You may know families who are excited about their students living in campus housing when they attend postsecondary education programs. Other families may be nervous about housing options for their students with ID. Knowing about the available choices and deciding what is a good match for your student is an important topic for your family to discuss.

In Florida, several universities and colleges have campus housing available to students with ID who are enrolled in postsecondary education programs. Click on this for the FCSUA website to see the FPCPT programs that provide housing on campus. If on-campus housing is not available to students, check with program staff about off-campus housing arrangements that may be available for students who want to live close to campus.

Campuses that provide housing may have a variety of options for your student and family to consider. The most common housing on most campuses is a residence hall; you may know these as dormitories or dorms. These are buildings that house students on campus. Some are designed for two students per room, but others have layouts that include multiple bedrooms and a shared living space for students. Some campuses provide Living-Learning communities, a housing option for students who are connected by their majors or other interests (Whitcher-Skinner, Dees, & Watkins, 2017). Some residence halls provide single rooms for one student, but they tend to be more expensive than double rooms or other multiple room combinations. Other campuses may provide apartments with kitchens and other amenities.

Off campus, students may be able to rent a room in a house or rent an apartment with roommates. Many colleges provide students with lists of residential choices that are off campus, and some colleges may suggest how to find roommates that match you in off campus living.

Choosing housing is an exciting but challenging task. In The College Housing Survival Guide, Tosh Patterson provides information about the Pros and Cons of on campus and off campus living. Click on this to read more information.

With the growing numbers of students who have ID coming to the campuses of colleges, universities, technical colleges, and other postsecondary education environments, housing staff must have increased awareness and skills to make sure all students have access to learning and living opportunities. Wynants and Dennis (2017) recommended campus staff need to attend disability workshops and trainings because these experiences improve staff awareness, knowledge, and confidence in supporting college students with disabilities. When you investigate college options, ask if housing staff and other support personnel have had disability training.