The residential experience at Georgetown College is key to the development of our vibrant campus community where students may engage in college life outside of the classroom. We believe that living in community provides significant opportunities for students to learn and grow. Student housing accommodations seek to include a student with a disability in the same housing responsibilities and learning environment as every other student on campus.
Process & Documentation Guidelines
Housing accommodations will be determined via an interactive, individualized process in conjunction with supporting medical documentation and prevailing standards for reasonable accommodations. This documentation should be completed by a licensed professional qualified to diagnose and treat the related disability. The licensure of this professional must be current in the state of Kentucky or the student’s state of residence. Documentation should present the qualifying diagnosis and should indicate the nexus between the impact of the diagnosis and the requested housing accommodation. The College does not grant accommodations solely on the recommendations of care providers, but on the documented functional limitations posed by the student’s disability under the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Disability Services has Documentation Forms available for this purpose (Appendix A).
The following housing accommodations have particular processes that are outlined below: private housing; Service, Assistance, and ESA Animals; and off-campus housing. These steps assist the Disability Services Coordinator and the Housing Accommodation Team in identifying:
- The qualifying disability
- The barrier to accessing residential housing and how it is related to the qualifying disability
- Whether or not the barrier can be removed (ie./ first floor room, etc.)
- Possible alternatives that would meet access needs
Please note that in this process students are not making a request for a specific housing assignment, but rather a request for an accommodation.
Housing has a limited number of spaces available to meet housing accommodation needs. As such, it is recommended that students submit their housing accommodation request 30 days prior to the opening of housing registration for the upcoming academic year. However, applications can be submitted and considered at any time.
Conduct Reminder
A student who has been granted housing accommodation is subject to the Student Code of Conduct and the Student Life and Housing Policies outlined in the Student Handbook. Students who have been granted animal accommodation are subject to the Georgetown College Service, Assistance, and ESA Animal Policy.
Private Housing Accommodation Request Process
Student housing has a limited number of single rooms reserved for students with a documented history of a qualifying disability that creates a significant barrier to access. A single room is a disability accommodation only when clinical history and professional documentation clearly demonstrate a history of substantial limitations that make it impossible for a student to live in student housing with a roommate. Private housing accommodations are only provided when significant barriers to access due to a disability are identified.
Single room housing accommodation requests follow the process outlined below:
- Submit qualifying documentation from a licensed professional qualified to diagnose and treat the related disability. The licensure of this professional must be current in the state of Kentucky or the student’s state of residence. Documentation should present the qualifying diagnosis and should indicate the nexus between the impact of the diagnosis and the need for a single room. (Disability Services provides a Single Room Request Form for your convenience). Note: Mental health disability related accommodation documentation should come from a licensed counselor or psychiatrist with whom the student already has an established therapeutic relationship. The documentation should clearly demonstrate how the requested accommodation is integral to the overall therapeutic treatment plan, overcomes a life-threatening impact of the disability, or removes barriers that makes it impossible for the student to live with a roommate.
- Submit a short personal statement, written by the student requesting housing accommodation, that addresses the following question: How do the symptoms or medical needs of your disability create barriers to housing access and how does having a single room overcome those barriers?
- Schedule a meeting with the Disability Services Coordinator to review your accommodation request and address any questions that may arise.
- HAT, the housing accommodations team (comprised of representatives from Disability Services, Counseling, and Housing), will meet to consider the accommodation request. If your request is approved, an email requesting a single room accommodation for the coming academic year will be sent to Housing and to you. HAT will let the student know what further information is required if they are unable to make a determination at that time.
An approval for a private housing accommodation confirms the student is eligible to receive this accommodation but does not guarantee placement. Placement is based on availability and determined by housing. Housing will place all approved students on a waiting list if no single rooms are available at that time and will notify the student once a room becomes available.
Note: An accommodation is reasonable when it includes a student in the same opportunities as every other student. An accommodation is not reasonable if it exempts a student from the responsibilities and expectation the college holds for all students, increases a student’s chances for success, causes a fundamental alteration to the college housing program, or reduces the difficulties inherent in the student experience. Some examples of housing accommodation requests that would not rise to the level of demonstrating a barrier to access:
- I need a single room because I get too distracted when trying to study or do homework. The college provides quiet, private, and semi-private study spaces in the LRC and in empty open classrooms throughout campus for this purpose.
- I have anxiety or depression and need a single room as a retreat and to unwind. The college provides students with spaces to decompress, unwind, or process their emotions other than the room where they sleep. Some ideas include: LRC private rooms or nooks, solitary walks, or porch rocking chairs. Use a white noise machine, phone app, or earplugs/ headphones to block out extraneous sounds. Work with Residence Life Staff for guidance on roommate boundary setting and conversation starters.
- I need a single room because I need to have control over my space. Students share spaces with peers in multiple settings on a college campus such as classrooms, dining, athletics, and artist studios. In a standard shared residence, students are assigned their own bed, dresser, closet, and desk. Living with a roommate can help students learn essential skills such as communication, compromise, and respect for other’s boundaries. However, these may be new skills for many students who have never had to share a room with another person. Sharing space with a roommate will always be inherently more difficult than living alone. Community standards for behavior are listed in the current Student Handbook. Residence life staff are available to assist students in communicating and resolving issues around quiet hours, noise levels, visitors, cleaning responsibilities, or other concerns.
- I need a single room because I have disability -related needs that will inconvenience a roommate. Sometimes students are concerned that the tools and strategies they use to manage a disability will inconvenience a roommate. The college has a responsibility to balance accommodation needs with the fundamental learning objectives of Residence life. These include developing communication skills, community, belonging, and conflict resolution skills. Denying the opportunity for a student to develop these skills based on the perceived inconvenience or potential for roommate conflict could deny the student access to the learning program of the college.
Off Campus Housing Accommodation Process
Here is the process for applying for an exemption to the on-campus housing policy for reasons of disability:
- Submit documentation from a licensed professional qualified to diagnose and treat the related disability. The licensure of this professional must be current in the state of Kentucky or the student’s state of residence. Documentation should present the qualifying diagnosis and clearly demonstrate how living off campus mitigates the impact of the disability in order to provide the student with equal access to their GC education. Disability Services provides an Off-Campus Request Form for your convenience. Note: Mental health disability related accommodation documentation should come from a licensed counselor or psychiatrist with whom the student already has an established therapeutic relationship.
- Submit a short personal statement, written by the student requesting housing accommodation, that addresses the following question: How do the symptoms or medical needs of your disability create barriers to accessing campus housing that can only be overcome by living off campus.
Schedule an appointment with the Disability Services Coordinator to review the submitted documentation and address any questions the housing accommodation team may ask.
The housing accommodations team (comprised of representatives from Disability Services, Counseling, and Housing) will meet to consider the accommodation request.
The student will receive an email from the Disability Services Coordinator regarding next steps after HAT has considered the application.