Student Accessibility Services
Housing and Dining Accommodations
Disability Housing Accommodations
A complete request must include (1) a request form with details related to the student's disability, and (2) documentation completed by the student's healthcare provider. The Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) reviews each request, determines the appropriate reasonable accommodation, and notifies the Office of Residential Life of the outcome. If approved, the Office of Residential Life will assign the student based on the SAS-approved accommodation. Residential Life staff will contact students via email once their housing assignments are made.
Careful consideration is given to all requests. To better understand the disability-related needs and how it relates to the living environment, please provide a thorough self-report and supportive documentation in your initial request. You and your provider may refer to the Documentation Guidelines to provide helpful information used to assess for reasonable accommodations. Do not hesitate to contact SAS-housing@brown.edu with any questions.
The Office of Residential Life makes your housing assignment based on the accommodation approved by SAS. If the Office of Residential Life determines that the approved accommodation cannot be met in an on-campus residence hall, you will be contacted to explore alternative housing options.
Request Process
Please read this information carefully.
1. Online Intake Form - Students who are not currently registered with SAS will need to complete the Online Intake Form. Your submission will be reviewed by a SAS staff member. Once reviewed and processed, you will be notified by our office and move on to the next steps below. After an Online Intake Form is processed with our office, you will have access to submit documentation and/or additional accommodation forms. Please allow up to three business days for Intake form processing.
If you are already registered with SAS, you do not need to complete the Online Intake Form.
2. Documentation - Students registered with SAS will be able to upload documentation directly to Student File Upload. Documentation will not be accepted via email, fax, or in person. Students can request an appropriate medical/clinical provider to complete our Verification Form. The student will then upload the documentation to the Student File Upload.
3. Housing Accommodation Request Form - Submit a request to the Housing Accommodation form with details related to your disability. Processing completed requests may take up to 2-4 weeks depending on the volume of requests
Appeals Process
An appeal process is available in the following circumstances:
- Your request for an accommodation is denied by SAS;
- Your request for an accommodation is approved by SAS, but the accommodation approved by SAS does not meet your needs; or
- Your request for an accommodation is approved by SAS, but the housing assignment provided by the Office of Residential Life does not meet your approved accommodation(s).
Students are strongly encouraged to submit their disability-related appeals within five (5) business days of notification of the accommodation decision or the notification of the housing assignment and should set forth the reason(s) for the appeal and any supporting materials; using the Disability Housing Accommodation Request Appeals Form. Appeals will be reviewed by the Director of Student Accessibility Services or their designee. However, appeals can be submitted at any time which could impact existing housing-related deadlines.
You may appeal the decision based on one or more of the following grounds: (1) there is relevant new information that was not reasonably available at the time you submitted your request, and/or (2) a material procedural error by the University. The Director will review the original request and any additional information submitted in the appeal and determine whether to uphold or modify the decision. If the Director upholds the original decision, you may submit an appeal of the Director's decision to the University's ADA/Section 504 Coordinator. Information on this appeal process is available at https://studentaccessibility.brown.edu/student-services/student-appeal-process.The decision of the ADA/Section 504 Coordinator is final.
Housing FAQ
Yes. Each academic year or housing cycle, all students requesting an accommodation must complete this process. There are many reasons why students may need accommodations one year and do not need them the next (e.g., student is taking leave, studying abroad, or requesting accommodation for a disability that is temporary), and it is important to complete the online housing accommodation request form for each academic year or housing cycle.
If you have already submitted documentation for a chronic and permanent conditions, typically you do not need to resubmit. If you were already approved for housing accommodations that meets your need, typically students with life-long, chronic or permanent conditions do not need to submit documentation every year. If there has been an update in diagnosis, severity, or a new condition, we recommend to submit updated documentation. Documentation Guidelines: you and your health provider should review these guidelines together to provide our office with the information we use to assess for accommodations. Documentation should be able to address the following questions.
- What are the functional limitations of the disability?
- How do the functional limitations impact the living environment?
- What is the student unable to access or what is the barrier preventing the student from accessing their living environment?
Review of disability requests typically requires 2-4 weeks and is contingent upon the completeness of the request. SAS will be unable to review incomplete requests. For acute and urgent requests (e.g. broken leg or emergency surgery), please connect with Student Accessibility Services as soon as possible by emailing sas@brown.edu or calling (401) 863-9588.
Graduate Students will not submit their disability housing accommodation requests the same way as undergraduate students. Graduate students have a separate form and process. Graduate Student Housing Accommodation Request Form. For more information about Graduate Housing, please visit the Brown Real Estate & Auxiliary Housing website.
Dining Adjustments
Students must be registered with SAS to request dining accommodations. As SAS staff assists with this process, we can also put you in touch with Dining Services for immediate support.
Step by step information on the process of requesting dining adjustments and Meal Plan Exemptions can also be found on the Dining Services website.