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Disability-Related Housing and Dining Accommodations

Wake Forest University views living on campus as integral to a liberal arts education and the Wake Forest experience. As such, the University has a six-semester residency requirement.

Residence Life and Housing has a wide variety of housing and dining options, and provides reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities who require housing and/or dining accommodations. The University offers a range of residential facilities with varying configurations and construction, including traditional residence hall rooms with community bathrooms, as well as suites and apartments featuring private or limited-access bathrooms and kitchens equipped with full-size appliances.

Requests for accommodations are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by our Housing Accommodation Review Committee (HARC). The committee is comprised of staff from the Office of Residence Life and Housing, Deacon Health, the University Counseling Center, and the Center for Learning, Access, and Student Success.

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DEADLINES AND TIMELINES

Students may only submit requests for semesters in which housing processes are currently active.

  • Typically, Fall (or Academic Year) requests will begin being accepted in late January or early February when the next academic year housing application opens.
  • Similarly, Spring-Only requests will begin being accepted in late October when Spring-Only processes open.

The deadlines below are set to ensure Committee review prior to our housing assignment/selection processes.

Requests received after the stated deadline will be reviewed; however, accommodations are subject to the availability of housing.

  • For the Fall term, current students should submit a request and provide complete documentation for consideration by February 28th, and incoming students by July 1st.
  • For the Spring term, current and incoming students should submit a request and provide complete documentation for consideration by November 15th.

Students will receive an automated confirmation once they upload the required documentation and should expect follow-up from Residence Life and Housing staff within three weeks.

IMPORTANT PROCESS INFORMATION

HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS

  • A release from the University’s residency requirement is generally not considered a reasonable accommodation. Most housing accommodations can be made among the facilities on campus. In the request process, students should specify their housing needs (e.g. single room, limited use kitchen), not a preference for “off-campus”.
  • Recent renovations and updates are designed to enhance comfort and support healthy indoor air quality for all residents. With these improvements and residents’ ongoing attention to cleanliness, all residence halls are now equipped to provide the same high standard of indoor air quality. As a result, it is no longer necessary to designate specific residence halls for individuals with particular sensitivities.
  • Typically, a diagnosis of ADHD or other learning disabilities will not, by themselves, adequately support requests for disability-related housing accommodations.  Students who need academic accommodations must contact the Center for Learning, Access, and Student Success.
  • Typically, a food allergy will not sufficiently support the need for disability-related housing accommodations. Students with airborne allergies and a documented history of severe allergic reactions are encouraged to continue with the disability-related accommodation process.

DINING ACCOMMODATIONS

Typically, only in situations where Harvest Table cannot reasonably accommodate a student’s documented disability-related needs will a release from the meal plan requirement be considered a reasonable accommodation.

Before requesting a dining accommodation, students should begin with a conversation with Harvest Table’s Health and Wellbeing Manager (Andrea Carlisle | carlisle-andrea@harvesttableculinary.com) to discuss their dietary needs. Additional information about Harvest Table’s approach to food allergies can be found HERE.

Existing support from Harvest Table includes: 

  • Dedicated Allergen-Safe Stations: Allgood is our allergen-friendly station located in the Pit, offering fresh, balanced meals made without the top 9 allergens, prepared with dedicated equipment in a separate kitchen area. Staff are specially trained in allergen safety, and strict protocols ensure safe preparation.
  • Allergen Protocols in Preparation & Service: All of our team members are trained regularly in allergen awareness, cross-contact prevention, and communication best practices.
  • Menu Transparency: Ingredients and allergens are labeled on our online menu platform and in dining locations. You can filter online menus based on which allergens you need to exclude. 
  • Stress-less pantry: The Stress Less Pantry, located in the Pit, provides a dedicated space with certified gluten-free and dairy-alternative products, plus a separate toaster, fridge, and microwave for students with food allergies. It’s especially helpful for those avoiding gluten and/or dairy.
  • Made without Peanuts and Tree nuts: Our main residential dining facility, the Pit, does not serve any peanuts or tree nuts, except coconut.
  • Ongoing Dietitian Support: Students can utilize our campus dietitian for one-on-one support, meal planning guidance, and to address any dining-related concerns as they arise.

If Harvest Table is unable to accommodate a student’s disability-related needs, they will advise the student to begin the Disability-Related Accommodation process. As a part of this process, the Housing Accommodation Review Committee (HARC) will consult with the Harvest Table Health and Wellbeing Manager to understand any engagement with the students and the limits of Harvest Table’s potential accommodation.

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REQUESTING A DISABILITY-RELATED ACCOMMODATION

  1. Students begin the process by submitting a Disability-Related Housing/Dining Accommodation Request on our Housing Portal at go.wfu.edu/housingportal.
  2. After submitting their request, students will be able to upload the required documentation via the Housing Portal as well. A request is not considered complete until documentation has been uploaded.
  3. Requesting accommodations and submitting documentation will begin the review and interactive process to determine the accommodations a student will receive. Requests for accommodations are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by our Housing Accommodation Review Committee (HARC). The committee is comprised of staff from the Office of Residence Life and Housing, Deacon Health, the University Counseling Center, and the Center for Learning, Access, and Student Success.
    • Note that submitting a request and documentation does not guarantee that the requested accommodations will be granted.
    • The diagnosis of a medical condition in and of itself does not automatically qualify a student for accommodations.
    • HARC may recommend reasonable alternatives to requested accommodations. Accommodations that would impose an undue administrative or financial burden on the University are not considered reasonable.
    • The University may also deny requests that reflect mere preferences for a specific room or roommate assignment.
  4. Following the Committee’s review, a staff member will email you with a prompt to set up an appointment to discuss any recommended accommodations or necessary follow-up. During your appointment, you will discuss your accommodations with a staff member as part of an interactive process; our staff will also discuss housing selection timelines/processes with you at this time as necessary.
    • Unless communicated otherwise, all accommodations are recommended on an academic year basis and will require renewal for future academic years.
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ACCOMMODATION HOUSING ASSIGNMENTS

UPCOMING YEAR ASSIGNMENTS

Students with approved accommodations for the upcoming academic year are assigned prior to our housing assignment processes.

  • For continuing students with approved accommodations for the upcoming academic year, our assignments team will be in touch during the spring semester to schedule a time to discuss your accommodation(s) and upcoming housing ahead of Housing Selection.
    • To be fair to all of our students, it is generally not possible for someone with an accommodation to pull in an entire group. Our team works with students on a case-by-case basis based on their recommended accommodation(s).
    • Rising sophomores are unable to pull in other students, as this cannot be guaranteed in the general rising sophomore selection experience.
  • For incoming students, our assignments team will pre-assign you based on the approved accommodations before assigning other incoming students.

Students with disabilities approved for housing accommodations will not be automatically charged the published room rate, but rather, will be charged the room rate they would have incurred but for their disability.

ASSIGNMENTS DURING THE SEMESTER (OR AFTER DEADLINES)

Students who are approved for an accommodation after the stated deadlines or during the semester will be contacted by a member of our team to discuss available options and the timing of any room changes.

As a reminder, our ability to meet accommodations during these periods is subject to the availability of housing.

DECLINING AN ACCOMMODATION

Students may choose to decline their accommodation. In this case, students will participate in our standard assignment or selection processes.

Students who wish to seek housing that does not align with their approved accommodation on file will need to do so via our selection processes. At this point, the student has declined their accommodation.

For example: If a student has accommodation for a single room but wants to live at Deacon Place (single room w/ private bath), then they would need to go through the selection process and may or may not be able to select Deacon Place based on their selection time.

After declining an accommodation, if a student later needs an accommodation, they must go through the request process outlined above.

QUESTIONS?

Please contact Residence Life and Housing at housing@wfu.edu or 336.758.5185 for further information.