-assign, they are indicating they have declined the manually assigned option that met their approved accommodation for that semester.
Timeline for Room Selection and Retention about7
Contact University Housing for Support
If there are concerns with an assigned space, students may contact University Housing and the Disability Resource Center by email for assistance.
- University Housing - uoloch@louisville.edu
- Disability Resource Center - AskDRC@louisville.edu
Submit a Housing Accommodation Request
After Approval
Students approved for the housing accommodation of an ESA have annual requirements to maintain their ESA approval. They must submit their ESA Verification Form with vaccine records before the start of their University Housing License Agreements each year.
Students approved for housing accommodations other than an ESA will remain on file for the student’s time in University Housing. Students do not need to request Housing Accommodations each year unless there is a new disability-related barrier and related request. Students should continue to follow the University Housing Timeline for Room Selection and Retention as returning students and reach out to University Housing if they are unable to self-select a space that meets their approved accommodations.
Emergency Assistance
Students with disabilities who may need assistance with exiting University Housing in the event of an emergency can find information relevant to their residence hall on the University Housing Areas of Refuge page.
Adobe Reader
Do you need Adobe Reader to read any of the PDFs linked on this page?