How we make medical (ADA) accommodations
The University of Iowa and University Housing and Dining is committed to providing equitable opportunities in higher education and programs for academically qualified students regardless of disability.
Students with a variety of disabilities and chronic medical conditions are welcome and encouraged to live on-campus and we value the contributions all students make during their time living with us.
Housing on our campus is intended for students who do not need adult supervision and can successfully live on their own. We understand that student needs differ individually and our team works to make reasonable accommodations for any student with a disability.
How it works
Our team will work with any student who requests housing or dining accommodations on an individual basis.
- Submit the Accommodation Request Form along with documentation from your health care provider.
- Prospective students: submit your housing application first — we can't review accommodation requests without one on file. Please don't send clinic notes.
- Submit by the priority deadline that applies to you (see table below).
- Requests submitted after the deadline are still reviewed, but accommodations are filled as space allows.
- We'll review your request together with Student Disability Services.
- We'll email your UIOWA address with an outcome and an acceptance deadline.
It is important to communicate early and thoroughly with University Housing and Dining staff to ensure your needs can be met most effectively.
Once approved, you don't need to resubmit your request each year; it stays on file for as long as you live in the residence halls. If your needs have changed and you need to make adjustments, please contact our office 319-335-3000 or uhd-ada@uiowa.edu.
Priority Deadlines for New Requests
Student/Situation | Deadline |
| New Student | May 1 |
| Returning Student | February 1 |
| Spring Semester | December 1 |
| Summer Semester | May 1 |
Prospective students:
For full consideration of a housing accommodation, please return your documentation to the Contracts and Assignments Office after you have submitted your housing application. We are unable to review your request until there is a housing application submitted. Please do not submit clinic notes.
Current students:
May submit a written request at any time while they live in the residence halls, however, options for an accommodation may be limited by space availability.
Request an Accommodation
Submit a request for a reasonable accommodation by filling out our form.
What we offer
Once your documentation has been evaluated and verified as medically necessary, you will be offered an accommodation via email to be accepted by the deadline provided. Accommodations commonly offered to students may include room accommodations, dining accommodations and assistance animals.
All of our residence halls are equipped with a variety of air conditioning methods. Each room will have air conditioning available during the months that cooling is needed, allowing windows to remain closed. Leaving windows closed assists in reducing allergens but it does not resolve issues completely. Many students with environmental allergies find relief with allergy medicine and/or a personal air purifier.
If you need an accommodation that does not impact your housing or dining situation, you will need to contact Student Disability Services. We require completion of a separate form and additional documentation as it specifically relates to your housing assignment. If you are requesting accommodations from both offices, please make sure to have the appropriate paperwork submitted to each department.
Common accommodations
Residence hall room accommodations
Residence hall room accommodations commonly offered to students include:
- Ability to bring or rent more than one MicroFridge refrigerator for medical supplies. Refrigerators approved for accommodations are not provided by University Housing and Dining.
- Rooms and/or restrooms that accommodate wheelchairs or other mobility devices.
- Bed de-lofted prior to moving into the room.
- Evacuation plan for emergencies.
- Strobe light fire alarm for students with hearing loss.
- Ground floor room or room on a lower floor.
- Kitchen access for individual meal preparation.
- Pillow shakers for students with hearing loss.
- Proximity reader access to automatically open doors.
- Semi-private restroom.
- Strobe light, flashing fire alarm and/or doorbell.
Adjustments to a student's housing assignment due to health-related symptoms that do not rise to the level of a significant disabling condition, such as living with a particular roommate, religious practices, proximity to academic/campus buildings, or a desire for a quiet/undisturbed place to study, are considered housing preferences. Housing preferences cannot be accommodated through the ADA/Medical accommodations process.
Dining accommodations
Dining accommodations commonly offered to students include:
- Help navigating the market places.
- Discussion about dietary questions and specific nutrition needs.
- Having staff meals prepared in the kitchen to limit the possibility of cross-contact for allergy-related concerns.
If you are in need of a nutrition-related accommodation, please contact the dining nutrition specialist. For additional questions, please contact Laura Croteau-Lopez, RD, LD, our nutrition specialist at uhd-dietitian@uiowa.edu.
Assistance animal accommodations
Assistance animals within University Housing and Dining may be either service animals or emotional support animals. Service animals are recognized under the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), and are animals that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability. Emotional support animals are not recognized by the ADA, and are prescribed by a licensed healthcare professional to provide therapeutic benefits to a person with a disability.
Assistance animals are not pets. Pets are animals kept for leisure and companionship, and therefore, are not permitted in University Housing and Dining.
University Housing and Dining may exclude an assistance animal from the residence halls if it poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others, would cause substantial physical damage to the property of others, or would fundamentally alter the nature of University Housing.
Assistance animal approval process
- You submit the accommodation form above. You will also need to include a statement from your health care practitioner regarding the specific accommodation required.
- Once approved, you will be emailed documentation to submit regarding your assistance animal. You will need to fill out and send back to us the following forms:
- Assistance animal request form
- Veterinarian verification form
- A photo of the animal
- A copy of the animal’s Johnson County license (for approved cats and dogs)
- A copy of the current vaccination records
- After all documentation has been verified, you will meet with someone from our team to review and sign the guidelines and expectations form for assistance animals.
- The date the animal is approved to enter the building will be determined.
- Our team will notify the residence hall community of the assistance animal and provide expectations for engagement.
Request academic accommodations
Housing accommodations are separate from accommodations that help you navigate your academic experience at Iowa. Learn what accommodations are appropriate for you.
Questions?
We are here to help you find what you need. You can reach out to our team at 319-335-3000 or email uhd-ada@uiowa.edu.