Requesting Housing Accommodations
The University of Maine Office of Residential Life offers a variety of housing options to students who wish to live on campus. As with all communal living, all housing options at UMaine involve students sharing living space, bathrooms and other common areas with their peers. The Office of Residential Life strives to create a vibrant community and provide housing that fosters and supports students’ academic, social and personal goals and well-being.
Students requesting housing accommodations because of a diagnosed disability are required to contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS). Please refer to the process listed below.
If you have not applied for housing please fill out the Housing Application.
Important Dates
In order to have time to process and review applications and hold spaces out of regular room selection the following deadlines for submitting materials have been established.
- For new, returning, or transfer students who would like to request housing accommodations for Fall and Spring please complete your housing accommodation request by August 15.
- For new, returning, or transfer students who like to have their housing accommodations for Winter and Spring please reach out to the S.A.S. Office directly at ummdisability@maine.edu by December 1-Winter or April 15-Summer.
Process to Request Housing Accommodations:
(Step 1)
As of 1 August 2023 all accommodation requests will be done through the Accommodate System.
For new students who are requesting housing accommodations please fill out Student Accommodation Request Form utilizing the Accommodate System. When completing this form you can upload any supporting documentation to help the S.A.S. Office better understands your request and supports your individual needs here at the University of Maine at Machias. If you are unable to provide documentation when completing the Student Accommodation Request Form please submit the form and have your provider complete the Housing Documentation-Clinician-Form The form can be upload through Accommodate Account utilizing your UMaine System single sign on feature or you can email directly to the S.A.S. Office at ummdisability@maine.edu.
Once the form is completed and submitted the S.A.S. Office will reach out to you to set up an appointment and/or request documentation.
For returning students who have previously been approved for housing accommodations please log into Accommodate utilizing your UMaine System single log-in feature. Your username and password are the same that you would use to log into your @maine.edu gmail or MaineStreet.
- For new accommodations (others that you may not be approved for) please fill out the Supplemental Request under Accommodation tab on the left hand side in your Accommodate Account.
- For requesting accommodations for an individual semester or specific courses please fill out the Semester Request under the Accommodations tab on the left hand side in your Accommodate Account.
All housing accommodation letters will be written for the Fall and Spring and you will request a housing request once.
If you’d like to stay in the dorms during the Winter and Summer Breaks you must complete a “semester requests” if you’d like to have your housing accommodations applied during those times.
(Step 2)
The S.A.S. Office will reach out to you directly about requesting additional documentation to support your request for accommodations or set up an appointment to speak with you (in person or zoom) about your request.
- You are able to set up appointments with the S.A.S. Office by utilizing your Accommodate account Appointment tab on the left hand side or you can email S.A.S. Office directly at ummdisability@maine.edu
(Step 3)
Students meet with the Student Accessibility Services Professional Staff to discuss the accommodation process and determine appropriate accommodations. Generally, accommodations are put in place from the time requested forward and are not retroactive.
- Once accommodations are determined students need only complete the Accommodation Request Form each semester and need not meet with SAS Professional Staff unless accommodation changes are being requested.
(Step 4)
The S.A.S. Office will prepare a letter of determination of accommodation(s). The letter will be sent to the student’s Accommodate Account under the Accommodation tab on the left hand side. This is where the student is able to view their accommodation letters and sign for them as well.
(Step 5)
The S.A.S. Office will send out to specific faculty that you are requesting accommodations for and will receive a letter of accommodations through their Accommodate Account. Students are recommended to reach out to their professors/faculty to discuss accommodations in a private setting.
Examples of Housing Accommodations
- ADA Accessible rooms and bathrooms
- Installing visual alarms in room for students who are deaf or hard of hearing
- Assigning a student closer to a shared bathroom
- Providing access to a semi-private bathroom
- Providing a single room for a variety of medical reasons
While every effort is made to honor a student’s location preference, assignments are made based on the approved accommodation(s); specific residential areas are not guaranteed.
Because of numerous sites on campus that provide reduced distraction study space, single room accommodations are generally not provided solely for academic-related needs.
SAS strongly encourages students whose enrollment at the university depends on the availability of on-campus housing to apply far in advance of the published deadlines.
SAS will consider requests for housing accommodations promptly. However, if the request for accommodation is made fewer than 60 days before the student intends to move into housing, SAS cannot guarantee that it will be able to meet the student’s requested accommodations during the first semester or term of occupancy.