Office of Student Life
Disability Services

Housing Accommodations

Housing Accommodations

The Ohio State University provides a residential living program that includes a requirement for students to live on campus for their first two years. Living on campus offers many advantages and has been proven to enhance students’ success at the university. Students who are seeking modifications to their housing as an accommodation for a disability must register with Student Life Disability Services to have their request evaluated. This process requires students to submit their personal narrative supporting their request, and a letter from their provider.  

Students should continue to participate in the housing room selection process while awaiting an accommodation determination.   

The Student Life Disability Services staff must understand the specific ways in which the student’s disability impacts their living environment and experience within the residential program. SLDS does not provide a contract cancellation accommodation; we are charged with identifying on-campus living accommodations that meet the disability needs of our students.  

Students with apparent disabilities do not need to submit documentation but must complete the application. Apparent disabilities are ones that can be easily seen or detected by others. Non-apparent disabilities are those that are not readily detectable by others, such as mental health or learning disabilities.  

Additional Information: 

Housing and Residence Education (HRE):   

 

REQUESTING HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS 

Before submitting your request for housing accommodations please review the following information:  

Preparation 

Students submitting housing accommodation requests should have their documentation ready to upload with the application. If your documentation is not currently available, you can submit it later, but your housing request cannot be reviewed until all documentation is submitted. See the Documentation Guidelines page to access the documents.

Please review to determine which documentation you must submit, based upon your specific request.

  •       Student Housing Questions- all students 
  •       Provider Housing Letter- all students (except those ONLY requesting ESA and those with apparent disabilities)
  •       ESA Letter- required if student is requesting ESA  
  •       If you are requesting an ESA AND other housing accommodations, please have all three documents completed.  

Housing requests will be reviewed after all necessary documentation is submitted.  

 

Steps for Housing Accommodation Requests 

  1.  Complete the Accommodation Request Form.

                           a.  If you are seeking ONLY housing accommodations please select the Housing Accommodation Request Form. 

                           b. If you are seeking both housing and academic accommodations, please select the Academic/Housing Accommodation Form. 

        2. Submit documentation: Please see above for specific information about what documentation is needed.  

        3. Welcome Meeting: Upon completion of the application and receipt of all required documents, you will receive an email sent to your Buckeye mail inviting you to call and schedule your Welcome Meeting. You are not fully registered with our office and we cannot review your housing request until this meeting is completed.   

       4. Determination: All housing accommodation requests at SLDS are reviewed collaboratively.   Our process involves carefully considering both your disability narrative and the documentation you provide to identify barriers within the residential environment. The timeframe for determinations will vary based upon multiple factors including the time of year, volume of requests, and need for additonal information. Accommodations are specifically tailored to address your on-campus housing needs. Please note that SLDS does not provide a housing contract cancellation accommodation.  

      5. Communication to Housing and Residence Education: Once SLDS understands your specific disability barriers and needs and approves accommodations, we connect with Housing and Residence Education (HRE) to determine if those needs can be met within OSU’s standard program (in this case the two-year required resident experience for students).  

     6. What to expect after accommodations are approved: All specific housing assignments are sent from Housing and Residence Education. If you have questions about the timing of recieving your assignment, please contact Housing and Residence Education. 

Communication 

  • All communication from SLDS will be to your Buckeye mail.  

  • If accommodations are approved, SLDS will send the approval to Housing and Residence Education. HRE will follow up with you about implementing those accommodations. 

 

Please review our Housing FAQ to find answers to common questions.