Medical Accommodations

Housing Accommodations

Any student desiring medical accommodations for housing must submit the following forms:

• Accommodation Request Form (ARF)
• ARF Healthcare Provider Statement – Letters or notes from a physician will not be accepted. Please contact counselors@[SITEURL] to obtain this form.

Our Approach

Montreat College seeks to care for students who have a physical or mental disability or condition that impacts them in regard to their housing assignment. There are a variety of accommodations that the college may determine might be best to offer and provide in supporting the needs stated in the submitted paperwork. Examples of these accommodations may be, but are not limited to, the following: specific residence hall/room placement, accessibility to bathroom, general accessibility, private rooms, and specific care plans. Due to our continued student growth and space availability, students are not typically given private rooms, as we want them to be in and grow through the experience of community. If it is determined by the college that one of the accommodations needed involves a private room, precedence will be placed on that student and space. Any student who desires a private room due to a personal preference should expect an additional charge per semester, and will only receive a private room after all other accommodations have been determined and provided.

Requesting accommodation does not guarantee that the student will receive accommodation. In addition, requesting specific accommodation does not guarantee that the student will receive that specific accommodation. The Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services and relevant college staff review each request and provide approval or denial and care plans when applicable.

Because of our belief in the value of the residential educational experience of students, our first step will always be to determine what accommodations and support can be provided through on campus living before any additional steps and options would be considered. This would involve the student, the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services, relevant staff and when appropriate the Disabilities Services Resource Committee (DSRC) creating, implementing and coordinating care plans/strategies over a set amount of time with outcome evaluation being processed with the housing coordinator, relevant staff and the DSRC.

Application Process

• Please complete and submit the forms by the deadlines listed below preceding your fall semester to ensure timely accommodation for the entire academic year.
  • Returning Students: prior to the March Housing Draw
  • New Incoming Students: prior to June 1 
• Requests made (forms completed and submitted) after those dates will be processed and considered based on their approval and in addition to remaining availability on a rolling basis throughout the academic year. 
• Documentation for the medical accommodations request must come from a healthcare provider who is certified or a specialist in the area of medicine/healthcare that the request is being based on. If there are multiple areas of concern, documentation from each provider/specialist should be submitted. Issues or areas of concern must each have proper documentation in order to be considered in the request.
• These forms are submitted to the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services and approved through coordination and consultation with the relevant college staff. Review of the completed request can take up to four weeks to complete. The student will meet (in person or virtually) with the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services and relevant other staff to discuss the results of the request and options.
• Additional processes:
  • If the student wants to appeal the results of the request or options provided, they may request a re-review by the Disabilities Services Resource Committee (DSRC). This appeal would need to be filed within 10 business days of the official email response of results and options from the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services. The decision made by the DSRC would be final.
  • If the student has updated information on their current condition(s) that represents a significant change or an additional medical condition that they would like considered in addition to their previous condition/information, they would submit that documentation for a new review from the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services and the relevant staff since this would represent basically a new request.

Meal Plan Accommodations:

Any student desiring medical accommodations for the meal plan must submit the following forms:

• Accommodation Request Form (ARF)
• ARF Healthcare Provider Statement – Letters or notes from a physician will not be accepted. Please contact counselors@[SITEURL] to obtain this form.

Our Approach

Montreat College seeks to care for students who have food allergies or dietary condition(s) that impact them in regards to the meal plan. Our food services can accommodate most special diets and work with students and physicians to provide the specific special requests needed, and so reduction of or exemption from the meal plan is not necessary except in rare extreme cases. 

Requests for accommodation regarding the meal plan will be considered for life threatening food allergies documented by an allergist (MD) after testing has been performed. Certain other severe medical conditions also may apply. 

Application Process

• Please complete and submit the forms by Aug 1 preceding your fall semester to ensure timely accommodation for the entire academic year. Requests made (forms completed and submitted) after those dates will be processed on a rolling basis throughout the academic year and implemented as soon as possible. 
• Documentation for the medical accommodations request must come from a healthcare provider who is certified or a specialist in the area of medicine/healthcare that the request is being based on. If there are multiple areas of concern, documentation from each provider/specialist should be submitted. Issues or areas of concern must each have proper documentation in order to be considered in the request.
• These forms are submitted to the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services and shared with the relevant college staff (Director of the Health Center and the Director of Food Services). Review of the completed request can take up to four weeks to complete. The student will meet (in person or virtually) with relevant staff to discuss the request, options, and create a meal plan.
• Additional processes:
  • If the student wants to appeal the results of the request or options provided, they may request a re-review by the Disabilities Services Resource Committee (DSRC). This appeal would need to be filed within 10 business days of the meal plan creation. The decision made by the DSRC would be final.
  • If the student has updated information on their current condition(s) that represents a significant change or an additional medical condition that they would like considered in addition to their previous condition/information, they would submit that documentation for a new review from theCoordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services and the relevant staff since this would represent basically a new request.

Other Meal Plan Accommodations

Requests for reduction or exemption based on food preferences, work, or athletic schedule will not be considered due to the following provisions:

• The cafeteria has a “To Go” Box option as well as “Lunch Bag” option for scheduling issues. Students need to contact the director of food services at randall-sharon@aramark.com to get full information on the options and how to make use of them. These two options are available to individual students as well as staff, faculty, and coaches to use for groups of students.
• Our food services have 2 venues, with the below varying open hours for students to use their meal plan and Cavalier Cash, which is part of their meal plan account.
  • Howerton Dining Hall – Unlimited access to food from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. throughout the week
    • Breakfast: Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.; Sat & Sun 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
    • Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:15 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Sat & Sun 12 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
    • Dinner: Mon-Sun 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
  • The Pod in Belk Student Center
    • Hours posted at The Pod

Academic Requirement Exceptions:

Academic requirements (i.e. student teaching and internships), that lead to a student’s reduced ability to access the cafeteria for food, will be considered for a reduction of the meal plan, with proper documentation. These students simply need to fill out the Accommodation Request Form and request a meal change based on the specific academic requirement. Confirmation of completed requests is sent to students by email within 2 weeks of submission.

Emotional Support Animals (ESAs)

If an on-campus resident wants to request an ESA, the resident must contact the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services to get a copy of the full ESA Policy and required forms by visiting the student life office on the second floor of Belk or by emailing counselors@[SITEURL]. The resident must then provide the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services with the completed forms from the full ESA Policy which include:

• Accommodation Request Form (ARF)
• ARF Healthcare Provider Statement – Letters or notes from a physician will not be accepted.
• ESA Specific Healthcare Provider Statement
• ESA Registration Form
• Veterinarian Verification Form
• Roommate/Suitemate Agreement Form
• Student Partner Acknowledgement and Agreement Form
• Student Partner Release Form

After receiving the listed documentation, the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services and Disabilities Services Resource Committee will determine if the resident is eligible for an ESA in the residence halls. The ESA Policy allows approved students one small/medium sized animal within their campus room. The full ESA Policy is in a separate document, available by request from the housing coordinator via office visit or email as listed above. Confirmation of completed requests is sent to students by email within 2 weeks of submission. The DSRC will accept and consider all completed requests upon receipt. Review of the completed request can take up to four weeks to complete.

Service Animals

If an on-campus resident requires a service animal, the resident must contact the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services to get a copy of the full Service Animal Policy by visiting the student life office on the second floor of Belk or by emailing counselors@[SITEURL]. The resident must then provide the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services with the completed forms from the full Service Animal Policy which include:

• Service Animal Registration Form
• Service Animal Veterinarian Verification Form
• Roommate/Suitemate Agreement Form
• Student Partner Acknowledgement and Agreement Form
• Student Partner Release Form

The full Service Animal Policy is in a separate document, available by request from the Coordinator for Wellness and Counseling Services via office visit or email as listed above.