Housing Accommodations

The Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services works closely with Residential Life & Housing to respond to the individual needs of Barnard students with disabilities.

Housing options for Barnard students include rooms in traditional corridor-style and apartment suite-style residence halls in the neighborhood surrounding campus. All residential Barnard students are expected to follow College policies as well as College housing policies and procedures developed by Residential Life & Housing. Please note that students who have a guarantee of housing from Residential Life are prioritized for housing; however, students who do not have a guarantee of housing may apply for a housing accommodation and will be housed based on availability. 

CARDS will honor any summer housing accommodation approvals for students who have had housing accommodations for the 2021-22 academic year approved through the prelottery process. 

The summer application opened March 8th and is now closed as of March 22nd. All disability-related housing accommodation requests and supporting documentation for the Summer semester needs to be received by the CARDS priority housing accommodation deadline of March 22nd. Please note students must be registered with CARDS in order to be eligible to receive housing accommodations. 

Please note you do not need to submit an application if you are only requesting a single, kitchen access or air conditioning. All summer housing assignments will be singles with kitchen access and air conditioning. If you have other housing accommodation needs such as an accessible bathroom, please submit an application once it opens March 8th. 

The CARDS Housing Accommodation Pre-lottery Process is NOW CLOSED as of February 3, 2021 for 2021-2022 housing placements, with the expectation that the 2021-2022 housing lottery will take place as usual this coming March. Please note that while we anticipate being able to conduct the pre-lottery and lottery process as usual, these procedures and/or eventual room assignments may end up needing to shift in accordance with the College’s yet-to-be-determined plans for the 2021-2022 academic year.  

Pre-Lottery Process (January-March)

This is the earliest priority process, as students have not yet gone through housing selection for the next academic year. Pre-Lottery Housing Accommodation Applications were due February 3rd, 2021 and required an annual request along with updated annual documentation. We encouraged all returning students to participate in this process as we are best able to accommodate specific needs through this process (as all students have not yet been assigned housing for the upcoming year). CARDS reviewed all housing accommodation applications with the Housing Accommodation Committee and relayed all approved accommodations to Residence Life. Pre-Lottery placement offers were made on or before March 1 as the Housing Lottery will take place in April.

Timeframes for Pre-Lottery CARDS Review and Room Selection Guidelines

1. CARDS staff to review the request and schedule Disability Housing Accommodation Committee Meetings (2 weeks).
2. Disability Housing Accommodation Committee Meetings (2-3 weeks to review all requests).
3. CARDS staff/Res Life staff meet to finalize placements (1-2 weeks).
4. Placement decisions to be sent to students by end of February 2021
5. Students who are granted a Pre-Lottery assignment will have a designated deadline to submit a form to accept or decline the placement (in order to participate in the Housing Lottery instead).
6. Room Selection Registration takes place. ALL STUDENTS SEEKING CAMPUS HOUSING FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2021-2022 MUST REGISTER FOR ROOM SELECTION, including students participating in the Housing Lottery and students who accepted an CARDS Pre-Lottery assignment or are planning on applying at a later date for a Disability Housing Accommodation through CARDS.
7. Housing Lottery for students who did not accept an CARDS placement or who did not apply for an accommodation prior to the Pre-Lottery deadline (specific dates pending -usually follows spring break).

Please note that we will review your building preferences when determining placement upon eligibility for housing accommodations, however, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to place you in your preferred building as placements are determined based on a variety of factors including types of requested accommodations, which may not be available in all buildings.

Forms submitted without proper documentation will not be eligible for housing accommodations. If you'd like to schedule a meeting with your CARDS Coordinator to discuss your specific situation or concerns regarding access to updated documentation, please do so at your earliest convenience.

Other Housing Accommodation Processes

Priority Deadlines for students with a guarantee of housing:

• Guaranteed List Process-- This process is for students who took part in Room Selection and either weren't able to pick a room or need a change of room assignment for disability-related reasons. Fall 2021 Priority Deadline for the Guaranteed List:  June 1, 2021

• New First Year Students Process-- This process is for new incoming first year students ONLY (class of 2025) and will open in May. Fall 2021 Priority Deadline for the First Year Process:  June 1, 2021

Priority Deadlines for students without a housing guarantee:

Students without a guarantee of housing from Barnard are welcome to submit a Res Life 2021-22 housing application when it opens in mid-March and can request housing accommodations through CARDS as a student on the non-guaranteed waitlist beginning in April. While not all students are not guaranteed housing by the College, it is important to note that students with approved housing accommodations can potentially receive priority for placement from the College (based on their accommodation need) within the non-guaranteed applicant pool. However, all housing assignments (regardless of whether or not CARDS has also approved an accommodation request) are contingent upon space being  available in campus housing. Typically the College does not know until early August if space will be available for non-guaranteed applicants or not.

• New Enrolling Transfer & Visiting Students-- Students who are new transfers or visiting students can participate in the non-guaranteed wait list process. Fall 2021 Priority Deadline for the non-guaranteed wait list:  June 1, 2021. 

• Students returning from a Leave of Absence-- Students who are returning from leave can participate in the non-guaranteed wait list process. Fall 2021 Priority Deadline for the non-guaranteed wait list:  June 1, 2021. 

• Other Non-Guaranteed Wait List (ex. commuters asking to move on campus)- Fall 2021 Priority Deadline for the non-guaranteed wait list:  June 1, 2021. 

In addition to filling out the Housing Accommodation Application linked above to request an accommodation, students must register with the Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services by having an intake meeting and supplying CARDS with supporting documentation of their need for a housing accommodation from a current doctor or treatment provider prior to their respective deadline. 

Students must submit disability documentation that follows the CARDS Disability Documentation Guidelines (DDG) requirements. Please remember that documentation must meet the guidelines to be accepted.

• Documentation should be submitted to CARDS@barnard.edu or faxed to 212-280-8768, Please know that while we are operating remotely any documentation faxed or mailed to our office will have a delay in processing. We highly recommend scanning and/or emailing documentation to cards@barnard.edu.
• Documentation must be recent within the past 4 months for housing applications
• Updated and/or additional documentation may be required on a case by case basis
• It is important that the documentation establish a direct connection between the disability and the requested housing accommodation(s).
• Students with Service Animals or requesting permission to have a Support Animal within their designated housing assignment should refer to our Service Animal Policy or Support Animal Policy. Information about the distinction between the two is below: 

  Service Animals are usually dogs who have been trained to perform a specific task that assists the individual with a disability. Service Animals are allowed in public spaces on campus, but should be approved by CARDS if a student is requesting access for their animal in classroom spaces and/or other spaces not open to the public. Please review the Service Animal Policy for more information.

  Support Animals are other animals that have not necessarily been trained for a specific purpose, but that provide comfort and/or emotional support for an individual with a disability. Support Animals are allowed on a case-by-case basis for students with disabilities within their living space in the Residence Halls, with appropriate approval from CARDS. Support Animals are generally not permitted in public spaces on campus, such as rooms of any other students in College housing, campus housing common spaces, or other areas of the College without prior approval through the CARDS’s reasonable accommodation process.  Students seeking approval of a Support Animal must first review the Service and Support Animal Policy, secure supporting documentation (this should include how the support animal fits into an ongoing treatment plan), and then schedule a meeting with their CARDS coordinator to begin evaluation of the request. The process for evaluating a Support Animal request can take up to six weeks, depending on the time of year that the request is received. Please review the Support Animal Policy for more information.

Note: accommodations must be re-requested each academic year and/or summer. Previously approved accommodations are not automatically renewed (unless they have been previously approved for the same academic year). Updated documentation may be required.

The Disability Housing Committee evaluates housing applications and the necessity of the requested accommodations(s). The Committee includes staff from the Center for Accessibility Resources & Disability Services, Counseling Services, Residential Life & Housing and Primary Care Health Services.

All students are expected to evacuate immediately upon the sounding of the building fire alarm. Students with disabilities who need assistance evacuating from their residence hall are asked to self-identify to CARDS by filling out our Disability Evacuation Assistance Registration Form.

If you do not have a physical, visual, or hearing disability, but also still have a need for assistance in an emergency situation (i.e. unable to hear fire alarm as a heavy sleeper), please contact CARDS to discuss. Students with temporary disabilities are also strongly encouraged to fill out the Disability Evacuation Assistance Registration Form if there is any anticipation of difficulty with exiting the residence hall in the event of an emergency.

All students unable to self-evacuate will be required to meet with Barnard Public Safety for an individual training and drill. In an emergency situation, students unable to evacuate must call Barnard Public Safety at (212) 854-3362 at the sounding of a fire alarm and provide their name and location. In the event of an actual life-safety emergency which necessitates total evacuation, trained New York City Fire Department (NYFD) personnel will be dispatched and take responsibility.

Barnard Dining Accommodation Process:

1. Students who are requesting dining accommodations must first register with CARDS. This process involves submitting an application, supporting documentation (see below for specialized guidance), and having an intake meeting with a CARDS coordinator. 

Documentation guidance for food allergies:  this documentation should be from an Allergist or ENT and should detail the severity of the allergic reaction, along with any recommended dining or housing accommodations. It should also include a list of food(s) the student is allergic to, potential foods that may induce an allergic response, and the severity of the allergic reaction to each. 

Documentation guidance for other dietary restrictions:  this documentation should be from a licensed medical specialist (such as a gastroenterologist) and should outline the medical necessity of the specified diet, including foods that must be avoided, foods that may induce an adverse reaction, and foods deemed ‘safe’ based on the student’s condition, and an outline of what adverse reactions may occur if prohibited food is consumed. Further, any recommendations for housing accommodations should be suggested.

2. During the CARDS intake process, the student’s coordinator will contact Chartwells’ registered dietitian for a joint consultation between the student, CARDS, and Dining Services, as needed. During this consultation, possible options for dining safely on campus will be discussed, as well as possible accommodations that can be made. In rare instances, Barnard may make the determination that the student’s needs are unable to be accommodated through Dining Services, and in this case we will discuss alternatives with the student. 

3. As needed, CARDS and Dining Services will schedule a walk-through of the dining hall(s) with the student so that they are familiarized with dining options, stations, and the appropriate persons to talk to if they have any questions. 

Please be advised that the above procedure only applies to dining-specific accommodations. Housing related accommodations (such as access to a kitchen) are considered through a separate Housing Accommodation Process. Please refer to this link to view applicable deadlines and procedures.