Special housing circumstances?

[Ann.without.an.e]

Thinking forward, ds will be a sophomore in the fall and I told him to begin making a visit list this summer because as soon as we have dds applications done in the fall, I would like to begin visiting schools with him. Has anyone here had to request special room circumstances and were you able to solidify the options before applications? Ds has crohns and he will need his own bathroom - honestly, what he probably needs most is No roommate, his own bathroom. Any thoughts on how to approach this with colleges?

Edited April 24, 2016 by Attolia

[Kassia]

I would contact housing and just explain the circumstances.  You can provide a doctor's note if needed.  I had a special housing request for one of my sons and we were accommodated.  Good luck!

 

ETA:  In our case, I didn't contact housing until after my son was admitted and he had accepted, but I think it would be important for you to know which schools will accommodate your situation.  

 

Erica

Edited April 24, 2016 by ebh87

[Pegasus]

For this type of request, I would start contacting the housing departments of potential schools well ahead of time.  If this need is a deal breaker, it's better to know before application if it cannot be met.  At the only schools that I am familiar with, the dorming choices included a community bathroom shared by several dorm rooms or a semi-private bathroom shared between two rooms (4 students). It would have been impossible to give a student a private bathroom. It might be more feasible, in this situation, to get a waiver for a campus housing requirement and rent an apartment off campus.

 

I wish you the best of luck in your search.  Maybe you can report back on what you find. I imagine there are other families in similar situations.

 

Edited to add: In addition to housing, you should probably also contact the disability office.  Some schools require medical requests for special housing to go through this office.

 

Edited again to add:  Have you seen this?!? The CCFA actually has an example letter to schools requesting a private dorm/bathroom for students with Crohn's.

http://www.ccfa.org/resources/private-dorm-and-bathroom.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

 

Edited April 24, 2016 by Pegasus

[Lolly]

All you need is a doctor's note stating what his needs are. They are moved to the first choice slots for room assignments. My suggestion would be to try to find a dorm that has two rooms that have separate bathrooms but share a common area. That way your ds will still have roommates, just not in his bedroom/bathroom. Usually, the bedrooms have two people, but he can have it as a single with a doctor's note (or sometimes more money). We were willing to pay the single room amount, but the school only charged us for the single since it was doctor prescribed. Not sure all colleges will do that! Also consider him living off campus in an apartment. Most college apartments that we looked at are set up with single bed with bath and a shared kitchen and den area. Many times, they are right off of campus so walking/biking is not a problem. They also can place with roommates if he doesn't have people he is wanting to live with. My dd has had excellent luck with the roommates she has been assigned.

Edited April 24, 2016 by Lolly

[Ann.without.an.e]

For this type of request, I would start contacting the housing departments of potential schools well ahead of time.  If this need is a deal breaker, it's better to know before application if it cannot be met.  At the only schools that I am familiar with, the dorming choices included a community bathroom shared by several dorm rooms or a semi-private bathroom shared between two rooms (4 students). It would have been impossible to give a student a private bathroom. It might be more feasible, in this situation, to get a waiver for a campus housing requirement and rent an apartment off campus.

 

I wish you the best of luck in your search.  Maybe you can report back on what you find. I imagine there are other families in similar situations.

 

Edited to add: In addition to housing, you should probably also contact the disability office.  Some schools require medical requests for special housing to go through this office.

 

Edited again to add:  Have you seen this?!? The CCFA actually has an example letter to schools requesting a private dorm/bathroom for students with Crohn's.

http://www.ccfa.org/resources/private-dorm-and-bathroom.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

 

 

All you need is a doctor's note stating what his needs are. They are moved to the first choice slots for room assignments. My suggestion would be to try to find a dorm that has two rooms that have separate bathrooms but share a common area. That way your ds will still have roommates, just not in his bedroom/bathroom. Usually, the bedrooms have two people, but he can have it as a single with a doctor's note (or sometimes more money). We were willing to pay the single room amount, but the school only charged us for the single since it was doctor prescribed. Not sure all colleges will do that! Also consider him living off campus in an apartment. Most college apartments that we looked at are set up with single bed with bath and a shared kitchen and den area. Many times, they are right off of campus so walking/biking is not a problem. They also can place with roommates if he doesn't have people he is wanting to live with. My dd has had excellent luck with the roommates she has been assigned.

 

 

What makes it difficult is that he honestly doesn't need his own bedroom, but he really needs access to his own bathroom.  If four guys are sharing one bathroom, that probably wouldn't work for him because....

He ties up the bathroom too much

and

when he needs to go, he absolutely needs to go.  There is no wait time. 

 

If that makes sense?

 

I considered a regular dorm room right beside a hall bathroom but he goes several times at night and he barely makes it (and sometimes doesn't make it) now and the bathroom isn't that far from his room.  His bathroom issues can be embarrassing and privacy at time would be a huge plus.

 

ETA:  He has a specialist appointment this month and I plan to get his input.

 

Edited April 24, 2016 by Attolia

[Ann.without.an.e]

Edited again to add: Have you seen this?!? The CCFA actually has an example letter to schools requesting a private dorm/bathroom for students with Crohn's.

http://www.ccfa.org/resources/private-dorm-and-bathroom.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

 

That's great!

I should have known CCFA would have something. ðŸ‘

Edited April 24, 2016 by Attolia

[Dmmetler]

My neurologist just wrote a request that was submitted along with the application for housing. Many campuses have some rooms designed for students with special needs, and usually that includes a private bathroom, even if no other dorm on campus has a private bath.

[Gwen in VA]

I would officially ask for accommodations through the office of disabilities. There are specific forms to fill out, and the doctor gets to specify what accommodations are needed.

 

My dd needed a dorm with a fridge and A/C, which meant that she had to get assigned to a specific dorm. She filled out the accommodation request form, her doctor filled out the M.D. part, and the school granted the request. Period. Sometimes life is easy!

 

Relying on the school being nice and granting a specific request is always a bit risky. If you go the official route, there is no wiggle room for the school.

[Lolly]

What makes it difficult is that he honestly doesn't need his own bedroom, but he really needs access to his own bathroom.  If four guys are sharing one bathroom, that probably wouldn't work for him because....

He ties up the bathroom too much

and

when he needs to go, he absolutely needs to go.  There is no wait time. 

 

If that makes sense?

 

I considered a regular dorm room right beside a hall bathroom but he goes several times at night and he barely makes it (and sometimes doesn't make it) now and the bathroom isn't that far from his room.  His bathroom issues can be embarrassing and privacy at time would be a huge plus.

 

ETA:  He has a specialist appointment this month and I plan to get his input.

 

The set-up I am describing has a central sitting room with two bedrooms attached. Each bedroom has its own bathroom. Normally, you would have two students to each bathroom, but your ds would be in the bedroom alone and thus have his own bathroom. He would share a sitting area with two suitemates. Not all colleges will have this setup, but I've found that many do. While he may not technically need a private room, he really does because that is the only way to get a private bathroom.

 

The apartments have two bedrooms each with their own bathroom also. Truthfully, I would consider this option. His bathroom would be two or three steps from his bed. Almost all of the colleges my kids looked at had these types of off campus apartments available very close to campus. One of my girls went straight into them because she has severe allergies and needs access to a kitchen of her own as well as her own bathroom. She cannot share a bathroom with other girls due to her allergies to chemicals, hair sprays, lotions.... Plus, if she does eat something by accident she is in that bathroom for the entire night.

 

I think that you will find that it isn't as difficult as it might seem like it would be. I was absolutely terrified when dd left home. So was she. She had nightmares that she died in her bed and wasn't found for a week...

Edited April 24, 2016 by Lolly

[Starr]

I wouldn't even mention it in his admission process. Talk with accommodations department in schools before you visit and apply to see if his needs can be met. 

[Dmmetler]

FWIW, I found out I was admitted to University of Iowa before the official letter came because I'd checked the box on housing that said that I needed specific accommodations, and they called me. I responded that I wasn't even sure that I had gotten into the school, and the person on the other end said that admissions wouldn't have forwarded it to them if I wasn't :). They had no trouble giving me what I needed and what my neurologist requested, even though the only dorm that met his requirements was actually one normally reserved for upper division honors program students and grad students (he'd gone to medical school there and knew how the campus was structured, so requested a specific housing situation with that in mind. With other schools, he was less specific.)

 

 

 

 

[Hilltopmom]

Having worked in college programming, I will say that Colleges often have housing options that most people are not aware of (not in the traditional dorms) that would work in this situation-

Things like rooms or apartments normality reserved for resident directors, staff that lives on campus, visiting professors, honors students, etc.

Often tucked away in odd places, not the regular dorms, but they exist.

 

Good luck!

[TechWife]

After your son is admitted, contact the Office of Disability Services (called Student Disability Services at some universities). Legally, they have to accommodate your son's medical needs. Ask them what they need for documentation for a housing accommodation and how to apply for it, deadlines, etc.. Likely a letter from the physician will suffice as long as the information they are looking for is on it. Generally speaking, the letter should state why a private room is needed. It should specifically request a private bathroom that is attached to his bedroom. A diagnosis, while it should be included, isn't sufficient. It needs to state how his diagnosis impacts his functioning and how a private bathroom will address that issue. 

 

Ex: John Doe is a patient in my care and has Chron's disease. His illness causes xxx, xxx, xxx. For this reason, he needs a private bathroom. The private bathroom will insure availability and allow John to take care of his xxx within a medically appropriate time frame and pace.  Please contact my office if you need further information. 

 

If you want a private bathroom available to him in classroom buildings, state that as well. It may affect where his classes are located. While they don't have to build a bathroom for him, they can move a classroom so that it is beside/across from an existing bathroom. 

 

Also, if he has any dietary needs, make sure the physician documents those in his letter as well. The ODS office will pass that information along to food services and they can work with him to make sure he has good food options available to him. 

 

When the ODS passes along the request, they do not disclose the reason for the request to the people who receive it. Housing will be told, for example, that John Doe needs a room with a private bathroom attached. They will not be told why. Food services will receive a list of foods that  your son must have available to him on a regular basis and/or a list of items he cannot eat. They will not be told why. It will be up to him to meet with them to make sure that they can provide what he needs and to find out how to access any special items. 

Edited April 26, 2016 by TechWife

[Mom22ns]

Your request makes absolute sense and disability services will be able to help at many colleges. Most typical freshman housing will not work for him. Most will have at least 2 if not 4 sharing a bathroom. However, there are always options. Ds's college has a lot of 4 BR/4 BA apartments. These are normally for sophomores and above, but allowing him to live there could be an accommodation. The bathrooms are attached to each bedroom and would be ideal for him. Ds's dorm has suites with 4, 1 person bedrooms, sharing 2 bathrooms. The dorm fills and I'm sure they wouldn't be wiling to leave a bedroom open, but I don't know if they could create an arrangement where he gets one of the bathrooms to himself.

 

The key is to have a letter of medical necessity, talk to disability services and start early! You don't want to be set on a college just to find out they can't accommodate. I'm sure some can't, but many will be able to.

 

Best wishes to you and your ds in your search.