The Office of Accessible Education reviews all housing accommodation requests made to the Housing Accommodations Review Team (HART) for a disability or health-related reason.
Throughout the HART process, OAE works interactively with students to understand their needs, explore supports, and determine the reasonable accommodations that will give them full and equal access to the residential life options that all Williams students enjoy. Please note that OAE can only identify reasonable housing accommodations — we cannot provide tailored housing options or guarantee placement in specific dorms. Specific room assignments are coordinated by the Office of Campus Life and depend on availability.
Housing accommodation requests need to be renewed every year and must be initiated by the deadlines indicated by the Office of Campus Life (usually in late January for the following academic year).
Requests made after the accommodation request deadline or general housing selection process in the spring will still be considered and, if approved, will be fulfilled if space permits. Requests made after the start of the fall semester will be considered for the following semester and, if approved, will be fulfilled sooner if space is available.
The HART Process
To request housing accommodations for a disability or health-related issue:
Step 1: Submit an initial housing accommodation form through the Housing Portal.
If you select the “Disability/Medical/Psychological” category, you will receive an automatic email from our office outlining next steps, including where to submit your request to OAE and what documentation is required from your healthcare provider.
Step 2: Gather documentation from your healthcare provider.
Documentation from a licensed healthcare professional is an important part of the accommodation request process. It provides OAE staff with a deeper understanding of the particular barriers and challenges a student faces, allowing us to be better partners in removing and mitigating these barriers. Documentation will be kept confidential within the accommodations process.
To make sure OAE receives the information that is most helpful in determining accommodations, please ask your provider to complete our Documentation of Disability form. A signed letter on professional letterhead that addresses the same prompts can substitute.
Step 3: Submit an accommodation request form to OAE through Accommodate.
Follow one of these two paths, depending on whether you already have a case file in Accommodate:
If you already have accommodations through OAE, log in to Accommodate and complete a Supplemental Request Form (Accommodation > Supplemental > Add New) to begin a new request or renew previous housing accommodations.
If you have never had accommodations with OAE, complete this Accommodation Request Form to open a case file and begin your request.
On your request form, please be sure to state:
- the disability or health condition you are experiencing
- the housing accommodation(s) you are requesting, and
- the reason for requesting this accommodation(s)
More information can be shared in your accommodation meeting with OAE.
Step 3: Schedule a meeting with an OAE staff member to discuss your request.
Once you have submitted your request form and documentation, please schedule a meeting with us so that we can make sure we fully understand your needs and discuss next steps. Scheduling links were included with the automatic email you received in Step 1, or you can email [email protected] to request a meeting.
Please note that we cannot make a determination about your housing accommodations until we receive both your request form and documentation from your provider, and we have had a chance to meet with you.
Because of our tight timeline in reviewing accommodation requests and communicating our recommendations to the HART committee before the Housing selection process begins, please submit your Accommodate form and documentation within 14 days of initiating your request in the Housing Portal. Requests that have not been completed after 14 days may be closed. If you need more time to submit your request form or documentation, please email [email protected] to request an extension before the 14-day deadline.