Philosophy
University Housing at the University of Michigan is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunity and full participation for students with disabilities and chronic health conditions. Students with sensory, mobility, learning, mental health disorder, and health disabilities are welcome in University-owned residence halls and Northwood Community Apartments, our graduate and family housing facility. We believe that the University is a place to develop and nurture new ideas and opinions, to learn about new people and cultures - all accomplished in an atmosphere of respect, understanding, and mutual support.

We maintain a perspective that all individuals with the same disability do not necessarily have the same needs, and that there are many disabilities with varying needs. We wish to discuss your needs for your living accommodations in order to be of assistance in making you as comfortable as possible with your surroundings as you begin your academic life at the University of Michigan. It is our goal to incorporate each student into residence hall life, or the Northwood community, as fully as possible.

History
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law enacted on July 26, 1990. The ADA prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in employment, government services and programs, transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunications. Discrimination on the basis of a disability is further prohibited at the University of Michigan by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Michigan Persons with Disability Civil Rights Act.

Since the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, University Housing has been progressively and continually developing as many of its existing facilities to be as accessible as possible. Of the 15 residence halls that University Housing operates, 11 sites have rooms that have been modified for wheelchair use and 13 have rooms with visual alarms/indicators for the deaf or hard of hearing. Northwood Housing has apartments that are wheelchair accessible or feature visual alarms/indicators for the deaf or hard of hearing.

Public entities are required to make all their programs, services, and activities accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, in addition to providing accessible facilities. The Michigan Learning Communities endeavor to make their opportunities in the residence halls accessible to and usable by all students.

Applying for University Housing
To ensure that you receive accommodations that meet your particular needs in a residence hall or in Northwood Housing, it is important that you contact a Housing Advisor to discuss your needs, even before applying for housing. If you are applying for our Northwood graduate and family housing, you should speak with a Housing Advisor, whether it is you or a member of your family who will be residing with you who has a disability. To speak to or meet with a Housing Advisor in the fully accessible Housing Information Office, call (734) 764-7400, fax (734) 764-6806, or e-mail housing@umich.edu. Our office is adjacent to the University's Huetwell Visitor Center in the Student Activities Building (SAB). In addition to consulting in our office, we can arrange for you to visit a room or two in the residence halls, or, possibly, an apartment in Northwood to determine if your needs would be met by a particular facility.

Whether you need a TTY or amplified telephone, or a door handle or additional handgrip in the bathroom, you will need to communicate that to a Housing Advisor so the items can be there when you move in.

We know that disabilities or chronic health conditions are not always apparent. University Housing is not responsible for accommodating disabilities or conditions of which we are unaware. Accommodations take time to arrange and University Housing must take into consideration a full range of such requests from many students, which can affect the allocation of resources. For these reasons, it is important that accommodation requests for pre-existing conditions be made at the time of application.

When you submit your Housing application, please provide us information regarding your disability or chronic health condition and submit the University Housing Documentation for Accommodation Needs form and attached clinical recommendations.

Please note: The Documentation form is an Adobe Acrobat Reader PDF file. You need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to read it. If you don't already have it, you can download it for free from Adobe.

The Documentation form asks for the clinician to give the date of initial and the most recent contacts and, on professional stationery, the diagnosis, functional limitations, recommendations regarding accommodation needs, and the justification for same. We will evaluate the information and recommendations in the submitted documentation, consulting as needed with the University's Services for Students with Disabilities, University Health Service, Counseling and Psychological Services, or other University departments that have considerable expertise in working with students with disabilities. If you are registered with the Services for Students with Disabilities, you may arrange a release of that information to the appropriate Housing Advisor. Submitting the above documentation is not a guarantee of receiving the recommended accommodations. The information you provide will be only shared with other relevant staff in a discreet and confidential manner and will be used only as permitted under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This information will have no bearing on your general eligibility for housing.

Students with disabilities are assigned roommates in the same manner as all other residence hall applicants, unless they specifically request a single and one is available at the time their application is processed.

Services for Residents with Disabilities or Chronic Health Conditions
Below we have listed some disabilities or chronic health conditions and addressed some questions you may have. Please contact a Housing Advisor if you need additional clarification, or for any further questions you may have.

Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma
Only University-provided air conditioners for the these conditions are allowed (others not permitted). Medical documentation is required. The fee is billed to the student's account.

• Fall/Winter: $365
• Spring: $300
• Summer: $320
• Spring/Summer: $460

Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Some Family Housing apartments and many of our residence halls have rooms with strobe light alarms/indicators for telephones, door signals, fire alarms, and smoke detectors. Associated residence hall corridor bathrooms also have visual fire alarms. TTY's and telephone amplifiers are available from us upon request.

Mobility Limitations
A number of rooms and bathrooms in the residence halls and some Northwood Community Apartments have been modified to accommodate persons who use wheelchairs. If you have a significant mobility limitation that requires accommodation, please contact a Housing Advisor as soon as possible to discuss your accommodation needs and preferences. Tours of some of the halls and rooms can be arranged. Very few residence hall rooms have private bathrooms.

Blind or Visually Impaired
Trained companion dogs are permitted in University Housing if your companion dog has certified training papers and they are submitted with your Housing application. You are responsible for your dog's care, including clean-up. Visual equipment can take up a significant amount of space, so we want to be sure to secure accommodations for you that have adequate space and an optimum campus location.

Other Disabilities or Chronic Health Conditions
If you have accommodation needs for chronic health conditions or mental health disorders we will need documentation and recommendations from the appropriate health care provider in order to provide the most appropriate accommodation for you. Please feel free to talk confidentially with a Housing Advisor about your specific needs.

University Services
Services for Students with Disabilities is responsible for the coordination of University programs and services for qualified applicants for admission and enrolled students with disabilities who need accommodation. Please contact them at (G-664 Haven Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1045), telephone (734) 763-3000 (TTY), or visit their website.