Housing Accommodations

The Accessible Education Center (AEC), in partnership with University Housing Services, makes every effort to determine and recommend appropriate housing accommodations to support eligible students with documented disabilities, including the approval of Emotional Support Animals (ESA)^1. 

Housing accommodations are provided based on availability. Students are encouraged to complete the UHS application and register with the AEC by no later than SJSU’s Intent to Enroll and UHS application deadline, ordinarily May 1 for the following fall semester and December 1 for the spring semester. 

Students seeking disability-related housing accommodations must:

1. Complete all steps of the UHS application process by the published UHS deadlines.
2. Register with AEC by completing the AEC Housing Application on AEC’s website. AEC determines eligibility and prescribes reasonable and appropriate housing accommodations for eligible students. Housing accommodations are provided based on availability.
   
   Students registering with AEC will complete the online application, upload supporting documentation, and meet with an AEC counselor for a Housing Intake appointment. AEC’s Disability Documentation Guidelines page provides details and Verification Forms for treating professional to complete. Please note, the requirement for the Supplemental Housing Verification Form [pdf].
   
   Once the AEC application and appropriate disability documentation has been provided, the AEC will message the student to the email provided in the application with next steps and a link to schedule the “Intake Appointment.” During the Intake the student and AEC counselor fully engage in the interactive process which provides both the student and AEC counselor an opportunity to discuss eligibility and reasonable and appropriate accommodation(s), if qualified. At the conclusion of the Intake, AEC will provide the student and UHS with a Housing Accommodation Notification Letter. The Housing Accommodation Notification Letter will state prescribed housing accommodations (i.e., single room, studio apartment, shared room, room with a semi/private bathroom). Accommodations listed will identify alternative accommodation in the event prescribed accommodation is unavailable.

Additional information on SJSU’s Housing Accommodations process can be found on San Jose State University’s Student Housing Accommodation Policy.  [pdf]

Emotional Support Animals (ESA)¹

Students must AEC by completing the AEC Housing Application and provide appropriate documentation. Please view the AEC’s Emotional Support Verification Form.  [pdf]

If the ESA is not a commonly kept household animal (dog, cat, small bird, rabbit, hamster, gerbil, other rodent, fish, turtle, or other small, domesticated animal that is traditionally kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes), students must also have their treating professional provide the following additional information:
Note: reptiles (other than turtles), barnyard animals, monkeys, kangaroos, and other non-domesticated animals are not considered common household animals.

• The date of the last consultation with the student, 
• Any unique circumstances justifying the student’s need for the particular animal (if already owned or identified by the individual) or particular type of animal(s), and 
• Whether the treating professional has reliable information about this specific animal or whether they specifically recommended this type of animal. 

Denial of a request for an ESA may be based on insufficient documentation of disability or of the need for an emotional support animal as an accommodation in the context requested; issues related to zoonosis; maintaining a sterile field; or demonstrated behavioral concerns. 

Documentation from the Internet
Some websites sell certificates, registrations, and licensing documents for emotional support animals to anyone who answers certain questions or participates in a short interview and pays a fee. Form letters that do not provide differentiating information about the student’s personal disability experience, or letters that are generated as a result of a single, remote evaluation solely for the purpose of recommending an ESA are not considered adequate documentation.

FAQ

• How are housing accommodations assigned by UHS?
  • Based on availability, UHS will assign students to a housing unit consistent with the housing accommodations prescribed by AEC. If prescribed housing accommodations are not available, UHS will offer an alternative as stated in AEC’s Housing Notification Letter, in order of priority.  In the event prescribed accommodations and alternate accommodations are not available, the student will be placed at the top of the waitlist for the next available room that can support the prescribed housing accommodations. For students waitlisted for a space in on-campus housing, prescribed housing accommodations or alternatives will be provided if housing becomes available.
• Does a housing accommodation guarantee on-campus housing?
  • Prescribed housing accommodations do not guarantee on-campus housing. Students waitlisted for a space in on-campus housing, students with prescribed housing accommodation(s) or alternatives will be provided if housing becomes available. 
• Can AEC help selecting a specific room/building? 
  • AEC has no authority in room/building selection. Housing staff will assign rooms to meet prescribed accommodations.
• Can AEC help with roommate selection? 
  • AEC has no involvement in roommate selection. Housing staff will assign rooms to meet prescribed accommodation(s). Students can opt to withdraw their requested/prescribed accommodation(s) and select to follow Housing's standard application and request to live with a specific roommate(s).