Students With Special Needs

Students with Disabilities - How To Apply

What is a disability?  Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, individuals with disabilities are defined as persons with a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities. Major life activities include major bodily functions, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking communicating, working, performing manual tasks, and caring for one's self.

Gettysburg College provides reasonable housing accommodations for students with disabilities. If necessary, Residence Life will collaborate with other relevant staff at the College to determine the most appropriate housing accommodations. Housing accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis according to documented need and prevailing standards for reasonable accommodations. This includes the need for air conditioning due to asthma, allergies or other health related concerns.  Students submitting a request for special housing accommodations are required to provide a verification of the disability and need for accommodations from the appropriate diagnosing professional (see form below).   

Important Notes:  

• Single room housing rates for students with documented disabilities shall be set at the standard single room rate.
• Roommate requests will be honored but placement will be based on the student who has the special need.
• Students with special needs can preference building locations and floors. Placement of room will be determined by the Office Residence Life.
• Upperclass students with disabilities who ONLY require air conditioning will participate in the regular housing selection process and will be required to submit the Special Need form by July 12, 2013. If a student is approved for air conditioning and he/she is not living in an air-conditioned building, Facilities will install a college owned window unit.

To submit a request for special needs housing accommodations, students are required to complete two forms:

1. "Special Needs Housing Request Form" To be completed by the student every year.
2. "Special Needs Housing Disability Documentation Form"- To be completed by the appropriate diagnosing professional usually only once in a student's four years.  This form will remain on file with the Office of Residence Life. If submitting a Special Needs Request form in subsequent years due to the same disability, the student will typically not have to submit a new Disability Documentation Form. In some cases the Office of Residence Life may ask the student to submit an updated Disability Documentation Form. The College reserves the right to require that the student undergo an additional medical evaluation with a medical professional chosen by the College, at the College's expense.   

Deadlines:
Accommodations for various disabilities take time to arrange. We receive many such requests, all of which affect the allocation of limited housing resources so it is very important that you follow the deadlines below:

• Upperclass students with disabilities who require accommodations that may include but are not limited to air conditioning must return both forms (see above) to Residence Life by March 8, 2013. The deadline for incoming first-year and transfer students is July 12, 2013.  All forms received after these dates will be reviewed, but accommodations cannot be guaranteed for upperclass students if information is received after housing selection begins at the end of March and it cannot be guaranteed for first-year students after housing assignments are released at the end of July.  
• Upperclass students with disabilities who ONLY require air conditioning will participate in the regular housing selection process and will be required to submit the above mentioned forms by July 12, 2013.  Incoming first-year and transfer students must also submit the above mentioned forms by July 12, 2013. All forms received after this date will be reviewed, but we cannot guarantee installation of the air conditioner prior to your arrival for the fall semester if forms are received later than July 12. The Office of Residence Life notifies students during the first week of August, 2013, about the status of their air conditioner request. 

Please send completed forms to:

Office of Residence Life

Gettysburg College

300 North Washington Street

Gettysburg, PA 17325

Fax: 717-337-6335