35 conTinued A Fair Division of Space for a student with allergies or asthma. For campuses with limited air-conditioned space, a window air conditioner can be placed in the room. This may require rewiring a room to power an air conditioner or relocating a student to a room where having a window air conditioner doesn’t violate fire egress (generally in those buildings without fire suppression). The ADA would consider all above options reasonable. Students with mold allergies may also request a room or residence hall without carpeting. It is often better to move these students than risk a student or parent contending that there is mold in the room. A student with a medical condition may request a single room or other room type. ADA law notes that students should not have to pay more than a comparable non-disabled student would pay. Whether or not a student should have to pay the single room rate for this accommodation is a matter of considerable debate. Many schools require the student to pay the single room rate, and some students gladly pay it to ensure that they have a single room. Other students and parents question whether paying a single rate for a medical accommodation is reasonable. Some students have medical conditions that can be accommodated by using a double room for single occupancy. For example, some students need additional space for medical equipment, and if the equipment is a medical necessity, ADA interprets this accommodation as being reasonable. At an institution where I previously worked, a student requested a double room as a single at the double rate; she had broken her back in an athletic accident and needed special equipment for physical therapy. The parents were insistent that this was a reasonable accommodation, and it was clear they were willing to force the issue if I believed differently. We allowed the student to have the room as a single at a double rate (it helped that we were not at 100 percent occupancy). What happens when that space is needed for an attendant or a service animal? These accommodations are considered reasonable under the ADA. Some rooms are specially renovated to accommodate these circumstances, often on first floors, to allow easy access for attendants or easier access to the outside for service animals. What is considered a service animal and what functions they serve L I V I N G . L AU G H I N G . L E A R N I N G . L O U N G I N G . KSQARCHITECTS.COM 50 Talking STickhttp://www.KSQARCHITECTS.COM