Medical Accommodations
Many students have medical conditions that require them to receive special accommodations with regards to their housing. Medical accommodations for housing include private rooms, rooms with disability access, private bathrooms, support animal, or access to a kitchen.
Students who think they might need a housing accommodation need to provide documentation from their treating medical professional verifying the specific medial condition to the Office of Disability Services. All health information provided to Disability Services relating the medical condition(s) is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). If a medical accommodation is granted, the only information shared with our office is the specific accommodation required. Under HIPAA, no other information, including the reason for the accommodation, is shared. The deadline to apply for a medical accommodation is the last business day in May.
The steps to request an accommodation are as follows:
- Schedule an appointment with a Disability Services staff member (G-4 Student Union) to register as a student with a disability. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the documentation you have regarding your specific disability and reasonable accommodations that may be granted.
- Provide current and appropriate documentation of your disability. Please see documentation guidelines on the main Disability Services page.
- Meet regularly with the Disability Services staff to review the effectiveness of services received, to update information or to discuss changes in services. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule appointments with the Disability Services staff and alert them of any concerns with respect to their accommodations.
- Complete and submit the Housing Accommodation Verification Form
Information on support animals is available here.
Note: Housing accommodations must be renewed each year. The Office of Disability Services is available to assist in obtaining the necessary documentation by providing referrals to qualified professionals.
Students with medical accommodations are assigned to rooms/buildings by the Office of Housing, Dining & Residence Life based on the facility best-suited for their accommodation. As a result, students might not be assigned to a room or building they have specifically requested.
Private Room Requests (Non-Medical Accommodation)
Students requesting a private room that is not part of a medical accommodation should complete an online request form, which can be found at my.pitt.edu (click on Johnstown Campus Housing and Dining Services task center and then open the private room request). Students must be willing to pay the additional cost for a private room before submitting the application.
Private rooms are granted based on seniority using the student's terms in residence (how many terms a student has resided on campus) and are subject to availability. Private rooms are typically not granted until after the semester begins. Students who do not complete the online private room request form will not be eligible for consideration.
Students are notified via their Pitt email if approved for a private room. Once a student accepts a private room, that room will be designated as private for the remainder of the semester.
When a room is used as single-occupancy (private), the second set of furniture must remain and cannot be removed from the space.
Questions? Contact Housing and Dining Services at 814-269-7115 (upjhousing@pitt.edu).