Housing Accommodations

This can be done by emailing disability_services@alma.edu. Certain spaces, such as single rooms, are limited on campus. Students are encouraged to request accommodations and go through the accommodation request process at least 30 days prior to housing selection or when the accommodation is needed.

Your provider should complete the Provider Recommendation Form.

The Provider Recommendation Form must:

1. Be completed by a qualified medical or mental health professional. Diagnoses of disabilities documented by family members are unacceptable.
2. Be completed by a professional with first-hand knowledge of the condition(s) and sent directly from the provider’s office. Form will not be accepted from students.
3. Be completed as clearly and thoroughly as possible. We recommend typing answers into the fillable PDF, as illegible handwriting will require additional follow-up. To access the fillable PDF, click “Fill & Sign” in the Toolbar on the right side of Adobe.
4. Be completed with the understanding that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines the term “disability” as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Major life activities include, but are not limited to, caring
   for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working.

Schedule an appointment with the Assistant Director of Student Success to discuss:

• How your condition impacts a major life function.
• Expectations of higher education including code of conduct, housing policies, etc. Please note: For certain types of accommodation requests, such as meal plan exemptions, a meeting with additional staff, in this case the Dining Hall Manager, may be encouraged to determine if that entity can meet a student’s needs. These meetings would be set up by the Assistant Director of Student Success.

A committee made up of Academic Support and Disability Support Services staff, Housing and Residence Life staff, and Counseling and Wellness staff will meet on a weekly basis to determine what accommodations are best.

This process can take between 1-2 weeks.

Please note: At times an accommodation may be deemed reasonable but our spaces that meet that accommodation(s) are at capacity. In those cases, we will work with the student to determine other reasonable accommodations and/or put the student on a waiting list until there is an opening available.

• The Assistant Director of Student Success will e-mail PDF copies of accommodation letters to the student’s Alma email account. They will ask permission to send accommodation letters to any necessary staff, such as Housing and Residence Life Staff or Financial Aid Staff.

Students are encouraged to work with the Assistant Director of Student Success at any point, but especially if they are experiencing any difficulty with their housing accommodations, have a new diagnosis to share, are experiencing different impacts due to medication changes or ongoing disability-related treatment or progression, or wish to discuss support resources that may be available to aid in their success.