Request Accommodations

Are you requesting accommodations for the first time as a Wingate University student? If so, you’ll need to complete the disability support request form to apply for academic and non-academic accommodations.

Accommodations Request Form

Academic accommodations are related to learning and evaluation in an academic program or class. Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Extended time for tests
• Note-taking support
• Use of a computer to type an essay test
• Use of an interpreter

Non-academic accommodations for on-campus jobs, facilities and services might include:

• Removal of physical barriers
• Housing placement
• Use of an interpreter
• Other modifications for participation in university activities and services such as university committee meetings and judicial proceedings

The first step in receiving accommodations is for you to self-disclose a disability and provide documentation to support it. And don’t worry, all documentation is kept confidential in The Office of Disability Support Services.

Accommodation Request Form

Just keep these eight guidelines in mind regarding disability documentation:

1. The documentation you provide should be current.
2. Documentation must be comprehensive. Make sure your documentation includes a clear and specific diagnosis as well as an explanation of current, functional limitations or barriers to access.
3. Assessment of learning must be done using adult norms.
4. Documentation for any disability must have been conducted by a professional qualified to do so for the particular disability. The licensed practitioner should not be a family member.
5. Accommodations and services are based on assessment of the current impact on academic performance or access to the university’s programs, facilities and services. An IEP, 504 plan or summary letter alone is insufficient to establish eligibility for disability support services.
6. In the case of physical, health-related, psychiatric, head/brain injury and other disabilities, the documentation provided must include at minimum: a diagnostic statement with the date of the diagnosis, the current level of functioning and a description of limitations as they relate to the university’s physical and educational environment.
7. The Office of Disability Support Services will review your documentation to determine if/which accommodations will be made.

Please note that the approval of an Assistance Animal may not result in a single room accommodation in regards to housing assignments. The Office of Disability Support Services does not make housing assignments. 

Assistance Animal Request Form

Assistance Animals

Any student with a disability shall be permitted to have his or her Assistance Animal accompany him or her  to all campus facilities that are generally open to students, faculty and staff, including residence halls. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as Assistance Animals. Should the student wish to bring their Assistance Animal, they must submit an Accommodation Request Form to register the Animal with Disability Support Services 30 days prior to the animal arriving on campus. 

An Assistance Animal is defined as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. The work or tasks performed by an assistance animal must be directly related to the individual's disability. Examples of work or tasks include: assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision with navigation and other tasks, alerting individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing to the presence of people or sounds, pulling a wheelchair, assisting an individual during a seizure, alerting individuals to the presence of allergens, retrieving items such as medicine or the telephone, or providing physical support and assistance with balance and stability to individuals with mobility disabilities.

When it is not readily apparent that the dog is an Assistance Animal, The Office of Disability Support Services may ask two questions:

• Whether the individual has a disability; and
• Whether the individual has a disability-related need for the Assistance Animal, meaning does the Assistance Animal work, provide assistance, perform tasks or service for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provide emotional support that alleviates one or more of the identified symptoms or effects of the individual’s disability.

Emotional Support Animal (ESA)/Assistance Animal

As explained below, a student, faculty or staff member living in on-campus housing, may be permitted to have an emotional support animal reside with him or her if the presence of such ESA constitutes a reasonable accommodation for such individual’s disability. Emotional Support Animals are prohibited from all campus facilities except the owners’ on-campus residence. Should the student wish to bring their Emotional Support Animal, they must submit an Accommodation Request Form and provide supporting documentation detailing the need for the animal to register the Animal with The Office of Disability Support Services 30 days prior to the animal arriving on campus. 

An ESA is defined as an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, or provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a student’s disability. Examples of work, tasks or assistance provided by an Assistance Animal include: providing protection or rescue assistance, pulling a wheelchair, alerting persons to impending seizures, or providing emotional support to persons with disabilities who have a disability-related need for such support.  The work or task an Emotional Support Animal has been trained to provide must be directly related to the owner’s disability or, in the case of emotional support, to one or more symptoms or effects of such disability.  Emotional Support Animals are not pets. 

Student Handler’s Responsibility

It is the student’s responsibility to care for the animal at all times. Under no circumstance may the student leave the animal in the care of another university student, faculty, or staff member. Once approved for the Assistance Animal the student must provide an emergency contact of a nearby person or preferred local Boarding Service that will care for the dog in-case of emergency or unforeseen circumstance where the owner cannot render care.

The institution has the right to ask the animal to be removed from the premises if the Assistance Animal:

• Exhibits aggressive behavior
• Physically harms another student, faculty, or staff member
• Is constantly disruptive, unrelated to the work or task being performed for the owner
• Causes excessive damage to University property - at which time the student will be financially responsible for any damage

The institution also has the right to ask the animal to be removed from the premises if the Owner of the Assistance Animal:

• Does not provide proper care and grooming for the animal
• Does not pick-up after animal when it releases any waste on campus grounds
• Leaves the animal unattended for several days

We want all students, those with and without disabilities, to participate in the residential living and learning experience at Wingate University. It’s a huge part of being a Bulldog.

Housing Request Form

If you have a need for specific housing accommodations, you need to submit documentation showing a clear relationship to the requested accommodation and your disability. This is the documentation required with your request:

• Comprehensive diagnostic information about your condition
• A clear description of the desired housing accommodation or configuration
• An explanation of how the request directly relates to the impact and functional limitations of your disability
• An indication of the level of need for the requested accommodation and the potential consequences of not receiving this accommodation
• Possible alternative solutions if the desired configuration and/or accommodation is not possible

Each request is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This means it is in your best interest to apply for a residential accommodation in a timely manner because a request may require consultation with relevant professionals and campus officials. You will be notified by letter of the approval or denial of your request.

If your accommodation request is approved, it is your responsibility to present the letter to the Residence Life staff and to make specific arrangements regarding your housing assignment.

If your request is denied or you disagree with the determination of the accommodation, you may appeal through either option in the Disability Grievance Procedure.

Factors of Consideration

The following are examples of the factors taken into consideration when this office evaluates housing accommodation requests:

1. Is the impact of the condition life-threatening if the request is not granted?
2. Is there a negative health impact that may be permanent if the request is not granted?
3. Is the request an integral component of a treatment plan for the student’s condition?
4. What is the likely impact on the student’s academic performance if the request is not granted?
5. What is the likely impact on the student’s social development if the request is not granted?
6. What is the likely impact on the student’s comfort level if the request is not granted?
7. Was the request made with the student’s initial housing request?
8. Was the request made before the housing request deadline for the year in question?
9. Was the request made as soon as possible after the need was identified? This includes date of diagnosis, receipt of housing assignment and any change in status.
10. Is space available that meets the student’s needs, and what is the impact on housing commitments to other students?
11. Can space be adapted to provide the requested configuration without creating a safety hazard? This includes consideration of emergency egress, electrical load and other factors.
12. Are there other effective methods that could achieve similar benefits as the requested accommodation?

All accommodations related to residential living are approved for one academic year, unless specifically noted.

Requests to break a housing contract, change rooms or change a meal plan due to a disability need to follow the established procedures of the Residence Life Office and must be clearly supported by the documentation submitted by your medical professional.

Residential Accommodations

Process for Requesting Housing or Dining Accommodations

1. Student completes the Housing Accommodations Form online or on paper (you do not need to do both). Click here to access the form online.
2. Student completes the Permission for Release of Information. 
3. Student and provider complete “Documentation of Disability-Related Need for Housing Accommodations.” This is available on The Office of Disability Support Services website. In addition to this form, the physician must include, on letterhead, the date of the most recent office visit of the student, their professional credentials, contact information, and signature. This form should be completed by a licensed, clinical professional or health care provider. It is not to be completed by the student or a family member. 

Please submit all requests for housing accommodations prior to Nov. 1 (for spring semester) or May 1 (for fall semester). Housing requests will be accommodated based on the level of need and space availability. Requests submitted after this date will be subject to space availability. 

Your meal plan entitles you to eat at any of our on-campus facilities. And we want you to enjoy them all. But if you have a disability or medical condition that is dietary-related, complete the disability support request form in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Meal Plan Request Form

• ADHD 
• Autism Spectrum Disorder 
• Concussion/Traumatic Brain Injury
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing 
• Learning Disability 
• Medical/Physical Disability 
• Psychological/Psychiatric Disability 
• Visual Impairment Disability
• Permission for Release of Information form