Policy
UNC Asheville will provide reasonable housing accommodations for qualifying students registered with the Office of Academic Accessibility when requested. The deadline for requesting modified housing accommodations is the same as the priority deadline for the housing application. Each request will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Documentation must be presented to the Office of Academic Accessibility and is used in the determination of reasonable accommodations. The staff of the Office of Academic Accessibility is responsible for the reviewing of documentation and all information will remain confidential. The provision of documentation of a disability does not guarantee housing accommodations.
Procedure
A housing application must be completed and on file with the UNC Asheville Office of Residential Education and Housing Operations. Visit their website at housing.unca.edu or call (828)251-6700 for more information. Then, complete the Student Application, and provide the required documentation. All documentation will be kept within the Office of Academic Accessibility and will not be part of the Housing Operations file.
Note: The intent to request housing accommodations included by the student on the OAA Student Application DOES NOT take the place of the housing application required by the UNC Asheville Office of Residential Education and Housing Operations.
Procedures for Assistance Animals in Housing
*To ensure appropriate housing can be arranged, students who require Service Animals should, as with all accommodated housing requests, notify the Office of Academic Accessibility concurrently with submitting a housing application. Emotional Support, Companion and/or Therapy Animals are not considered Service Animals under the ADA, but are considered a reasonable accommodation under the Fair Housing Act.
Students seeking an Emotional Support Animal should view our Emotional Support Animal page for complete information on how to request an Emotional Support Animal. While disability may be disclosed at any time, in order to allow for reasonable planning for the presence of an ESA, requests made prior to the of June 1 (for fall semester requests) and December 1 (for spring semester requests) deadline will be prioritized. ESA requests made after the first day of the semester will require additional documentation from the student’s mental health provider regarding the urgency of the request.
Dining Accommodations
It is important to UNC Asheville that students maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. As an integral part of this effort, Dining Services works to nourish students with local and sustainable options to suit most student preferences. In addition to offering consultation with the Universities on-site Registered Dietitian, Dining Services provides the following resources and information to assist students in making good choices: Where to eat?, Today’s Menu, and FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) Dining Services as well as other resources.
Neither UNC Asheville nor Dining Services are able to accommodate all student preferences or waive meal plans based on food preference(s). The University and Dining Services will provide reasonable dining services/required meal plan accommodations for students with medically documented food allergies or dietary disabilities registered with the Office of Academic Accessibility when requested.
After reviewing the above information, students will meet with UNC Asheville’s Registered Dietitian to discuss options available to meet their dietary needs. Following this meeting, if the student would like to request accommodations related to the required meal plan, they should complete the Student Application to make their request. Documentation of the disability should be provided, as it pertains to the request for accommodation. The Office of Academic Accessibility will be responsible for the review of documentation, but will consult with the campus dietitian and other campus professionals as needed. All information provided to the Office of Academic Accessibility will remain private within the office.