Campus and Housing Accessibility

Purpose

Hope College is a residential college. We are committed, by choice, to be a living-learning community. The residential environment directly connects to the mission of the college and a student’s persistence, engagement in learning activities, and their sense of safety and belonging. Housing accommodations provide access to these same residential and housing opportunities. Students qualify for accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), or the Fair Housing Act as a student with a disability and must provide documentation of their condition.

Residential Life & Housing has a wide variety of housing and dining options. Reasonable accommodations are approved to students with disabilities when there are barriers to access these options. Housing facilities include a variety of residence halls, apartments and cottages that consist primarily of shared living spaces with different accessibility features.

Function

• Disability accommodations are deemed reasonable under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act if they are necessary to mitigate a barrier to ensure equal access to the same opportunities as provided to all Hope College students.
• Accommodations are reasonable when they include the student in the same opportunities everyone else has. Accommodations are not reasonable if they provide students with disabilities exemption from the responsibilities or expectations the college holds for everyone else.
• Accommodations are not considered reasonable if they are only to increase chances for success. The college certainly wants all of its students to succeed; however, now that the student is an adult, success is the responsibility of the student, not the institution.
• Accommodations may guarantee assignment to a specific accessibility feature, not a specific room or residence.
• Accommodations are made within the context of the three-year on-campus residential policy and are not contingent on other students. We do not approve off-campus requests as an accommodation. 

ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES

• Air conditioning and/or carpet free room
• Access to an elevator and/or accessible shower
• Close proximity to a bathroom and/or a semi-private bathroom
• Single room (see below)
• Visual fire alarms and/or bed shaker

ANIMALS

Animals that are needed for a disability are permitted in indoor spaces on campus. Please review the Hope College Animal Policy and the Guidelines for Assistance and Service Animals for more information. 

MEAL PLAN MODIFICATIONS

We are deeply committed to the full participation of students with disabilities in all aspects of college life, including dining experiences. All students living in residence halls are required to purchase a meal plan. In certain situations, students may need to request special meal plan accommodations. Please review the meal plan modification webpage for more information. 

SINGLE ROOM

Living on campus is an important part of the Hope College experience. We believe that living in community provides significant opportunities for students to learn and grow during their time at Hope. Student housing has a limited number of single rooms available. For this reason, DAR reserves single rooms for students with documented and substantial needs and for whom a standard housing assignment with a roommate is not viable. Please review the single-room accommodation webpage for more information. 

TEMPORARY IMPAIRMENTS

Students who experience injuries, surgeries, extended illness, or any other sudden medical condition may need temporary academic, housing or facility-related accommodations. Whenever possible, DAR and Residential Life & Housing will arrange for any necessary changes to student housing in order to accommodate unexpected accessibility needs. Contact DAR by emailing dar@hope.edu if you are experiencing a condition that requires temporary accommodations. Due to space limitations, the college does not guarantee that requests can be honored at any given time. Students should work with healthcare providers to secure necessary mobility aids for recovery (e.g. crutches, knee scooter, wheelchair, temporary disability placard for your vehicle, etc.). Transportation offers on-campus medical escorts for students whose mobility is impacted.

PROCESS

When a student has a medical or psychological condition that requires assignment to a residence with a specific type of accessibility feature, they should submit a housing accommodation request to Disability and Accessibility Resources (DAR). Requests completed and approved by priority deadlines are guaranteed to be fulfilled. Any requests completed and approved after priority deadlines are fulfilled as space becomes available.

Requesting on-campus housing accommodation(s) for a disability includes:

If you have never worked with DAR before:

1. Submit a Request for Access
2. Schedule to meet with Carrie or Jeanne to review your request
3. Provide sufficient documentation from a qualified professional to verify the need for the requested accommodation
4. Decisions regarding new requests for housing accommodations are typically made within 3-4 weeks after receiving all required information

If you have previously been approved for housing accommodations:

1. Sign into Accommodate with your 1Hope User ID and password and submit a semester request (Fall and Spring semesters) for the housing accommodations you will be requesting for the following academic year
2. For returning students, a face-to-face meeting may not be necessary, and we will contact you to let you know
3. Updated documentation is sometimes requested, but we will let you know if this will be needed

Please note that the diagnosis of a medical/psychological condition and a physician’s or therapist’s recommendation does not automatically qualify a student for disability-related housing accommodations. Healthcare providers’ recommendations are considered in the overall decision making process; however, not all medical conditions and resulting functional limitations (the way in which a condition limits or impacts a person) require housing accommodations. DAR evaluates housing accommodation requests and determines what is necessary for the student to access and live in college housing. 

Requests for single rooms, access to a kitchen and meal plan modifications undergo a secondary review by the Housing Accommodation Committee (HAC). HAC is comprised of staff from DAR and Residential Life & Housing. Other offices that may be consulted when appropriate include Counseling and Psychological Services, the Health Center, Creative Dining Services and the Dean of Students.