Housing Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
UIW is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and to the full participation of students with disabilities. Accordingly, UIW’s Office of Student Disability Services and Office of Residence Life work collaboratively to provide reasonable and appropriate housing accommodations to students with disabilities who choose to live on campus. This section describes the process for requesting housing accommodation(s) due to the functional impact of a disability.
A) When do I make a request for campus housing accommodations if I want to live on campus at UIW?
All applicants (undergraduate or graduate) who are seeking housing accommodation(s) due to the functional impact of their disability are strongly encouraged to make their request at the earliest possible date. To ensure equal access, deadlines for submitting housing accommodation requests are as follows:
- March 1st if you are applying for housing for the fall semester
- September 1st if you are applying for housing for the spring semester
B) What information do I have to provide about my disability when I make a request for on-campus housing accommodation(s)?
In order for a request for housing accommodations to be considered, students must submit a completed Housing Disability Accommodation Request Form to the Director of Student Disability Services. This form may be obtained from the Student Disability Services Office or by downloading the form found at the end of this section.
NOTE : A licensed physician, psychologist/psychiatrist, clinical social worker or other healthcare professional must complete their designated portions of the form. Incomplete and/or illegible information may delay or impede the review of your request.
C) What happens once I submit a completed Housing Disability Accommodation Request Form?
Once you have provided all the requested information, the Director of Student Disability Services will review the application and prescribe a variety of equally appropriate housing accommodations to Residence Life that will meet the student’s documented needs. A copy of the “possible” accommodations will also be sent to the student within 30 business days of the application.
D) What factors does the Director of Student Disability Services consider in evaluating a request?
The director will consider all of the following in evaluating each request:
Does the information submitted on the Housing Disability Accommodation Request Form clearly demonstrate:
- The relationship between the accommodation requested and the documented disability?
- The objectives of the residence life community in which the student is eligible to live?
- What accommodations would effectively facilitate the student’s participation in the residence life program and community?
- The extent to which the student’s condition limit his or her opportunity to participate in other college activities?
E) What on-campus housing accommodations does UIW provide?
Examples of accommodations UIW may provide are :
- Modifying room assignments to accommodate students with mobility impairments; or make other modifications as necessary
- Installing visual room alarms for fire alarms, phone, etc. for hearing impaired students
- Assigning students with psychiatric disabilities to appropriate living situations
- Permitting the use of service dogs within residence halls/apartments
Examples of accommodation requests that UIW generally will not approve are:
- Requests for single living accommodations by students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder
- Requests for single living accommodations by students with asthma or allergies
Click here to access a Housing Disability Accommodation Request Form (PDF)
Viewing or printing the registration form requires the free Adobe Reader. If you do not have Adobe Reader installed on your computer, it may be downloaded by clicking on the logo below. Click on the same graphic on the Adobe home page to download Adobe Reader.
To apply for “housing” accommodations, please complete the UIW – Housing Disability Accommodation Form (see below) as directed and return it to the Student Disability Office by:
By Mail:
Student Disability Services
University of the Incarnate Word
4301 Broadway, CPO 28
San Antonio, Texas 78209
By Fax:
(210) 805-5895
In Person:
Administration Building, Room 105
