General Housing Accommodations

• To request a housing accommodation, an individual with a disability must follow the accommodation request procedure outlined on the Disability Accommodation Requests for Housing (link) webpage. To start the process, he or she must complete the Disability Accommodation Request Form for Student Housing, along with the Student Disability Services Application.
• MCC will accept and consider requests for reasonable accommodation in student housing at any time. The individual making the request for accommodation should complete and submit the Request Form as soon as practicably possible before moving into campus housing. However, if the request for accommodation is made fewer than 60 days before the individual intends to move into student housing, MCC cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet the individual’s accommodation needs during the first semester or term of occupancy.
• If the need for the accommodation arises when an individual already resides in student housing, he/she should contact the Disability Services Office and complete the Request Form as soon as practicably possible. MCC cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet the accommodation needs during the semester or term in which the request is received.
• Absent exceptional circumstances, MCC will attempt to provide a written response to a reasonable accommodation request within fourteen (14) business days of receiving the information described in part 2 below.

Disability Services shall limit its requests for information to only the information necessary to verify whether the individual making the request has a disability and/or to evaluate if the reasonable accommodation is necessary to provide the individual an equal opportunity to use and enjoy student housing.

Obvious Disability:

If the individual's disability and the necessity for the accommodation are obvious (e.g. an individual with a physical disability using a wheelchair needs an accessible room), the individual need only explain what type of accommodation she is requesting. No verification of disability and/or necessity is required under these circumstances.

Non-Obvious Disability/Necessity:

• If the disability is obvious but the need for the accommodation is not obvious, MCC may require the individual to complete the Accommodation Verification Form for Student Housing and designate a reliable third party—a health care provider or other professional who can verify that the requested accommodation is necessary to provide the individual an equal opportunity to use and enjoy student housing. The completed form must be returned with 10 days of the official request.
  
  NOTE: For ESA requests, provide the following verification form to your health care professional instead:ESA – Request for Information from Healthcare Provider.
  
• If the disability and necessity for the accommodation are not obvious, Disability Services will require the individual to complete the Verification Form and designate a reliable third party—a health care provider or other professional (e.g., a physician, optometrist, psychiatrist, psychologist, physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or nurse)—who can verify that the individual has a disability and that the requested accommodation is necessary to provide the individual an equal opportunity to use and enjoy student housing.
• A reliable third party is someone who is familiar with the individual's disability and the necessity for the requested accommodation. A reliable third-party includes, but is not limited to, a doctor or other medical professional, or a non-medical service agency (e.g., National Association of the Deaf).
• If the third party returns the Verification Form without sufficient information for Disability Services to determine whether an accommodation is necessary, the Disability Service Provider will inform the individual in writing of the verification’s insufficiency and may request additional information, including speaking directly with the individual supplying the third-party verification, within ten (10) business days of receiving the verification.
• The individual making the request for accommodation must cooperate with Disability Services in a timely manner in providing all information needed to determine whether the requested accommodation is necessary.

• Disability Services may deny the requested accommodation if it is unreasonable. Disability Services shall consult with Residence Life to determine if implementing the requested accommodation is reasonable.
• An accommodation is unreasonable if it: (1) imposes an undue financial and/or administrative burden; (2) fundamentally alters campus housing policies; (3) poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others or would cause substantial property damage to the property of others, including MCC property; and/or (4) is otherwise unreasonable to the operation of Muscatine Community College.

If Disability Services determines a requested accommodation is necessary and is not unreasonable, it will contact the individual, in writing, within seven (7) business days of its determination, to arrange a meeting to discuss the implementation of the accommodation.

• If Disability Services determines a requested accommodation is necessary but unreasonable, Disability Services will contact the individual, in writing, within seven (7) business days of its determination and engage in an interactive process with the individual to determine if there are alternative accommodations that might effectively meet the individual’s disability-related needs.
• If the individual is unwilling to accept any alternative accommodation offered by Disability Services or there are no alternative accommodations available, Disability Services will provide a written notification to the individual of the denial and the reasons for the denial within 7 days. The student has the right to appeal this decision. See Student Complaint Procedure.
• If the student appeals, the first step is an informal appeal in which the Disability Services committee, consisting of a dean of the college and two other EICC disability service providers, will discuss the matter.
• If the student is denied the informal appeal and would like to make a formal appeal, the appeal will be reviewed by the EEO Compliance Officer/HR Director at EICC. If the appeal is denied, the Director shall provide written notification of the denial to the individual and a written explanation with reasons for the denial.

In processing requests for reasonable accommodations, MCC will take all steps required by federal, state, and/or local law to protect the confidentiality of any information or documentation disclosed in connection with the requests. Such measures may include limiting access to such information to individuals specifically designated to determine and implement requests for reasonable accommodations, who will disclose the information only to the extent necessary to determine whether to grant the request, determine if the request is unreasonable, and implement any request granted, keeping all written requests and accompanying documentation in a secure area to which only those designated individuals have access, except as otherwise required by law.

MCC will not retaliate against any individual because that individual has requested or received a reasonable accommodation in campus housing.