Medical Housing Accommodations

We provide support services and reasonable accommodations to students who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended in 2008, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

All accommodation requests must be requested and approved annually. Requests that are made outside of the deadlines as defined below will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but may not be determined as reasonable in certain circumstances.

The deadlines for completed requests for the 2023-2024 academic year are as follows:

Application Process

Step 1: Apply for Housing

• All returning students who wish to receive housing must apply for housing in order to indicate their intention to participate in the room selection process by submitting a deposit. For more information please visit the Office of Residence Life website.
• Incoming students who will be starting at Merrimack (as first-years and transfers) will receive information about their housing process with their Enrollment Mailing.
• Any questions about the specifications on rooms, Residence Halls, or housing placements, you can reach out to reslife@merrimack.edu. Questions about the medical housing process and accommodations can be sent over to us and we will be happy to talk that through with you.

Step 2: Submit the Non-academic Accommodation(s) Request Form and attach the completed Medical Provider Form

• Required: Nonacademic Housing Accommodation(s) Request Form
• Required: Medical Provider Form – Medical Housing Accommodations
• Required: For students already registered for Academic Accommodations – Non-Academic Medical Housing Accommodation Supplemental Request
  • Please log into Accommodate
  • Click Accommodation
  • Click Supplemental
  • Click Add New
  • Answer Yes to “I’m requesting nonacademic accommodations”
  • Complete the rest of the form
• Additional documentation may be submitted by email or in person at the office, but will be considered insufficient as standalone documentation.

Your request and documentation must be submitted annually. For example, if you received Medical Housing Accommodations for the 2022-2023 academic year, you must reapply and submit updated documentation for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Step 3: Await Notification

Applicants will receive a written determination of their request from the Accessibility Services Office. If approved, Residence Life will contact you regarding further details.

Please understand that each request will be reviewed though it is possible that a request will not be considered reasonable and is therefore denied. Also, in some instances a request will be approved, but a student may be placed on a waitlist until an appropriate space is available.

Determination

Decisions regarding reasonable Medical Housing Accommodation requests are based on these criteria:

• Is space available that meets the student’s needs?
• Was the request made in a reasonable time by the deadline for housing requests?
• Can space be adapted to meet the needs without undue financial burden to the institution?
• Are there other housing configurations and/or options that can achieve substantially similar results?
• How does meeting a request affect housing arrangements for other students?

Requesting an Emotional Support Animal

There is a separate and specific process for this rare accommodation. Please contact us for further details.

Appeal Process

A student may appeal the decision made regarding a Medical Housing Accommodation request. A committee will meet to consider and deliberate on the merits of the appeal. To submit an appeal, or for any questions regarding Medical Housing Accommodations, please contact accessibilityservices@merrimack.edu.