The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 1 - 54

Autumn K. Wilke, Nancy J. Evans, Charlie E. Varland, Kirsten R. Brown, Ellen M. Broido

of other people. Other students were critical of
policies that required all students to have a meal
plan. Danny, who identified as having anxiety,
said that it had "been very difficult to deal with .
. . having a restricting meal plan." Sintysa, who
had Celiac disease, explained that gluten-free
options were limited in the main dining hall
and non-existent in other eating establishments
on her campus; she noted that if they were available she "would probably have more energy and
be better able to focus on my work."
A few participants identified flexible housing
policies that supported their social integration.
Sally, who attended College Z, was able to select
a single in a hall that had many singles, which
gave her the feeling of being "normal and not
so special." This option promoted Sally's social
integration by providing an environment that
addressed her functional limitations and did
not make her feel as isolated because very few
people on her floor had roommates.

Accommodations
Some students described accommodations as
part of their residential experience. Accommodations included two emotional support
animals, one single room with air conditioning, one single room with a sink, three room
transfers to single rooms, and one room on a
quiet floor. The majority of these accommodations were reactive: Lee and Sintysa requested
emotional support animals after spending
some time on campus, and Victoria, Allie, and
Rainy received room changes after their original living situations were not suitable environments for their disabilities.
Only 8 of the 24 participants in this study
requested housing accommodations. For
multiple reasons, participants who might
have benefited from accommodations did not
54

. . . it was not merely the presence
of accommodations or on-campus
living but rather well-thought
out and individually tailored
accommodations and living
environments that supported
students' social integration.

request them. One student, Ronald, indicated
that he was unaware of the process for asking
for housing accommodations, highlighting a
notable gap in institutional communication
as all students in this study were recruited
through the Disability Resources Office. Lloria,
who identified as having a learning disability,
chose to be independent rather than ask for
housing accommodations, although she realized she probably would have done better
with accommodations. Both Rainy and Allie
believed that their colleges could do nothing
to accommodate their disabilities in the residence halls.
Four students who were eligible for single
room accommodations thoughtfully considered their decisions but chose not to accept
them because social factors were more important at that moment in their collegiate experience. Stacy and Eliza thought it was important
to have a roommate. Stacy thought a roommate
was so important that she found someone who
was migraine friendly to live with, brought ear
plugs and a face mask, and reserved a study
room in the library to create a quiet and dark

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 1

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