As a liberal arts residential campus, all undergraduate students enrolled full-time, apart from commuter students, at Wittenberg University are required to live in campus housing. Space in University-owned houses and apartments is generally restricted to students who are in their third or fourth year and have earned 60 credit hours. The University understands, however, that students may have disability-related needs for accommodations that may warrant modifications to this policy. The Office of Accessibility Services at Wittenberg oversees the provision of living accommodations in housing spaces owned by Wittenberg University. Students are responsible for abiding by the rules set forth by both the Residence Life Housing Agreement and by the Office of Accessibility Services. In order to pursue living accommodations in Wittenberg housing, students must follow procedures outlined by the Office of Accessibility Services.
Housing Accommodations Process
To begin the process of pursuing a housing accommodation, students need to submit a request for services. It is important to provide documentation from your licensed care provider within your request. If you are seeking a housing accommodation based on a psychological health condition, the documentation would be best coming from a mental health professional. If you are seeking a housing accommodation based on a physical/medical health condition, the documentation would be best coming from your treating physician. However, we will assess any documentation provided on a case-by-case basis.
After receiving the request and documentation, Accessibility Services will engage with the student requesting services through the interactive process. Information provided will be reviewed and a decision will be provided to the student in writing. If your housing accommodation is approved, Accessibility Services will submit a recommendation to Residence Life that you be provided the appropriate housing accommodation. If Accessibility Services needs more information from you or your care provider, a staff member will reach out to you to talk through your next steps.
Please contact Accessibility Services at accessibilityservices@wittenberg.edu if you have any questions.
Provider Documentation Information
The documentation should describe the disability, any functional limitations to the equal use of and/or access to housing spaces caused by the disability, specific recommendations for minimizing limitations to equal use/access of housing spaces, and why the recommendations would be helpful for promoting equal use and access. For more information on documentation, please see our “Medical/Physical Disabilities” or “Psychological Health Concerns” documentation guidelines – we do not use these as checklists; they simply provide insight into the type of information that is helpful for us.
While every situation is specific to the student and their individual needs, the following example is typically be unhelpful for a students’ request:
- “Unhelpful provider recommendation” – Student Name suffers from condition and needs this accommodation.
The example above does not provide specifics about what the student needs to be able to equally utilize and enjoy the housing space, nor does it provide insight to the barriers the student is experiencing. Additionally, the example does not provide recommendations for possible accommodations on campus, which can be helpful for the Accessibility Services staff in determining what potential accommodations may be; however, recommendations from a care provider does not inherently guarantee the recommendations as an approved accommodation.
A Statement on Accommodations in non-Wittenberg Housing:
The Office of Accessibility Services cannot guarantee the provision of accommodations in housing spaces that are not owned by Wittenberg University. This may include Greek housing, personal and privately owned residences, and off-campus housing. Students living in non-Wittenberg owned housing are welcome to consult with the Office of Accessibility Services regarding accommodation requests for their living environments. To do so, students should follow housing accommodation request procedures outlined by the Office of Accessibility Services. The Office of Accessibility Services may be able to provide recommendations based on documentation provided by/information gathered from the student. Students living in non-Wittenberg owned housing are responsible for abiding by the rules set forth by the owner of the residence.