UNC Pembroke follows the guidance of ADA, Section 504 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Fair Housing Act when providing housing services to students with disabilities.
UNC Pembroke requires residency for some freshman students. Other students are highly encouraged to live on campus because living in a residence hall with other students in similar situations fosters camaraderie, kinship, and develops relationships that last throughout the remainder of students’ lives. Students develop interpersonal skills that they will use in the classroom during their academic career and continue to use as they progress through their professional career.
However, each student has his or her own personal needs and must consider if the living environment in the residence halls is in their best interest. Students who need to live in a single room for disability-related reasons, or need other housing accommodations, must be approved for these accommodations.
Procedure
The process for obtaining approval for housing accommodations is as follows:
Students requesting ADA accommodations for housing must currently have a diagnosis of a disability and have submitted documentation that meets the UNC Pembroke Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) criteria. Use this link to learn about documentation criteria: Guidelines for Documentation.
Students who have not already been made eligible for accommodations through the Accessibility Resource Center must complete that process along with the Housing Accommodation Application. Please note students are also required to follow the process for Housing and Residence Life to secure housing. These are two separate processes. Use this link to access more information: Housing and Residence Life
A Housing Accommodation Application form must be submitted to the staff of the ARC as soon as possible. The professional certification section should be filled out by a professional who is knowledgeable regarding the type of disability in question, who is qualified to make appropriate recommendations, and who is knowledgeable of the student’s current condition. The professional cannot be related to the student applying for our services. ARC staff can provide guidance as to who is an appropriate professional to provide certification. The application form, disability documentation, and reason for the request will remain confidential in the ARC files.
The UNCP Documentation Review Committee will review both the application for a housing accommodation and supporting documentation. An Ad Hoc member of this committee for determining housing accommodations will include the Director of Residence life or designee. A decision will be made to approve the housing accommodation request, deny it, or defer it pending further documentation. This decision will be communicated by letter or email to the student and to Housing and Residence Life within the Division of Student Affairs.
Single room requests for the sole purpose of obtaining a reduced distraction study environment may not be approved. Even without a roommate, a communal living environment can be very distracting. Students needing lowered distraction spaces may wish to find a place outside the residence hall to study, such as the library, which is designed for these types of activities.
Valid reasons for a single room include but are not limited to space requirements of disability-related equipment, need for privacy during personal care, strategies needed to cope with the disability that would be bothersome to a roommate (such as bright lights), and a need to obtain extra rest to minimize disability-related symptoms.
Please note ARC staff do not designate specific residence halls for students with approve housing accommodations. Instead, they inform Housing and Residence Life of the approved housing accommodation(s).
Last Revised 08/19/2024