Housing Accommodations

Students who want to request accommodations in their on campus living environment due to a disability need, must submit an accommodations request and register with Disability Resources (DR) as part of the process for making an accommodations request for the residence halls and apartments managed by the Department of Residence Life (on-campus housing).

Requests for accommodations in off-campus housing (housing not owned or managed by Texas A&M University) should be made directly to the property manager.  For more guidance in the off campus housing search and accommodations process please read more about resources for off campus housing.

How to make an on campus housing accommodations request:

1. The student must have applied and have been already accepted to Texas A&M University.
2. The student should submit their application for on-campus housing through the Department of Residence Life.
3. If a student makes an accommodations request directly to the Department of Residence Life based on disability need, they will be referred to the Department of Disability Resources to complete the Accommodations Request Process.
4. The student should provide documentation of their disability that supports the need for the requested housing accommodation(s) to Disability Resources.
5. Disability Resources will review the documentation and then assign an Access Coordinator (AC) to work with the student.
6. If the documentation supports the requested need, the AC with gather detailed information from the student related to their housing needs and the DR Housing Liaison staff member will forward a Housing Accommodations Request verification form on behalf of the student to the Department of Residence Life.
   • If the housing request is not supported by the documentation, the Access Coordinator will contact the student to notify them of the decision or to request additional documentation.
7. Once the Housing Accommodations Request verification form is reviewed by the Department of Residence Life, the Housing Assignments staff will notify the student of their placement or may contact the student to gather more information and discuss their options.

Types of Accommodations:

Examples of housing accommodations requests that can be made include, but may not be limited to:

• Wheelchair Accessible Room: The room is on an accessible floor (ground floor or accessible by elevator) and the furniture is moveable.  Also, the door to the room may have an automatic door opener.  This room may also have a roll-in shower. 
• Wheelchair Accessible Toilet/Sink: A sink that a wheelchair can fit under; usually no higher than 34” in height with minimum cabinet space underneath for knee clearance.
• Remote Control Access: A door used for human passage that is equipped with a power-operated mechanism and controls, that helps to open the door automatically or relieves the opening resistance of a door upon receiving a signal.
• Private Bedroom: A bedroom that is not shared between roommates.
• Private Bathroom: A bathroom that is not shared between roommates.  This accommodation may be needed by someone that has chronic illness such as Crohn’s disease but is not limited to this.
• Semi-Private Bathroom: A bathroom that is shared between two people.  This bathroom is enclosed within the living space itself.  Most commonly available in modular type halls.
• Roll-in Shower (no lip): Have no barriers and a wheelchair could easily roll in to it.
• Strobe Light Fire Alarm: A flash lamp that produces high-intensity short-duration light pulses; may be used to aid students with hearing impairments during emergency situations.
• Braille Signage: A system of writing and printing for blind or visually impaired people, in which varied arrangements of raised dots representing letters and numerals are identified by touch.
• First Floor Room or Elevator Access: Room that does not require the use of stairs.
  • Note: the majority of residence halls do not have elevators.
• Service Animal: Service animal means any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to people or sounds, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.
• Emotional Support Animal (ESA): An ESA is an animal that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability.  For more information, please review our FAQ on Emotional Support Animals.
• Access for Personal Attendant(s): A student needing a personal attendant should discuss this with their Access Coordinator.  Texas A&M University does not provide, but can consult with the student, in the process to find a personal attendant.

Housing accommodations are handled on a first come, first served basis.  Once on campus housing assignments have been assigned (usually in late April/early May for the Fall semester admits), there may be limited (or no) options left for on-campus housing that will meet accommodation needs.  Spring and summer availability, are also usually limited.

About Off Campus Housing

Off Campus Student Services provides resources to TAMU students to aid them in searching for off campus housing.

• General Off Campus Housing Resources
• AggieSearch– an online database of off campus housing options and roommate listings.
  • Accessibility information is included in the listings, if provided by the listing agency/person.
    • Many apartment complexes offer or are willing to make modifications for accessibility needs. Be sure to contact them in advance to discuss potential needs prior to signing a lease.
  • Many listings will indicate if the location is on or near a TAMU Bus Route.