Housing Procedures - Accommodations
Orange Coast College is committed to the full participation of students with disabilities in all aspects of college life, including residential life at The Harbour. Orange Coast College’s Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) works in consultation and coordination with The Harbour to provide reasonable housing accommodations to students with disabilities in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794, and its implementing regulation, 34 C.F.R. Part 104 (Section 504), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12131-12134, and its implementing regulation, 28 C.F.R. Part 35 (Title II).
Orange Coast College has established housing procedures to ensure students with documented disability(ies) have equal access to housing opportunities at The Harbour.
Please Note:
Process for Requesting Housing Accommodations
Step 1. Submit Housing Accommodations Request Form
In order to request and receive housing accommodations, the student is encouraged to complete the Housing Accommodations Request Form to begin the interactive process with respect to housing needs. The student is encouraged to promptly notify ARC and The Harbour of any condition and/or limitation that may impact their residential life experience. The Harbour and ARC work collaboratively to ensure requests for accommodations are promptly reviewed and responded to. Housing accommodations are provided based on documented need, reviewed and processed on a case-by-case basis.
The Harbour encourages returning students to request housing accommodations by April 30 and new incoming students to request housing accommodations by June 1 preceding the Fall academic semester. Doing so will enable ARC and The Harbour to engage in an interactive process with students to provide accommodations to place students in on-campus housing.
Students with disabilities who require housing accommodations based on disability which arise after the above stated dates are encouraged to complete the Housing Accommodations Form as soon as practically possible. Such requests will be reviewed and good faith efforts will be made to accommodate housing needs. Please note that the College may not be able to guarantee that all of the student’s housing accommodation needs will be met due to The Harbour’s inventory.
Step 2. Provide Verification of the Need for Accommodation
To determine housing accommodation needs, The Harbour and ARC will review information and documentation which describes the requested disability-related housing accommodation or modification, and the relationship between the student’s disability and how the requested housing accommodation is necessary to ensure the student receives equal access to on-campus housing. The student may provide such information to establish their disability and disability-related housing accommodation request without sharing specific diagnosis information.
All disability-related housing accommodation requests must include information and documentation provided by a medical or mental health professional on official letterhead or alternatively, in the absence of such documentation (for housing accommodations only), The Harbour must be able to otherwise verify with a qualified medical or mental health professional (such as over the phone or virtually) and document the information that address the following:
- Student’s name and student’s identification number (if available).
- Describe medical/mental health professional’s specialty, and how long the student has been in their care.
- Verify the student’s disability-related needs
- Identify the requested housing accommodation(s).
- Describe the relationship between the student's disability-related needs and how the requested housing accommodation or modification is necessary for them to fully access and participate in housing opportunities on-campus at The Harbour.
- Their signature or digital signature and license information or as stated above, the information is verified with a qualified medical or mental health professional and documented.
The student may be expected to participate in an interactive process. Depending on the housing accommodations requested, additional documentation may be required to evaluate the request.
The College and The Harbour may approve requested disability-related housing accommodations on a temporary basis (for a particular semester or full academic year), or permanently through the student’s time at Orange Coast College. This determination will be made on an individualized basis and will be communicated to the student at the time of initial approval.
Step 3. Evaluation and Determination of Accommodations
The Harbour works under the guidance of Orange Coast College’s ARC to identify appropriate housing accommodations for students with disabilities. Housing accommodations are determined based on documented/verified medical and/or mental health need and are given consideration on an individualized basis. The ARC will apply Section 504 and Title II legal standards in its evaluation and determination of providing housing accommodations to College students.
Students must complete a Housing Accommodation Request Form based on their disability-related needs. Upon receiving a completed Housing Accommodation Request Form, The Harbour will send the student written acknowledgment of receipt within 5-7 business days. The Director of the ARC and The Harbour staff will review provided documentation to determine whether additional information is necessary to provide the requested accommodation(s). If the College cannot provide the specifically requested accommodation, the ARC and The Harbour will engage in an interactive process to offer an alternative accommodation that meets the student’s disability-related needs as described by the provided documentation.
Note: The housing accommodations process generally takes 2-4 weeks. However, the actual time frame for completion will depend on the individual needs of the student and other factors, including the interactive process, how promptly documentation is provided, the nature of the accommodation, the availability of the requested or alternative accommodation, and other such factors.
If a housing accommodation is denied: In cases where the College and The Harbour assert a fundamental alteration, undue financial or administrative burden to provide housing accommodations, or the student declines the offered accommodations, The Harbour, in collaboration with ARC will provide an explanation in writing of the reasons for denial of any requested housing accommodation. A housing accommodation may be considered unreasonable if it: (1) is not made by or on behalf of the student with a disability, or there is no disability-related need for the accommodation; (2) creates an undue financial or administrative burden on Orange Coast College; (3) results in a fundamental alteration of The Harbour facility, program or policies; (4) poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others in the Orange Coast College community, or would cause substantial damage to The Harbour; and/or (5) is deemed otherwise unreasonable to the operation of The Harbour.
If The Harbour cannot reasonably accommodate the student’s validly supported request for housing accommodations, the student will have the option to terminate their housing agreement/contract without incurring any penalties.
Students with disabilities are not responsible for paying a surcharge to cover the costs of accommodations/modifications that are needed to provide equal access to housing opportunities at The Harbour. Examples of requested housing accommodations for students related to disability need may include, but is not limited to, an accessible bathroom, additional space for medical equipment, allergen-free room, automatic door opener, emotional support animal, ground floor or lower floor room, lower occupancy room, professional healthcare attendant, requested roommate placement, semi-private or private bathroom access, specific building placement, strobe light fire alarm/smoke detector, and visual doorbell.
Requesting an Assistance Animal Other Than a Service Animal
The Harbour does not allow pets in campus housing; however, students with disabilities may request a housing accommodation of an assistance animal in housing when its use is necessary to afford a person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their campus housing.
An assistance animal may include an emotional support animal (ESA) or companion animal, which is an animal that provides emotional support or comfort for the benefit of a person with a disability and alleviates or mitigates the effects of the disability. Exotic, wild, and agricultural animals are likely inappropriate as assistance animals. Nothing in this procedure overrides federal, state, or local law restricting the possession of such animals.
Assistance animals may not be kept in campus housing without the approval from The Harbour. Students requesting an assistance animal should follow the procedure outlined above. In addition:
- Once approved for an assistance animal as a housing accommodation, the student is responsible for any damages to property and for any injury caused by the assistance animal. The student will be expected to review these responsibilities and sign the Assistance Animal Owner/Handler Responsibilities Form.
- Once approved for an assistance animal as a housing accommodation, the student must provide animal registration and proof of vaccination from a veterinarian and sign the Assistance Animal Registration Form.
An assistance animal may be brought into the student’s residence at The Harbour after the completion of the interactive process recommending the assistance animal as a housing accommodation. Assistance animals are not permitted in any other apartment or other campus buildings except for the student’s assigned housing space and common resident amenity spaces at The Harbour, where the student needs to be accompanied by the animal in order to fully use and enjoy the amenity space. An assistance animal must be under the control of, and is the sole responsibility of the student, who agrees that the animal will be well cared for at all times and properly contained or restrained when the student is not present. Under this procedure, an assistance animal may not be left alone or in the care of others overnight in campus housing or for any period exceeding 24 hours without prior approval from The Harbour.
If the student shares a residence, it is highly recommended the student has a conversation with their roommate(s) about bringing an assistance animal to live in their shared campus housing. Please contact The Harbour as early as possible if any issues arise so that assistance can be provided.
A student with an approved assistance animal may be asked to remove the animal from The Harbour if the animal’s behavior or presence is unduly disruptive, poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others (for example, if it displays vicious or aggressive behavior toward people or other animals), causes substantial damage to the property of The Harbour or other individuals’ property, or fundamentally alters or creates an undue burden to the program, activity, or services of The Harbour or of Orange Coast College.
A request for an assistance animal through this procedure will be primarily treated as a request for housing accommodations. A student making a request for an assistance animal as an academic accommodation under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act must apply and provide documentation to the ARC.
Appeal Procedures
In cases where the requested housing accommodations are not granted, the student is unwilling to accept alternative accommodations offered, and/or the accommodations are determined to be an undue administrative or financial burden or a fundamental alteration to the program, the student has the right to file an appeal. The student must file a formal written request for an appeal within ten (10) business days of notice of the denial to Orange Coast College’s 504 Coordinator.
The 504 Coordinator will adhere to the accommodation hearing process set forth in Coast Community College District Administrative Procedure 5140, Disabled Student Programs and Services. The 504 Coordinator will determine the composition of the hearing committee members and chair the appeal proceedings.
Any decision made by the hearing committee and ratified by the Vice President of Student Services is final; there is no further right of appeal. For more details, please review Coast Community College District Administrative Procedure 5140 Disabled Student Programs and Services.
Additional Resources for Students with Disabilities
Accessibility Resource Center
The Accessibility Resource Center on campus can assist students with disabilities with receiving accommodations in the classroom. Students seeking academic accommodations must complete the application and provide documentation to the Accessibility Resource Center.
Email: occarc@cccd.edu
Phone: (714) 432-5807
Location: 2701 Fairview Rd, Costa Mesa CA 92626, Building 10
504 Coordinator
Orange Coast College’s 504 Coordinator provides oversight of the grievance process and investigates grievances.
Email: squihuiz@occ.cccd.edu
Phone: (714) 432-5930
Location: 2701 Fairview Rd, Costa Mesa CA 92626, Student Union, second floor, suite 202
