ADA Accommodations

Students with disabilities may request housing accommodations while completing the housing application, available at portal.housing.berkeley.edu

The first phase of the application process has several steps, including an “Accommodations” section where forms are linked for students to indicate that they have a disability need for an accommodation in university housing. The students will be directed to a secondary form to request accommodations.

Please complete and submit phase one of the housing application, including the application fee, before the deadline for students in your classification (first year, transfer, continuing student, etc.). Accommodations requests submitted after the deadline will be considered on a space-available basis after those received by the deadline.

In addition to submitting the housing application, students who wish to request an accommodation based on a disability-related need may complete the ADA Housing Accommodations Request Form, which is also linked in the housing application, and provide supporting information. 

Students may provide supporting information that establishes that they have a disability (there is no need to share any diagnosis information), that describes the needed accommodation or modification requested, and that shows the relationship between the student's disability and how the requested accommodation is necessary to use campus housing. Documentation may be submitted via the Secure Document Upload Portal (requires CalNet ID authentication), emailed, faxed, or delivered in person.

Here is a letter that you may wish to share with your medical provider to provide this information:

ADA Accommodations - Medical Professional Instructions

Priority is given to students who provide documentation by the stated deadline due to limited resources in our inventory. While priority is given to students who provide documentation by the standard deadline, students may submit requests and documentation at any time during the academic year due to disability needs. 

Upon receipt of a complete housing accommodations request, the Housing Disability Specialist will review the documentation provided to determine a reasonable accommodation, and may offer an alternative accommodation that meets the student’s disability-related needs as described by the provided documentation.

Students who receive a housing offer will be notified of the offer via email to their berkeley.edu email address and will be given the opportunity to accept or decline the housing offer online by completing Phase 2 of the application (portal.housing.berkeley.edu). By declining an offer, the student is indicating they do not wish to live on campus, and they will not receive an offer for a different space.

If a student believes their housing offer does not meet their disability needs, they may reach out to Housing Accommodations to request a room change.

Below are some examples of accommodations students have requested in the past related to a disability or medical accommodation:

1. ADA accessible bedroom
2. ADA accessible bathroom 
3. Visual doorbell
4. Strobe light fire alarm/smoke detector
5. Additional MicroChill mini-fridge (for medication storage)
6. Room with additional space for medical equipment
7. Semi-private bathroom
8. Ground floor room or room on a lower floor with elevator access
9. Location close to Tang Medical Center for access to health care
10. Room removed from traffic noise, distractions from outdoors, and other loud ambient sound
11. Room with fewer allergens
12. Placement with a requested roommate
13. Room with fewer roommates (double-occupancy) or a single-occupancy bedroom
14. Substance Free Environment (Freeborn Hall in Unit 1)
15. Emotional Support Animal
16. Professional healthcare attendant access

Students requesting an emotional support animal as an accommodation to address the functional limitations of a disability are encouraged to fill out the Emotional Support Animal Approval Application.

Students with trained Service Dogs are encouraged to contact Housing Accommodations in advance of arriving on campus to notify our staff of the presence of an animal and to ensure the housing assignment provided to you meets the needs of you and your animal. You may do so using the Service Animal Acknowledgment Form.

Emotional Support Animals and Service Dogs should submit evidence of current vaccination, including rabies vaccination for dogs and cats.

Students may self-identify as a person who may require evacuation assistance in the case of an emergency and request an individualized consultation. For more information, see Emergency Preparedness for Disabled People.

The Disabled Students' Program (DSP) on campus can assist students with disabilities with receiving accommodations in the classroom. Students seeking academic accommodations need to register and provide documentation to the DSP office.

The Disability Access and Compliance office can assist students with requests for mobility access, communication access, and event access on the UC Berkeley campus. They can provide resources for accessibility with information about navigating the campus with a mobility or visual disability.

If you have concerns we have been unable to resolve for you, you may report a grievance to Disability Access and Compliance.

Students with disabilities who are living in on campus housing and believe that their current room is not a reasonable accommodation may request a room change or transfer as a disability accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by submitting the ADA Housing Accommodations Request Form. Students may provide supporting information that establishes that they have a disability (there is no need to share any diagnosis information), that describes the needed accommodation or modification requested, and that shows the relationship between the student's disability and how the requested accommodation is necessary to use campus housing. Documentation may be uploaded via the Secure Document Upload Portal (requires CalNet ID authentication). 

Here is a letter that you may wish to share with your medical provider to provide this information:

ADA Accommodations - Medical Professional Instructions

Priority consideration for a room change will be provided to students whose documentation clearly demonstrates that their current on campus residence is not a reasonable accommodation for their needs.

If the request for a housing transfer is not due to medical/disability needs as supported by a qualified individual, students will have their room change request reviewed in the standard room change process on Roompact, based upon the date of their room change request submission and our housing availability. Please keep in mind that room changes are not guaranteed. We typically have an extensive waitlist of students seeking to change rooms.