Residential Living seeks to provide clean, safe, and healthy living environments that enhance and support the educational mission, goals, and creed of WCU. We understand that some students may need disability-related accommodations to ensure an equitable experience while residing on campus.
Housing accommodations are made to provide equal access for students with disabilities and to remove or mitigate barriers to that access. Access means that the student with a disability has the same or equal opportunity to participate in the programs of the University. In the case of housing, it means the same opportunity to participate in the Residential Living program. If you require accommodations to ensure access in on-campus housing, please follow the steps below.
Step 1: Make sure you have completed your
Step 2: Register with OAR and complete your
Step 3: Upload documentation with your Housing Accommodations Application. Note: Do not send any medical documentation to Residential Living.
Step 4: The OAR will review complete requests (that have all documentation) after semester deadlines and before room assignments. Requests that are submitted and/or documentation received after published deadlines (below) will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis in a timely manner and might not be approved for the current semester.
OAR will notify Residential Living of the determination. Residential Living will review available housing options and discuss your assignment with you.
Please note: Neither the presence of a disability nor approval for a housing accommodation guarantees on-campus housing, specific room or residence hall placement, or a specific roommate. At times, students may have to forgo a preferred roommate or residence hall to receive a housing assignment that meets their approved accommodation.
Requests for housing accommodations will be considered after all appropriate documentation is received.
Documentation should be provided by a licensed health or mental health provider with knowledge of the student and must include the diagnosed disability (definition: a mental or physical condition that limits one or more life activities), the functional limitations (impact) of that disability, and MOST IMPORTANTLY a description of how the requested accommodation mitigates, alleviates, or otherwise is necessary to accommodate the impact of that disability. This determination should be based upon access (equal opportunity for participation) and not on a perceived benefit, treatment plan, preference or academic success. Documentation submitted for academic accommodations is rarely adequate to determine a need for housing accommodations.
The purpose of documentation is to determine the presence of a disbaility and functional limitations of that disability. Accommodations are not prescriptive. Recommendations for accommodations made by providers are important as they relate to the student's medical and disability history and functional limitations, but are not binding to WCU.
Many housing accommodations can take time to implement. It is important that accommodation requests be made at the time of application for housing. Requests for accommodations (including ESA requests) should be made well in advance of room assignments. Once housing assignments are made, all requests are subject to availability and other limitations.
Housing accommodations are evaluated by a committee, and space is limited in on-campus housing, therefore requests must be made by the following deadlines:
Requests for accommodations for academic year room assignments (occupancy starting in fall) 鈥� June 1
Requests for accommodations for new Spring room assignments 鈥� November 1
Requests for accommodation for summer room assignment鈥� May 15
If you are making your request outside of these deadlines, please state in your comments the reason for the late request. Late requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis if there is a disability-related reason for the missed deadline (such as: the disability impact only recently made the requested accommodation necessary). Lack of awareness of posted deadlines is not adequate reason for missing the deadline. Late requests will be subject to availability and may not be fulfilled (if approved) until the nest semester.
甜瓜视频app is committed to providing equal access to housing for all students with disabilities living on campus. True to our mission to create inclusive communities, Residential Living allows qualified service and assistance animals (i.e. Emotional Support Animals/ESAs) in all residential facilities.
A Service Animal, as defined by the ADA, is a dog that is individually trained to to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. The Service Animal must be trained to recognize and respond to the person's environment and actions. The job or task must be a behavior or action and MUST be directly related to the person's disability. Service Animals in on-campus housing must be registered with OAR via the steps below and must be compliant with NC laws regarding rabies vaccines.
Step 1: Make sure you have completed your
Step 2: Register with OAR and complete your
Step 3: IF your request is for an ESA, you will receive an additional form to complete: Student Request for ESA.
This form asks specific information regarding the your disability, the requested animal, and asks that you list a reliable medical or mental health care provider who can provide documentation in support of your request. Your application cannot be processed until this form is received.
Please note that YOU must complete and sign the form and we will then reach out to the provider directly. Your signature on this form serves as a release of information for the provider. The provider does NOT sign this form.
The provider MUST be a reliable medical or mental health care professional in NC or your home state with whom you have an established relationship, who has personally seen you, and can verify 1) the presence of a mental health disability (not just a diagnosis) that substantially limits one or more major life activities; 2) the functional limitations of that disability (how it limits you); and 3) a description of how the animal is necessary to alleviate or mitigate symptoms of that disability.
Please note that websites that say they will provide documentation from a health care provider in support of requests for an ESA offer (for sale) documentation that is NOT reliable for purposes of determining whether an individual has a disability or disability-related need for an ESA because the website operators and the health care professionals who consult with them lack personal knowledge of the student and do not provide the information that is necessary to make such determinations. The same is true for websites that claim to 鈥渃ertify鈥� or 鈥渞egister鈥� ESA鈥檚.
Step 4: OAR will review complete requests made by posted deadlines (above) once all documentation is received, and will make a determination.
If you are making your request outside of the deadlines, your will need to state in your comments the reason for the late request. Late requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis if there is a disability-related reason for the missed deadline (such as: the disability impact only recently made the requested accommodation necessary). Lack of awareness of posted deadlines is not adequate reason for missing the deadline. Late requests will be subject to availability and may not be fulfilled (if approved) until the nest semester.
If the request is NOT approved, you will be contacted with the reason. You may appeal this decision to the OAR. If the request is approved, Residential Living will contact you for next steps, including required vaccinations and to review policies and responsibilities for the animal owner.
Approval from OAR is NOT the last step. You are not to bring the animal onto campus until you receive final approval from Residential Living.
Keep in mind
Service Animals-in-Training
Service animals-in-training are not recognized by the ADA. They are recognized by NC law with certain conditions. A service animal-in-training per state law is allowed to accompany the trainer any place that members of the public are allowed to go, for the purposes of training. WCU Residence Halls and academic classrooms and facilities are NOT considered places where the public is allowed to go. Additionally, a service animal-in-training must wear a vest identifying it as a service animal-in-training and must be under the control of the trainer at all times. The animal and training must not be disruptive to the environment. Service animal training does not include basic obedience training or socialization--puppies undergoing these types of training are NOT considered service animals-in-training.