Disability Services Housing Accommodations

Housing assignments are made based on availability. It is the student’s responsibility to submit their housing deposit and complete all paperwork required by the Office of Residential Life & Housing in accordance with all applicable deadlines. When requesting a reasonable housing accommodation, applicants are expected to have already applied for RIC Housing and have met all eligibility requirements and payment deadlines. Please pay close attention to the deadlines indicated by the Office of Residential Life & Housing, as well as the deadlines for submitting reasonable housing accommodation applications.

All accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis according to documented need and prevailing standards for reasonable accommodations. The Disability Services Center reviews applications and approvals are sent to the Office of Residential Life & Housing, which then offers assignments based on availability.

In accordance with state and federal law, it is the policy of Rhode Island College that “no otherwise qualified person with a disability…shall, solely by reason of …disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity.” The Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, defines the term “disability” to mean a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more Major Life Activities.

Major Life Activities include, but are not limited to, caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, and working. A Major Life Activity also includes the operation of a major bodily function, including but not limited to, functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.

Your Request for Reasonable Housing Accommodations Application, along with supporting documentation from your healthcare provider will be reviewed by the Disability Services Center. There may be instances where the Disability Services Center may need to consult with other departments on campus (ex. The Office of Residential Life & Housing, Facilities) during the review process to determine viable methods of accommodation.

You will be notified of the decision via email from the Disability Services Center. The correspondence will include a decision regarding your eligibility for each housing accommodation requested. The Office of Residential Life & Housing will notify you of your housing assignment according to the notification schedule detailed on their website. You must contact the Office of Residential Life & Housing directly at 401-456-8240 with all inquiries related to features or specifications of the housing assignment that is offered to you. The Disability Services Center is unable to provide specific information regarding buildings and rooms managed by the Office of Residential Life & Housing. If you have any questions about the process for requesting reasonable housing accommodations, please contact the Disability Services Center at 401-456-2776.

Rhode Island College requires documentation from a licensed healthcare provider that describes the student’s disability and supports the request for a reasonable housing accommodation. The licensed healthcare provider must submit documentation that meets The Disability Services documentation guidelines.

Documentation must be:

• recent (within the last year of applying for housing)
• sufficient to establish a direct link between the underlying impairment and the requested housing accommodation

The following documents are not considered acceptable forms of documentation if submitted alone:

• handwritten patient records or notes from patient charts
• diagnoses on prescription pads
• self-evaluation found on the internet or in any print publication
• research articles
• original evaluation/diagnostic documents
• correspondence from healthcare providers not directly addressed to the Disability Services Center at Rhode Island College

• Low Occupancy Rooms: Double room suites
• Single Rooms: A private sleeping area within a shared suite. All upperclassmen at RIC are automatically eligible for a single room. A request for a single room for a freshman must clearly demonstrate how sharing a sleeping area adversely impacts your ability to live and perform successfully at RIC. The request should include an explanation of how typical roommate adjustments (such as using headphones, using a sleeping mask, or negotiating shared use of a space) would not resolve the concern.
• Proximity to Restroom: If closer proximity to a restroom or semi-private restroom is a critical accommodation for a student with a qualified disability, this must be reflected in the submitted documentation. There are no fully private restrooms in RIC residence halls.
• Physical Modifications: Students who may require physical modification in their living space must indicate their specific needs. Examples of modifications may include a ground level room, wheelchair accessibility, and modifications for students with hearing or visual impairments.
• Furniture: RIC provides student furniture which meets certain space and fire safety requirements. A student with a qualified disability who wishes to bring non-RIC furnishings related to his/her special need must submit a formal request.
• Air Conditioned Room: Some residence halls do not have air-conditioning. If air conditioning is a critical accommodation for a student with a qualified disability, this must be reflected in the submitted documentation.
• Carpeting: If no carpet is a critical accommodation for a student with a qualified disability, this must be reflected in the submitted documentation.

• Roommate Requests: Please be advised that roommates may be assigned to students with disabilities who are occupying modified rooms in the same manner as other residential students. A roommate request is not considered a reasonable accommodation and cannot be evaluated by the Disability Services Center.
• Specific Building Requests: Please do not make building specific requests but instead request the specific type of accommodation needed (i.e. building with no carpet, building with a/c , building outfitted with a flashing alarm etc.) A building-specific request is not considered a reasonable accommodation and cannot be evaluated by the Disability Services Center.

Please note that residents are subject to billing rates based on the building and type of room. Single rooms are higher in cost than most typical shared rooms on campus. Kitchen facilities, air conditioning and other amenities also affect room rates. Building location and room rates are available from the Office of Residential Life & Housing. All Office of Residential Life & Housing rates apply to students with disabilities

Students should provide completed applications, including all required documentation by the deadlines indicated below:

Returning Students

Please follow the appropriate process, based on whether you have previously received housing accommodations at RIC or not.

Already Eligible and Need to Renew

If you are already eligible for housing accommodations and need to renew your request for next year, please contact the Disability Services Center at dsc@ric.edu or 401-456-2776 by March 15. Students renewing their accommodations will then work directly with the Office of Residence Life & Housing to be manually placed prior to general housing selection.

Please note: Renewal requests received after March 15 may be limited by available inventory.

Requesting Accommodations for the First Time

If you need to request housing accommodations for the first time, please follow the Disability Services Center Request Accommodations process. If you are already registered with the Disability Services Center, but still need to request housing accommodations for the first time, you can simply login to AIM and submit a New Accommodation Request on the online portal. Priority consideration will be given to completed applications received by March 8.

Please note: Requests received after March 8 may be limited by available inventory.

Questions? Contact us at dsc@ric.edu, 401-456-2776, or visiting the Disability Services Center.

New Students

To request disability-related housing accommodations, follow the Disability Services Center Request Accommodations process. Documentation to verify the presence of non-observable disabilities and to establish the need for disability-related accommodations is required. Priority consideration will be given to completed applications received by June 1. 

Please note: Requests received after June 1 may be limited by available inventory.

Questions? Contact us at dsc@ric.edu, 401-456-2776, or visiting the Disability Services Center.