June 2022 Meeting

Meeting Date
  • Guest: Ashley Albright - Housing Accommodations Coordinator, Housing
    • Overview of Housing Information Office Role
      • Handles all on campus housing contracts, graduate and undergraduate
      • Don’t engage with off-campus housing market
      • Ashley also works with students who have specific housing needs (pregnant, substance use needs)
    • Requests data
      • About 50% of requests are related to AC
      • Increase in requests for ESAs recently (especially in 2021-22 year), especially for graduate students
        • Most of these requests have been approved
    • How to make an accommodations request
      • Asks if the student has an accommodation need in the housing application questionnaire, if they click yes they get another form automatically
      • Students can use the website (but a little hard to navigate)
        • Google “Additional living options” page to get there directly
      • Email [email protected] or [email protected]
    • What to expect from requests
      • Turn around is usually 2-3 weeks
        • Students should apply/reach out as early as they feel comfortable (even if the student hasn’t applied or been accepted yet)
        • Ashley can always share the information and features available
        • Students should reach out no later than the January before they start
      • All requests reviewed by Ashley directly
      • Most requests are also reviewed by medical professionals at UHS
      • If a request is denied or partially approved, a student can submit an appeal (usually new documentation)
      • Even if requests aren’t formally/medically approved, if housing has the capacity they try to give students the rooms they request
    • Most common categories of requests
      • Mobility related requests
      • Auditory related requests
      • Visual disability related requests
      • Gastrointestinal, allergies, environmental factors
    • Services offered to Reduce needs for Housing Accomodations
      • Paratransit Services (additional qualifications)
      • Michigan Bus System
      • Gluten Free pantries on all campuses
      • Special meal request ordering
      • CAPS
        • Telecounseling for urgent support
        • After hours phone support
      • Accommodations Offered (incomplete list)
        • Low peephole, closet bar, and towel bar
        • Door opener on main door and internal bathroom
        • Ground level placement
        • Caretaker access and overnight stay
        • Wheelchair accessible bath and bathroom
        • Placement near na elevator
        • Large room for equipment
        • Strobe fire alarm
        • Bed shaker
    • Discussion + Questions with Ashley
      • Are there general reasons for applications to get rejected?
        • About 20-30% of requests are not approved (rejected outright, or just informing the office for something but not actually asking for an accommodation)
        • Other common rejections (although these do get approved circumstantially)
          • Requests for a single based on asthma or food allergies
          • Mobility or motion sickness as a reason to be on central campus or hill, when buses can accommodate the student’s need(s)
      • UM doesn’t have the facilities to support students the way we’d like to
        • Do students go elsewhere when they get denied?
          • Generally no, in Ashley’s experience
        • We need more rooms, especially with attached/private baths, and especially wheelchair accessible rooms on ground level
        • What else can be done to get these students the rooms we want to see?
          • Look back at IDEA board recommendations
      • Is there a database with the rooms that are available that lists accommodations to make searching easier?
        • Housing is transitioning to a new database soon (StarRes) which should make it easier to do these kinds of searches by early 2023
      • Data shows fewer requests overall this year, and not many people changing housing options after being denied
        • Students with disabilities have been opting to go largely virtual during the pandemic, which might explain that data trend
        • Anecdotally, students have also been flexible when an accommodation is denied for a year, but then opt to not come back the next year (so it doesn't seem like students are changing housing options, but they may actually be)
        • The majority of people housed are first year students
      • Purdue University was recently having trouble meeting accessibility needs on campus, so they set up a system with referrals to off campus housing/landlords
        • According to some students, this has not been going well
        • Not enough encouragement for off-campus landlords to create/offer accessible housing, and not enough information/transparency about those off-campus accommodations
      • Do students get a housing feedback form at the end of the year?
        • Not currently but that could be helpful!
        • Colleen and the School of Information could help to do that data analysis
        • Wonder whether there's any effort made to conduct ‘exit’ interviews with students with disabilities who depart before completing their degrees - could be complementary to the Student IDEA Board results
      • Ideas for future collaboration
        • Disability Culture group
        • Central Student Government's Disability representatives
  • Announcements and matters arising
    • Deborah Willis - Welcome!!
      • New to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion after Dilip left
      • Excited to continue building relationships with CfDC
    • Safety & Security Survey
      • To be sent out by Christina Kline in response to an IDEA Board suggestion to make safety and security processes more accessible
      • Look for that in your inbox later this week
    • Neubacher Award Committee
      • Still looking for committee members and a chair!
  • Adjourn