Housing Accommodations

1. Review housing options: Visit the Residence Life and Housing website to understand available options and criteria.
2. Submit an Accommodation Request Form: Clearly describe your disability and how it impacts your residential experience. Incoming students should wait until they have received their Whitman email and ID number before submitting.
3. Provide documentation:
   • Have a licensed provider who treats you complete the Housing Documentation Form, or
   • Submit a detailed letter following the Housing Documentation Guidelines.
     Documentation must come from a qualified professional with an established relationship with the student.
4. Upload documentation: Submit your supporting documentation through the Accommodate portal.
5. Schedule and attend an intake meeting: After DAS reviews your materials, you will receive an email to schedule a required intake meeting (virtual or in-person). It is your responsibility to schedule and attend this meeting, which is essential for completing the accommodation process.
   If you have not received scheduling information within 7–10 business days after submitting your application, please email das@whitman.edu.
6. Interactive intake meeting: This meeting helps DAS understand your disability and housing needs.
7. Notification: If accommodations are approved, both you and the Residence Life and Housing Office will receive an accommodation letter via email. Housing accommodations are typically granted for one academic year.

Additional Information

• A diagnosis alone does not guarantee housing accommodations. DAS evaluates the reasonableness and appropriateness of requests after reviewing documentation and meeting with the student.
• Alternative accommodations may be offered when the original request is not feasible.
• Housing accommodations apply only to Whitman College campus housing and do not cover study abroad or off-campus programs. Students with concerns about off-campus housing should contact the Off-Campus Studies program director.

If you have questions about housing accommodations or the process, please contact Disability Access Services at dss@whitman.edu.

If housing accommodations are needed in subsequent academic years, students must submit an updated online supplemental accommodation request. Documentation may require an annual update, depending on the nature of the condition.

If you are already receiving accommodations through DAS, follow these steps:

Step 1: Log into the Accommodate portal.

Step 2: On the left-hand side, click on “Accommodation” and then “Supplemental.”

Step 3: Click “Add New” and complete the questions on the form. When finished, click “Submit.”

Step 4: Supply Provider Documentation.

You have two options for submitting documentation from your provider:

Preferred Method: Ask your provider* to complete the Housing Documentation Form.

*Provider Qualifications: Documentation must come from a licensed professional with whom the student has an established relationship. 

or

Alternative Method: Ask your provider to submit a documentation letter including the guidelines listed below under Housing Documentation Guidelines for Providers.

Step 5: Upload documentation into your Accommodate portal.

Step 6: Schedule intake meeting: After DAS reviews the student’s application and documents, the student will be emailed scheduling information for the required interactive intake meeting with DAS staff to discuss possible accommodations. If the student has not received this email within seven to 10 (7–10) business days of completing an application, the student should email das@whitman.edu. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule and attend this intake meeting in order to complete the accommodation process. Keep in mind that accommodations may be delayed if documentation is unavailable at the time of the meeting.

Step 7: Attend the Intake Meeting with the DAS specialist to discuss your disability and need for accommodations.

Additional notes:

1. Please be advised that a diagnosis of a medical or psychological condition does not automatically qualify the student for housing accommodations. After the interactive process with the student, and after a review of the student’s application and uploaded documentation, DAS makes the final decision about whether the accommodation is appropriate and reasonable. In some cases, alternative reasonable accommodations (other than those requested) may be offered.
2. Housing accommodations are specific to the Whitman campus and do not apply to study abroad programs.

Provider Documentation Form for Housing Accommodation

To ensure that the student’s request is considered, the documentation should meet the following requirements:

• Provider Qualifications: Documentation must come from a licensed professional with whom the student has an established relationship. 
• Letterhead: The documentation should be on the professional’s letterhead, including their license number with date and signature.
• Content: The document must include the following:

Part One: 

• A diagnosis and diagnosis code(s), a list of the DSM-5 or ICD-10 diagnostic criteria as the basis for the diagnosis.
• Date of diagnosis and length of treatment.
• A description of the disability and its impact on the student in a college residential environment.
• A description of what major life activity/activities are substantially impacted by the condition (e.g., walking, seeing, sleeping, etc.). 
• Severity of the disorder (mild, moderate, severe). 
• Frequency of impact on major life activities. 
• Duration of impact on major life activities. 
• Expected progression of the condition over time. 
• Assessment and evaluation procedures used to determine diagnosis.

Part Two: 

• Information about how the condition affects the student’s daily life, particularly in relation to the housing accommodation being requested.
• An explanation of how the accommodation will help to alleviate the disability’s impact.
• Recommendations from the professional explaining the need for the suggested housing accommodation.
• A description of current and past treatments, therapeutic techniques, assistive devices, medications, etc., used to ameliorate the impact of the disability. 
• Appropriate, specific recommendations for housing accommodations including a clear correlation between impacts on major life activities and requested recommendations for equal access (not success).