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 91’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:
- Complete all steps of the process by the published UHS deadlines.
- Register with AEC by completing the 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 site 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 91’s Housing Accommodations process can be found on San Jose State University’s Student Housing Accommodation Policy. [pdf]
1Emotional Support Animals (ESA)
Students must:
1. AEC by completing the
2. Provide appropriate documentation, see AEC’s Emotional Support Verification Form. [pdf]
ESAs must not be brought to campus prior to approval. Approval will be on a yearly basis; a request must be submitted each academic year with recent (within the last 30 days) disability documentation.
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