Procedures & Policies

Are determined by:

1. The barriers or limitations resulting from the interaction between the documented disability and the campus environment;
2. The possible accommodations that might remove the barriers;
3. Whether or not the student has access to the course, program, service, job, activity or facility without accommodations;
4. Whether the possible accommodations would fundamentally alter the nature of or affect the essential elements of the course, program, service, or facility;
5. Whether providing the accommodations would result in an undue burden for the College.

Accommodations are determined based upon individual need and professional recommendations. Examples of potential accommodations, when appropriate, are:

• Extended time for assessments (typically “time and a half”)
• Distraction-reduced, smaller setting for assessments
• Use of computer or other assistive technology in class/on assessments
• Permission to audio record lecture
• Use of a calculator
• Reader for assessments
• Scribe for assessments
• Note-taker during class lectures
• Interpreters
• Preferential course scheduling
• Accessible classrooms

Emmanuel College is committed to equal opportunity in Housing and Residential Life facilities and will provide disability-related accommodations to ensure equal access for students with documented disabilities.

Emmanuel College acknowledges: 

• Certain medical conditions may cause discomfort in a collegiate housing environment, but many medical conditions do not qualify as a disability, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) and Fair Housing Act (FHA), and may not be eligible for housing accommodations.
• Housing accommodations are based upon medical evidence of need as determined by ADAAA and FHA policies and guidelines and are determined on a case-by-case basis by a team of professionals.

Who is eligible for Housing Accommodations?

Eligibility for a Housing Accommodation includes full-time, undergraduate students who wish to live in College housing, are in good judicial and financial standing with the College, have submitted the Residence Life housing lease and deposit by the noted deadline, are currently registered or in the process of registering with Disability Support Services (DSS), and have needs that may medically necessitate a housing accommodation.

• • Examples of possible housing accommodation needs include:
    • Students who have mobility needs that cannot be met in a traditional room.
    • Students who have medical needs that involve extensive apparatus or medicine regimens that may not be conducive in a traditional room.

Additional information on Housing Accommodations:

• A request should not name specific buildings, but rather describe an environment that is needed to accommodate the student's needs.  
• An accommodation request is based upon the student's individual need and may only accommodate the student with the documented need. It may not include other specified students/roommates.
• A Housing Accommodation request accommodates the individual student within the specific campus dorms that they are eligible for based upon their class standing and the Residence Life housing lottery.

Who can I contact about Housing Accommodations?

If you believe you meet the criteria to request housing accommodations, please contact Noelle Galli, Assistant Director of Disability Support Services (gallin@emmanuel.edu or 617-732-1681). It is recommended that you contact Noelle before the room assignment process begins. 

Please note: Students who are requesting consideration solely for an air conditioner based upon a medically-documented condition will need to pursue this request as a "Housing Exception" through Residence Life/Health Services. Please contact Residence Life to obtain and complete an Air Conditioning Request form. This process does not go through DSS. Completed forms are submitted directly to Residence Life.   

Housing Accommodation Deadlines for Documentation

Students must reapply each new academic year/summer term for Housing Accommodations by submitting updated versions of the two necessary forms, the Student Request and Provider Request*, by the noted deadline.

*If your provider is recommending the exact same considerations on the Health Care Provider Request Form as the previous year’s paperwork, they can send a signed statement written on professional letterhead via email to Noelle Galli (gallin@emmanuel.edu) stating this intention. Please know that the Housing Committee will be considering exactly what was previously written and if there is any new recommendation, your provider would need to complete a new Health Care Provider Request Form.

Process to pursue solely Housing Accommodations:

1. Contact Noelle Galli, Assistant Director of Disability Support Services at gallin@emmanuel.edu to express your interest in seeking housing accommodations.  
2. The student completes and submits the Student Request for Housing Accommodations Form.
3. The diagnosing Health Care Provider completes and submits the Health Care Provider Request for Housing Accommodations Form.

Process to pursue BOTH Housing Accommodations and Academic Accommodations:

The below process will be submitted in addition to the two Housing Accommodation forms (Student Request and Provider Request forms) listed above.

1. The student completes and submits a Self-Disclosure form  
2. The student submits appropriate documentation from their diagnosing health care provider. 

Next steps after complete Housing Accommodation Request packet is submitted:

• Noelle will contact the student via email to arrange for an intake meeting to formally register with Disability Support Services.
• The Housing Committee will determine a reasonable accommodation offer based upon the documentation submitted and the College's available housing inventory.
• The student will receive communication via email from a Residence Life administrator with an accommodation offer. The student has the right to accept or reject the proposed offer.
  • A student who declines their proposed housing accommodation offer will participate in the Standard Housing Selection process through Residence Life to select a room.
• If the Committee determines that the student is not approved for the accommodation(s), or there is not a residential facility available that meets the documented need, the student will be notified in writing so that they can make arrangements to participate in the Housing Selection process.

If the need for Housing Accommodations arises AFTER the noted deadline:

• Requests received after the deadline will be reviewed and accommodated to the best ability considering the currently available housing inventory during a two-week review period.
• If a request received post-deadline is able to be accommodated, the student has the right to accept the offer and make the offered housing change or reject the offer and remain in the previously selected housing assignment

Students with specific dietary needs should contact Robin Fortado, General Manager of Bon Appetit at Emmanuel College, at robin.fortado@cafebonappetit.com, for further information on individual offerings that can be arranged on a case-by-case basis.

Information Regarding Emotional Support Animals

Temporary Disabilities
Disability Support Services recognizes that individuals with temporarily-disabling conditions, that are a result of injuries, surgeries, or short-term disabilities, may need short-term accommodations.

Temporary disabilities could include, but are not limited to:

• Concussions,
• Orthopedic injuries,
• Short-term disabilities following a surgery/illness/medical treatment

Temporary Accommodations
Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis based upon documented need.

Documentation Requirements:
 To receive temporary accommodations:

1. Contact Noelle Galli, Accommodations Coordinator in Disability Support Services at gallin@emmanuel.edu to express your interest in requesting Temporary Accommodations.
2. Submit documentation from a diagnosing health care provider to Noelle via email or in person (Library G-06B).
3. Noelle will contact the student via email to arrange for an intake meeting to formally register with Disability Support Services.
   At this meeting, the documentation will be reviewed and reasonable temporary accommodations will be determined.