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Policy Statement

Residential living is central to the learning environment for all GW students. Living within a community and learning to share space and be considerate of others is considered a crucial part of that learning experience. As the GW Housing Programs offers a wide variety of residence hall options, most students secure desired assignments through the standard housing selection process. Students with specific disability-related needs, however, may request consideration for an accommodation with housing assignment to support the availability of any required configuration in their placement.

Requests for a disability housing accommodation must be supported by documentation that relates the current impact of the student's condition to the accommodation request. The desire to have a quiet, undisturbed place to study, for example, is insufficient to warrant single housing as an accommodation.

Procedures

• All new students requesting on-campus housing must complete an online Housing Application.
• All returning students requesting on-campus housing must complete an online iHousing form.
• All transfer students requesting on-campus housing must complete an online Transfer Application

Requests for a disability housing accommodation must be received by Disability Support Services (DSS) in advance of the timeline for iHousing submission of assignment preferences, or in the case of new students, in conjunction with the submission of the Freshman Housing Application or iHousing Form. All requests must be supported by documentation in compliance with Section 504/ADA and DSS registration protocol. Students will usually be notified of the status of their request within ten business days of receipt of all required documents. Given limitations with the availability of assignment specifications that may be deemed appropriate, freshman and sophomore students may apply for an exemption from the residency requirement.

Once a student has been deemed eligible for a disability housing accommodation and, as long as the student's needs remain the same, GW Housing Programs will make every effort to accommodate the student in a similar manner for his/her remaining years in residence. Variable or changing conditions may periodically require updated or supplemental documentation. Please note that the University does not guarantee housing for juniors and seniors.
 

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a disability housing accommodation, students must provide the appropriate documentation. Documentation consists of an evaluation by a qualified professional that relates the current impact of the condition to the request, along with a completed DSS registration form. To aid in the evaluation process, documentation must include:

1. an assessment of the condition or need that is the basis of the request;
2. a clear description of the required housing configuration;
3. an explanation of how the request relates to the impact of the condition; and
4. an indication of the level of need for the recommended configuration (and the consequence of not receiving).

DSS will review requests for disability housing accommodations and provide the student and GW Housing Programs with a written recommendation. If the criteria are met, GW Housing Programs will determine the specific housing assignment and notify the student of his/her room assignment. All information will be kept confidential.

Evaluation of Housing Requests

All requests for need-based housing assignments are reviewed carefully. Below is a summary of the factors considered when evaluating housing requests:

Severity of the condition:

1. Is the impact of the condition life threatening if the request is not met?
2. Is there a negative health impact if the request is not met?
3. Is the request an integral component of a treatment plan for the condition in question?

Timing of the request:

1. Was the request filed before the published deadline?

For clarification relative to this policy, call or email DSS at (202) 994-8250 or dss[at]gwu[dot]edu. For more information about campus housing, call GW Housing Programs at (202) 994-2552.