My daughter is running into issues getting dorm room accommodations at college. The school is being extremely difficult and giving my daughter the run around from through each department. Has anyone dealt with this and can provide recommendations?
Hi @krick33 welcome to Breakthrough T1D. There is a College Diabetes Network as part of the ADA you can try looking here https://diabetes.org/advocacy/safe-at-school-state-laws/college-diabetes-network. Itâs been a minute since I went to college and I did not ask for any specific accommodations. Testing accommodations would be my first thought. The ability to test and adjust during exams would be a good thing to have. Good luck 
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Thanks Joe,
Did you receive any type of room accommodations because of meds and devices?
Hi @krick33 , I didnât ask for and never received housing accommodations. I had scripts to carry and have syringes and so, in the day, my meds and devices were my business. I didnât really need anything special. If you donât mind my asking, what sort of accommodation does she need? I did have a mini fridge with some snacks but everyone had a mini fridge in the day.
I graduated college in 1982 - i didnât start doing fingersticks until a little after that, and was on injections until the mid 1990s. Never thought about doing or needing anything special - food was allowed in the dorms soil always had snacks available, and I let my roommates know what low looked like and what to do.
That said, hereâs a discussion on the topic that I remember reading a while back: dorm accommodations are only a small part but you might find it helpful:
I forgot to ask - what kind of accommodations are you looking for? A single room? Ability to have food in the room?
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We were looking for a single room in a 2 room suite. She had issues last year with roommate and visitors messing with her fridge and meds. We figured a full on single room would be too much an ask so opted for a single room in a suite.
Whatâs shame. I didnât have issues with roommates messing with my stuff. I let them knew to leave my insulin bottle in the fridge and told them to ask before using my juices or snacks because I might need them. Itâs a shame she didnât have ones who respect that. Maybe sheâll meet some other Type1s on campus and they could live together in the future.
Hi Jermaine. To answer your question about what to do when the school has denied your request here is a good resource from the US department of education: Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education
What is working against your daughter is all the T1D students who successfully make it through college without requiring a single room. Her docs are going to have to document what makes her different.
Some easier solutions are:
Consider changing to only getting a 30 day supply of insulin from the pharmacy each month so it doesnât have to be refrigerated.
Ask the school for a secure location to keep the medicine or fridge.
I also want to ask the same question. what type of accommodation that you need?
Before I retired I was on the college ADA-act accommodations committee. I am trying to determine what accommodations your are seeking other than a single room.
@krick33 , please share your accommodations request and the run around?
The Diabetes.ORG âSafe at Schoolâ is a great source.
Also, the state where this school is located will help as states have different interpretations on how to comply the ADA-act.
Note, ADA-act = Americans with Disabilities Act AND ADA-org is the Amer. Diabetes Assn.
As I understand it accommodations for housing are made to ensure students with disabilities are able (among other things) to get around and move freely - that their residence will be accessible for a chair or other assistive devices, or that alert systems are in place so they can find their way in case of emergency - that kind of thingâŚ
I will defer to @987jaj who has professional or formal experience in these matters, but it sounds to me like even if her situation does meet the standards for accommodation that may not solve the actual problem.
Forgive me for saying so and please donât hate me, but while your daughterâs issue with housing is related to her need to keep her insulin and snacks readily available, this sounds like more of a âlifeâ issue. Living in a dorm with hundreds(?) of others is a learning experience in itself - one that includes dealing with people âhelping themselvesâ to your stuff with or without your knowledge or consent: shampoo, clothing, laundry detergent, medicine (OTC or otherwise), tablets - all are fair game and not all are returned. So, unfortunate and maddening as it is that people did not respect her personal property before, I would hope there are other ways to handle it - because things can happen in singles, too; and as someone pointed out already, lots of Type1 students do manage the challenges of communal living.
Maybe your daughter needs to be more selective about who she lives with and allows in her space?
Maybe she needs to assert herself more strongly?
Maybe she needs to make the RA aware of whatâs going on so action can be taken?
That her stuff is medical is all the more reason to be assertive if sheâs not already, and to find ways to keep her stuff safe - because even with a single, she wonât be there to protect it all the time.
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@krick33 , other than no roommate, what accommodations are you requesting?
Depending on the institution, the housing architecture, and its funding source (private, public, mixed), contractual arrangements behind the scene may make your request untenable for the school.
Please share more. You may send me a private message. As above, I am retired college faculty that sat on the accommodations committee for several years.
One more, is this her first year at the institution?
Perhaps she could try the health service and see a doctor there who could prescribe the accommodations she needs. Then the physician there could send that to the office that handles accomodations for T1d.
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@lee.s.schwartz , great idea. However, from my experience on a college accommodations committee, Physician written accommodations are limited to the prescriptive domain. For example, âNo roommate.â as a prescription would crash and burn in the committee. While an statement, âSecure refrigerated medication storage.â would be considered. One way to provide it would be at the dorm front desk, secured by dorm staff.
The key is physicians can only prescribe things within the scope of medical practice.
@wadawabbit , has @krick33 ghosted us?
I hope not. Maybe sheâs just been busy.
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