Housing Accommodations

Students will receive notification of the Disability Services Office’s decision through their CalArts email by June 5. This does not include room assignments.

Requests made by the student are not guaranteed as space is limited. All steps in the process must be completed to be considered for housing accommodations. 

Post-deadline accommodation requests:

For students who have a need for housing accommodation(s) that arises for the first time after the deadline has passed, requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Disability Services Office and Residence Life will strive to meet late applicants’ needs as soon as reasonably possible, however, priority consideration is given to on-time requests. Students should be aware that they may be placed on a waiting list until the requested reasonable accommodation can be met. The waiting list does not guarantee a housing placement. 

Students must still complete the CalArts Housing Application through Residence in order to be considered for placement in CalArts housing, even if they have already been approved for housing accommodation.

The CalArts Housing Application may not be made available until after the deadline to submit requests for housing accommodations.

For important dates and information regarding the Housing Application and Deposit, please refer to Residential Life webpage. 

Being approved for a housing accommodation does not guarantee that you will be placed in your first-choice residential hall or with your preferred friends.

The Disability Services Office (DSO) only makes determinations regarding functional accommodations in housing. DSO is not involved in the process of assigning a student’s specific room or specific roommates/suitemates. This process is managed by Residential Life and students will be notified of their specific room assignment separately.

Students who submit requests or appeals after the posted deadline may need to be placed on a waiting list for the next available room that meets their accommodation.

All students living in housing must submit their Immunization information.

Immunizations: In an effort to keep our community healthy, all students are required to have immunizations on file with the Student Health Office. For information on immunization requirements, please refer to Health Services webpage.

For dietary accommodations: No, the Disability Services Office does not grant meal plan or dining accommodations. Dining Services works to support students with special dietary needs, this includes those with medically restricted diets and those with food allergies and intolerances. Dining Services is generally able to meet the needs of students requesting specialized meal plans so all students with special dietary needs are encouraged to work with dining services to make dining on campus enjoyable and safe. For questions or concerns regarding your meal plan and dietary accommodations, connect with our cafe (cafe@calarts.edu) 

For transportation and proximity to academic buildings: No, all on-campus residential buildings are considered to be within close proximity to academic buildings and other campus facilities. 

For distraction-reduced study space: By nature, residential housing is not a distraction-reduced environment. For students who have trouble concentrating and studying in their room, a single room is not typically warranted. Students are encouraged to explore the many study spaces throughout campus to find a quiet study location.

We provide a wide range of accommodations and in determining reasonable accommodations, the disability specialist will consider recommendations made in the student’s documentation, as well as assistance received by the student in past educational settings.  

It is important to note that colleges are not required to waive or substitute essential elements of programs. Colleges are required to provide reasonable accommodations to assure reasonable access to persons with disabilities for all institutional programs and services. 

Examples of accommodations include but are not limited to: alternative testing accommodations, such as extended time on tests, testing in a room free of distractions or tests administered orally; permission to tape record lectures; extra time on major assignments; note taking assistance; use of a calculator; alternative assignments; services of a sign language interpreter; and access to close-captioned equipment or specialized software, attendance, and deadline modifications. 

Please review all of the information below before starting the housing accommodation request process.

This is an interactive process and requires that all steps in the process outlined below must be completed by the deadline to be considered for housing accommodations. Requests made by the student are not guaranteed as space is limited. Remember to check your CalArts email regularly for updates.

The five-step housing accommodations process is as follows:

Step 1: Acquire disability documentation 

All requests for housing accommodations must include documentation prepared by a qualified evaluator. At minimum the documentation must substantiate the student’s disabling condition and verify the student’s current need for housing accommodations in order to have equal access to the residential environments. Please review the Disability Documentation Guidelines for Disability Services to learn more about the type of information the Disability Services office will look for in your documentation.

You do not need to have disability documentation at the time of your request. However, If you are waiting for documentation, requests for reasonable housing accommodations with no supporting documentation will be put on hold until documentation is provided. Please proceed to the next step in the process if you are waiting to receive documentation.

All disability documentation should be submitted through Accommodate once it has been obtained. Email is not a secure method to submit documentation.

Steps to upload documentation of disability: 

1. Log into Accommodate through SSO.calarts.edu
2. Select the “Accommodate” tile
3. Select “Student”
4. Click on “Accommodation”
5. Select “Document” 
6. Click on “Add New”
7. Select “New Accessibility Document” and follow the prompts

Step 2: Submit a housing application and housing deposit

For important dates and information regarding the Housing Application and Deposit, please refer to Residential Life webpage.

Step 3: Submit the Public Accommodation Request Form 

Students who are not already registered with DSO should submit a Public Accommodation Request Form and upload their documentation of disability with this form. If you do not have access to your documentation at the time that you submit the form, you may also submit documentation through Accommodate.

Step 4: Meet with Disability Services Office (DSO) staff

It is the student’s responsibility to schedule a meeting with us as part of the registration process. Once we receive a student’s complete request and documentation of disability, the student should then schedule a meeting with us through Accommodate. 

At this time, all meetings with students will take place on Zoom. During this meeting we will discuss the request and documentation in more detail and answer any questions about using the requested accommodations. Students should leave this meeting with an understanding of what accommodations will be approved, but a formal decision will be sent via email within a few weeks following the meeting to the student and appropriate Residential Life staff. This does not include room assignments.  

Parents/family are welcome to join in these meetings as valuable partners in supporting their students as long as they have permission from their student. However, please keep in mind that in the college environment students are expected to act as their own primary advocate when it comes to having questions or concerns. Our staff are sensitive to the fact that this may represent a change in roles for many families.

Steps to set up an appointment with DSO:

1. Log into Accommodate through SSO.calarts.edu
2. Select the “Accommodate” tile
3. Select “Student”
4. Select the “Appointment” option on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page
5. Select the “Request New Appointment” button on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page
6. Fill out all form fields and “Check Availability”
7. Select a date and time that is convenient for you - Not to conflict with your class schedule

Check out these videos to guide you through setting up an appointment with our office:

• How to Access Accommodate
• How to Make an Appointment Using Accommodate 

Step 5: Submit immunization information 

Immunizations: In an effort to keep our community healthy, all students are required to have immunizations on file with the Student Health Office. For information on immunization requirements, please refer to Health Services.

Please review all of the information below before starting the housing accommodation request process.

This is an interactive process and requires that all steps in the process outlined below must be completed by the deadline to be considered for housing accommodations. Requests made by the student are not guaranteed as space is limited. Remember to check your CalArts email regularly for updates.

The four-step housing accommodations process is as follows:

Step 1: Acquire disability documentation 

All requests for housing accommodations must include documentation prepared by a qualified evaluator. At minimum, the documentation must substantiate the student’s disabling condition and verify the student’s current need for housing accommodations in order to have equal access to the residential environments. Please review the Disability Documentation Guidelines for Disability Services to learn more about the type of information the Disability Services office will look for in your documentation.

* This step is necessary if the accommodation/disability is the same and the documentation we have on file is expired. This may also be the case for ESA accommodations.

Step 2: Submit a housing application and housing deposit

For important dates and information regarding the housing application and deposit, please refer to Residential Life webpage.

Step 3: Submit a semester request

Previous accommodation requests are not retroactive. Students who have requested accommodations of any type in the past must log in to Accommodate and submit their Semester Request in order to renew their current accommodations. Step-by-step directions to complete the supplemental request are below.

1. Log into Accommodate through SSO.calarts.edu
2. Select the “Accommodate” tile
3. Select “Student”
4. Select the “Accommodation” tab on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page.
5. Select the third option “Semester Request” tab on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page
6. Fill out all form fields and click “Submit Application”

Here are some videos to help guide you:

• How to Access Accommodate
• How to Submit a Semester Request

Step 4: Meet with Disability Services Office (DSO) staff

It is the student’s responsibility to schedule a meeting with us as part of the registration process. Once we have received a student’s semester request, the student must set up a meeting to discuss accommodations for the semester in more detail. Students should leave this meeting with an understanding of what accommodations will be approved, but a formal decision will be sent via email within a few weeks following the meeting to the student and appropriate Residential Life staff. This does not include room assignments.  

Steps to set up an appointment with DSO:

1. Log into Accommodate through SSO.calarts.edu
2. Select the “Accommodate” tile
3. Select “Student”
4. Select the “Appointment” option on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page
5. Select the “Request New Appointment” button on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page
6. Fill out all form fields and “Check Availability”
7. Select a date and time that is convenient for you - Not to conflict with your class schedule

Check out these videos to guide you through setting up an appointment with our office:

• How to Access Accommodate
• How to Make an Appointment Using Accommodate

This prompt is for returning DSO students who are requesting an accommodation that has not been previously approved. 

Please review all of the information below before starting the housing accommodation request process.

This is an interactive process and requires that all steps in the process outlined below must be completed by the deadline to be considered for housing accommodations. Requests made by the student are not guaranteed as space is limited. Remember to check your CalArts email regularly for updates.

The four-step housing accommodations process is as follows:

Step 1: Acquire Disability Documentation 

All requests for housing accommodations must include documentation prepared by a qualified evaluator. At minimum the documentation must substantiate the student’s disabling condition and verify the student’s current need for housing accommodations in order to have equal access to the residential environments. Please review the Disability Documentation Guidelines for Disability Services to learn more about the type of information the Disability Services office will look for in your documentation.

You do not need to have disability documentation at the time of your request. However, applications for reasonable housing accommodations with no supporting documentation will be put on hold until documentation is provided.

All disability documentation should be submitted through Accommodate. Email is not a secure method to submit documentation.

Step 2: Submit a housing application and housing deposit

For important dates and information regarding the Housing Application and Deposit, please refer to Residential Life webpage.

Step 3: Submit the supplemental form through Accommodate

Students who have requested accommodations of any type in the past must log in to Accommodate and submit a Supplemental Request Form in order to request a change or addition to their current accommodations. Step-by-step directions to complete the supplemental request are below.

Step-by-step directions to complete the Supplemental Semester Request are as follows.

1. Log into Accommodate through SSO.calarts.edu
2. Select the “Accommodate” tile
3. Select Student
4. Select the “Accommodation” tab on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page.
5. From the drop-down options choose the second option “Supplemental”
6. Choose “Add New”
7. Fill out all form fields and click “Submit”

Documentation of disability can be uploaded through the Supplemental Request. If you do not have access to your documentation at the time that you submit the form we can also accept documentation through Accommodate. However, if you choose to submit documentation at a later time, please keep in mind that your request will not be considered complete until we receive both your form submission and documentation. 

Steps to upload Documentation of Disability: 

1. Log into Accommodate through SSO.calarts.edu
2. Select the “Accommodate” tile
3. Select “Student”
4. Click on “Accommodation”
5. Select “Document” 
6. Click on “Add New”
7. Select “New Accessibility Document” and follow the prompts

Step 4: Meet with Disability Services Office (DSO) Staff

It is the student’s responsibility to schedule a meeting with us as part of the registration process. Once we have received a student’s semester request, the student must set up a meeting to discuss accommodations for the semester in more detail. Students should leave this meeting with an understanding of what accommodations will be approved, but a formal decision will be sent via email within a few weeks following the meeting to the student and appropriate Residential Life staff. This does not include room assignments.  

Steps to set up an appointment with DSO:

1. Log into Accommodate through SSO.calarts.edu
2. Select the “Accommodate” tile
3. Select “Student”
4. Select the “Appointment” option on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page.
5. Select the “Request New Appointment” button on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page.
6. Fill out all form fields and “Check Availability”
7. Select a date and time that is convenient for you - Not to conflict with your class schedule

Check out these videos to guide you through setting up an appointment with our office:

• How to Access Accommodate
• How to Make an Appointment Using Accommodate