GUIDELINES FOR REQUESTING ACCESSIBLE HOUSING TO ACCOMMODATE A DISABILITY

 

Admitted students need to complete the following steps to be considered for a housing accommodation: 

  1. Once you have been admitted to the University, you must contact Disability Services and express your need for a single room. 
  2. Review these guidelines.
  3. Schedule an intake appointment with Disability Services.
  4. Provide Disability Services with medical documentation that illustrates your diagnosis and describes how it affects your living situation.

Living in residence halls, where students live in a community and share space with others, is integral to the educational experience. A standard housing assignment is a two-person room with bathroom facilities shared among four total students. Many locations on campus provide quiet (including some private) spaces for studying, including the library, the residence hall study rooms, and several academic buildings. All are located within a typical 5-10 minute walk of campus housing. 

 

Single Rooms/Semi-Private Room Assignments by Class Standing vs as a Disability Accommodation 

NMU has limited single rooms with shared bathrooms available to upper class and non-traditional students in Spooner and Spalding Hall. Students meeting upper division housing criteria will have an opportunity to select those rooms during the housing selection process*. NMU also has a number of semi-private rooms available for ALL students, regardless of class standing, to select. A semi-private room consists of four students (two per side of suite) living in four private rooms (two per side of suite) connected by a shared bathroom. All of these semi-private spaces are located in The Woods residence halls and contain the term “private” in the name.

Assigning a single room as a disability accommodation occurs when a private living/sleeping space is necessary to remove barriers for the student to access and utilize college housing. A single room is a disability accommodation when a student’s clinical history and professional documentation clearly provide a rationale explaining how the student’s substantial limitations create a need for separate living/sleeping space as the only reasonable means for the student to access and utilize housing.

 

*Upper Division Housing Criteria:

-  Single students who are at least 21 years old, have lived in a university or college residence hall for at least 4 semesters, or have earned at least 56 credit hours.
-  Married or single parent students who are enrolled in at least 8 credit hours per semester (or a total of 24 credits per year).
-  Single graduate students who are enrolled in at least 6 credits per semester (or a total of 16 credits per year).

 

Evaluation of Disability & Documentation Guidelines: 

To best evaluate the severity of a condition and its impact, students should ask their healthcare provider with expertise in treating the type of disability. The diagnostician must be an impartial evaluator who is not a family member nor in any personal relationship with the student. Providers should follow ethical standards for their licenses to practice in the student’s home state or in Michigan.

  • For treating and documenting a medical condition: physicians, physician assistants, or advanced practice nurse practitioners. (Ex: Irritable Bowel Syndrome, students needing medical equipment or devices).
  • For treating and documenting a psychological or mental health disorder: licensed clinical social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, psychiatrists, or advanced practice psychiatric nurse practitioners. (Ex: Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder). 

The Disability Services Office at NMU reviews both a student's rationale for the request and the documentation provided to determine if a student is eligible for the requested housing accommodation. Preferences such as buildings, specific rooms, and roommate/suitemate preferences are not disability accommodations and are therefore vetted through the Housing and Residence Life Office. 

If a student qualifies for a single room, it doesn't necessarily mean they will receive one. Disability Services will determine whether or not a student is eligible and will notify the Housing and Residence Life Office. Housing and Residence Life will then evaluate the space available and assign the room if there is available space. 

Please note that a medical diagnosis and recommendation for a particular accommodation do not establish a disability-related need for the accommodation. Documentation from a student's professional healthcare provider must establish the following for a condition to be considered a disability: 

  1. Sufficient explanation of how the requested housing assignment is necessary for the student to access or utilize college housing;
  2. and compelling evidence including a history of a physical or psychological diagnosis that limits the student's participation in a major life activity;**
  3. and substantial degree of functional impairment.

 

**Major life activities include, but are not limited to the following: caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working; and would include major bodily functions such as functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive function.

 

What if I Need a Quiet Space to Study? 

Residence halls and student housing are designed as living areas. Thus, they do not need to be quiet study spaces for disabilities that affect focus, concentration, or distractibility. Because of the number of people who live in close proximity, it is not logical to assume that having a private room would provide for a quiet, distraction-free space to any appreciable degree beyond living in a standard double room. The campus residential experience extends beyond the sleeping space, so there are multiple settings on campus (study rooms in residence halls, academic buildings, private library study rooms, outdoor spots, etc.) that provide quiet and private places where students can study, relax, or be alone. Tools like noise-canceling headphones, white noise devices, or phone apps are also useful to help block distracting sounds. 

 

Below are some additional examples of when a single room request would not be approved. In the following scenarios, the requested accommodation could be desirable or even helpful, but not essential for the student to access or utilize college housing.

 

Ex: I have anxiety or depression and I need a single residence hall room as a space to be alone or to retreat to and decompress.

Students have access to many places on campus and in their campus community to decompress, unwind, or process their emotions in places other than the room where they sleep. Here are several ideas:

  • Enjoy solitary walks on campus grounds or along Lake Superior.
  • Find a private nook in the library or another academic building to nestle in and read or think (Jamrich, Whitman, 3rd floor of Hedgcock).
  • Find a quiet bench in the academic mall, weather permitting, and enjoy the campus scenery.
  • Discover the many nooks in Residence Halls (also check out library study rooms and empty classrooms).
  • Work with Housing and Residence Life staff to gain helpful tips and tricks with roommate boundary setting and expectation management to create a healthy living environment for each roommate.

 

Ex: I need a single residence hall room because I get too distracted when trying to study or do homework.

The University provides many, many places on campus where you can study alone in peace and quiet, as stated above. You can also create and discuss agreed-upon quiet/study times with your roommate.

 

Ex: I need a single residence hall room because I need to have control over my space.

In typical housing, each student needs to recognize what is in their control in a shared living experience. It is unreasonable to expect to be able to control the entire room. However, it is reasonable to expect to be able to control your own belongings and set boundaries with your roommate accordingly. This is an extremely valuable skill that will benefit you in many ways for many years to come. However, it is a new skill for many students who have never had to share a room with another person. It gets easier with practice!

  • Work with your Resident Director and Resident Advisor for guidance on conversation starters and  boundary communication. 
  • Have a conversation with your roommate, develop an agreed-upon plan to maintain the room cleanliness and expectations that you both have for your living space, and include these expectations in your roommate agreement. 
  • If you need help on how to have this conversation with your roommate, Housing and Residence Life staff can help give you some ideas. If the situation needs a higher level of attention, Housing and Residence Life staff can provide a mediation. 
  • Check with Counseling and Housing for other options.

 

Ex: I need a single residence hall room because I had a really bad roommate before and I’m scared that that will happen again.

Just about any college alum can recall a less-than-perfect roommate situation. It can happen, and it doesn’t make that past bad experience go away. However, it is possible to move on in a positive way. Taking what you can learn from a bad roommate situation and applying those lessons to a new situation is how to utilize a growth mentality to come through adversity.

  • Work with Counseling and Consultation Services to talk through your past experiences to determine strategies and receive support for moving into a new roommate relationship.
  • Make an appointment with Housing and Residence Life staff to discuss your fears or concerns; partake in the Roommate Search in your housing portal to read profiles of other students seeking a new roommate to find a good match.

 

Ex: I need a single residence hall room because I have medications I fear might be stolen.

All students should consider locking valuables, including medications.

  • We recommend buying a lockbox or small safe to keep tucked away and out of sight.
  • Lock your residence hall room door when you leave.

 

Any questions or concerns about these guidelines can be directed to the NMU Disability Services Office via phone at 906-227-1737 or email at disability@nmu.edu.