Housing Accommodation Options

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1. Housing Floor Plan Accommodation

Examples of housing floor plan accommodations include, but are not limited to:

• • Room with wheelchair-accessible features, such as roll-in shower, lowered closet rods, etc.;
  • Room or building with power door;
  • Avoid stairs and/or must be on lower level;
  • Room with hearing-impaired features, such as a doorbell with light and fire alarm with strobe;
  • Private bedroom and/or restroom;
  • In-unit kitchen or access to a kitchen; and,
  • Arrangements to have personal care attendants in your living space.

Specific roommate preferences are not considered housing accommodations.

Consideration for accommodation requests is given based on the date of the request, receipt of all required information, identified connections between a resident’s disability and the need for a specific housing accommodation request, and space available within the residential buildings. The university has a limited supply of each different room type, bathroom type, residential area, etc. Students are strongly encouraged to submit all appropriate documentation prior to room selection. After room selection, accommodation requests become difficult to approve and implement due to limited space availability.

The purpose of this request is to give the Housing Assignments staff information on both your personal condition/disability, and what accommodations you may require. It will be confidentially reviewed by a member of the Housing Assignments staff.

Documentation for a housing floor plan accommodation may be provided on the Healthcare Provider Form downloadable in the Housing Portal, or on a letter from the provider on the provider’s letterhead. Documentation should include the following:

• • Student’s Name and UCFID
  • Provider Name, Address, Telephone, Specialty Area, License Number (if applicable), and Signature
  • Answers to the following questions:
    • Does the student have a disability (a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities)? Y/N
    • Describe the symptom(s) or limitation(s) of the student’s disability that impact the student’s ability to experience equal access in campus housing.
    • Indicate any accommodations necessary for consideration to mitigate the symptoms of the student’s disability (see list of examples above)
    • Describe how requested the accommodation mitigates symptoms of the disability.
    • If the requested accommodation is not available or is not considered reasonable to approve, what would be the impact on the student relative to the housing experience?

2. Assistive Animal Accommodation

More information about Assistance Animals is located below. Accommodation requests for Emotional Support Animals (ESA) and Service Animals should be requested through the Assistive Animal Request Form under Housing Forms in the Housing Portal.

Documentation for an Emotional Support Animal accommodation may be provided on the ESA Healthcare Provider Form downloadable in the Housing Portal, or on a letter from the provider on the provider’s letterhead. Documentation should include the following:

• • Student’s Name and UCFID
  • Provider Name, Address, Telephone, Specialty Area, License Number (if applicable), and Signature
  • Dates seen and total number of sessions/appointments
  • Answers to the following questions:
    • Does the student have a disability (a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities)? Y/N
    • Describe the symptom(s) or limitation(s) of the student’s disability that interferes with the student’s ability to use and enjoy campus housing.
    • Explain how the specific animal requested by the student mitigates/alleviates the symptom(s) or limitation(s) described above.
    • Address the likely impact on the student should the following scenario occur: once the student is living with the animal in the student housing unit, the animal is permanently removed from the unit because of a violation of policy (e.g. the animal injures someone or destroys property) and balance this impact, if any, against the benefit that you expect the animal to provide to the student.
    • Explain whether there are alternatives to an ESA (for example, therapy, medication, etc) that may be equally effective to mitigate/alleviate the symptom(s) or limitation(s) of the student’s disability described above.

For all requested animals who must be taken outside of a student’s assigned housing unit for natural relief (such as a dog), the student must provide a behavioral assessment from a veterinarian, animal trainer, or other animal expert indicating that the particular animal requested is suitable for the high-density residence hall living environment where the student may have assigned roommates and where the animal will regularly be in close contact with other individuals unknown to the animal. DHRL provides a form for this purpose. However, the animal expert can provide the same information in their own format.

Students requesting to bring a service dog into housing will be asked whether the dog is required due to a disability, what tasks the dog is trained to perform, and whether the dog is fully trained.

3. Housing Process Exemption Accommodation

Due to limited housing capacity, not every student who applies for housing will receive a space. For example, current residents who wish to return to campus housing participate in a lottery process, or waitlist procedures are enacted for incoming freshmen once freshmen spaces are full. Students who are seeking exemptions to processes such as the lottery or waitlist due to their disability will make that request via Student Accessibility Services (SAS).

If the student has not previously connected with SAS, then the student will need to submit an application and follow the steps listed within this link: https://sas.sdes.ucf.edu/get-connected/

If the student has previously connected with SAS, then the student should email sas@ucf.edu and request an Additional Accommodation meeting to discuss consideration of exemption from the housing lottery or waitlist process.