Residential Living seeks to provide clean, safe, and healthy living environments that enhance and support the educational mission, goals, and creed of WCU. We understand that some students may need disability-related accommodations or special considerations to ensure an equitable experience while at WCU.
Western Carolina University is committed to providing equal access to housing for all students living on campus with qualifying disabilities. Toward this goal, WCU provides accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Fair Housing Act, and other applicable laws.
Step 1: Make sure you have completed your Residence Hall Agreement in the Housing Portal.
Step 2: Register with OAR and complete your Housing Accommodations Application.
Step 3: Upload documentation with your Housing Accommodations Application. Note: Do not send any medical documentation to Residential Living.
Step 4: The Housing Accommodations Committee will review complete requests (that have all documentation) twice per semester—before room assignments are made and once again during the semester. Requests that are submitted and/or documentation received outside of published deadlines will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and might not be approved for the current semester.
OAR will notify you and Residential Living of the committee’s determination. Residential Living will review available housing options and discuss your assignment with you.
Please note: Neither the presence of a disability nor approval for a housing accommodation guarantees on-campus housing or a specific roommate. At times, students may have to forgo a preferred roommate to receive a housing assignment that meets their approved accommodation.
Housing accommodation requests are determined on a case-by-case basis with respect to sufficient documentation that meets University guidelines.
Documentation should be provided by a licensed health or mental health provider with knowledge of the student and must include the diagnosed disability (definition: a mental or physical condition that limits one or more life activities), the functional limitations (impact) of that disability, and MOST IMPORTANTLY a description of how the requested accommodation mitigates, alleviates, or otherwise is necessary to accommodate the impact of that disability. This determination should be based upon access (equal opportunity for participation) and not on a perceived benefit to the student.
Accommodations for various disabilities and chronic conditions can take time to implement. It is important that accommodation requests for pre-existing conditions be made at the time of application for housing. Requests for accommodations (including ESA requests) should be made well in advance of room assignments. Once housing assignments are made, requests are subject to availability and other constraints.
Housing accommodations are evaluated by a committee, and space is limited in on-campus housing, therefore requests must be made by the following deadlines:
Requests for Academic Year Assignments (Occupancy starting in Fall) – June 1
Requests for Spring Room Assignments – November 1
Requests for Summer Housing – May 15
If you are making your request outside of these deadlines, please state in your comments the reason for the late request. Late requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis if there is a disability-related reason for the missed deadline (such as: the disability impact only recently made the requested accommodation necessary). Otherwise, the request will be considered for the following semester and will be subject to availability.
Western Carolina University is committed to providing equal access to housing for all students living on campus with qualifying disabilities. True to our mission to create inclusive communities, Residential Living permits qualified service and assistance animals (i.e. Emotional Support Animals/ESAs) in all residential facilities.
Step 1: Make sure you have completed your Residence Hall Agreement in the Housing Portal.
Step 2: Register with OAR and complete your Housing Accommodations Application.
Step 3: If your request is for an ESA, you will receive an additional form to complete: Student Request for ESA.
This form asks specific information regarding the animal and asks you to list a Reliable Medical Professional who can provide documentation in support of your request. Your application will not be processed until this form is received. Please note that YOU must complete and sign this form and a different form will be sent directly to the provider. Your signature on this form serves as a release of information for the provider. The provider does not sign this form.
The provider MUST be a reliable mental health or medical professional in NC or your home state who has personally seen you and can verify: 1) the presence of a mental health disability (not just a diagnosis) that severely limits one or more major life activities; 2) what are the functional limitations of that disability (how it limits you); and 3) a description of how the animal is necessary to alleviate or mitigate symptoms or impact of that disability.
Please note that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been asked to investigate websites that purport to provide documentation from a health care provider in support of requests for an ESA. The websites in question offer (for sale) documentation that is not reliable for purposes of determining whether an individual has a disability or disability-related need for an ESA because the website operators and health care professionals who consult with them lack personal knowledge of the student and do not provide the information that is necessary to make such determinations.
Step 4: The Housing Accommodations Committee will review complete requests (that have all documentation) twice per semester. Requests that are submitted and/or documentation received outside of deadlines will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and might not be approved for the current semester.
If the request is approved by the OAR, Residential Living will contact you to request required vaccinations and to review policies and responsibilities of the animal owner. If the request is denied, you will be contacted with the reason for the denial. You can appeal this decision to the OAR.
An ESA is an animal that has a therapeutic relationship with a person with a disability. It is not a way to get a pet to live with you in on-campus housing. Therefore, approval for an ESA is for a specific animal. Approval through OAR is not the end of the process: Residential Living has additional rules and requirements for ESAs. The ESA is NOT to be in on-campus housing until Residential Living has given approval.