The Accessibility and Advocacy Resource Office (AARO) works with students and the campus community to ensure equal access to education and housing. AARO provides reasonable accommodations for students with temporary or chronic disabilities and empowers students to develop self-advocacy skills and navigate their college experience.
Please note that if you are requesting academic AND housing accommodations, there are different request forms and provider forms that will need to be submitted.
Classroom Experience
How to Request Academic or Mobility Accommodations
- Have your provider complete the AARO Accommodation Provider Form or gather other supporting documentation.
- Complete the AARO Request Form and attach your documentation.
- AARO will review your request once your request form and documentation have been received. Please monitor your ISU email in case additional information is needed.
What Your Documentation Should Include
Documentation should provide enough information for AARO to understand your disability, how it affects you, and why the requested accommodations are needed.
Documentation should include:
- Your diagnosis or disability.
- The functional limitations you experience and how they affect you academically or on campus.
- The accommodations being requested and how they address your disability-related limitations.
- Provider information, when applicable, including the provider's name, credentials, contact information, and signature.
Examples of Supporting Documentation
Supporting documentation may include:
- AARO Accommodation Provider Form
- IEP or 504 Plan
- Medical records
- Evaluation or diagnostic report
- Psychological, cognitive, or learning assessment
Documentation should be submitted in PDF format.
A diagnosis alone may not be enough to determine appropriate accommodations. AARO may contact you or your provider if additional information is needed.
As part of Indiana State University’s Culture of Care, the Accessibility and Advocacy Resource Office (AARO) provides a supportive and distraction-reduced testing environment for students with approved testing accommodations.
Students who are approved for testing accommodations, including extended time, may take their exams and quizzes in the AARO Testing Center. All exams are proctored by AARO staff to ensure a secure and supportive testing experience.
Location: Basement of Normal Hall
Hours of Operation: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
We are committed to creating equitable access and a testing environment that supports student success.
To report an accessibility issue, you can call the Office of the Dean of Students during business hours, 8:00 to 4:30 Monday-Friday, at 812-237-3829. Accessibility issues may include out-of-order elevators, accessible doors failing to open, or blocked/slippery ADA ramps. Please be as specific as possible regarding the accessibility concern.
You can also email AARO at isu-AARO@indstate.edu with accessibility concerns.
Once notified of a concern, AARO staff will reach out to appropriate staff to address the issue.
Life on Campus
How to Request a Housing Accommodation
- Have your provider complete the AARO Housing Provider Form
- Complete: AARO | Housing Request Form and attach the completed Provider Form. You may also attach other relevant supporting documentation.
- Submit both forms. AARO will begin reviewing your request once your request form and supporting documentation have been received. Please monitor your ISU email in case additional information is needed.
What Your Documentation Should Include
Your documentation must come from a qualified healthcare or mental health professional familiar with your condition and should explain:
- Your disability or medical condition and the functional limitations you experience.
- How your disability affects you in University housing.
- Why the requested housing accommodation is necessary. Your provider should explain the specific disability-related barrier and how the requested accommodation addresses that barrier.
- How long the accommodation is expected to be needed, such as temporary, ongoing, or variable.
A diagnosis or provider recommendation by itself may not be enough. Documentation should explain the connection between your disability, the barrier you experience in housing, and the accommodation you are requesting.
Single Room Requests
Single rooms are limited. Requests submitted after the priority deadline may be approved as an accommodation even when a single room is no longer available. AARO determines accommodation eligibility; Residential Life determines room placement based on available space.
Review Process
AARO may contact you or your provider if additional information is needed. Once all required information is received, housing accommodation requests are generally reviewed within 1–2 weeks.
Nutrition | Indiana State University
Students are encouraged to first explore the variety of meal options available through Sycamore Dining (Sodexo) to determine whether their dietary needs are already being met within existing campus dining services. Many dietary preferences and common food restrictions can be accommodated through current offerings.
However, in some cases, Dining Services may not be able to meet a student’s medically related dietary needs within normal service. When this occurs, the Accessibility and Advocacy Resource Office (AARO) can assist through the interactive accommodation process. Additional medical documentation may be required in order to evaluate the request and determine whether a specific meal plan accommodation is appropriate.
This process is intended for students with medically documented diagnosis(es) who require special dining accommodations or have medically prescribed diet plans as part of treatment for a medical condition. Students seeking this type of accommodation should Accessibility and Advocacy Resource Office | Housing Request Form.
AARO and Dining Services work collaboratively to support students with medical needs related to dining on campus, reflecting our shared commitment to student access, inclusion, and care.
As part of Indiana State University’s Culture of Care and commitment to accessibility, service animals are welcome on campus in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
What is a Service Animal?
A service animal is a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform specific tasks for a person with a disability. The work or tasks the dog performs must be directly related to the person’s disability.
Service animals are working animals—not pets or emotional support animals. Providing comfort, companionship, or emotional support alone does not qualify an animal as a service animal under the ADA.
Service animals may accompany individuals with disabilities in University buildings, classrooms, and other areas where members of the public are normally permitted.
Service Animal Registration
Students bringing a service animal to campus are asked to register the animal with the Accessibility and Advocacy Resource Office (AARO):
Accessibility and Advocacy Resource Office | Service Animal Registration Form
Completion of this form is for informational and coordination purposes and is not an application for approval of a service animal.
Indiana State University is committed to providing equal access to University housing for students with disabilities. An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) may be approved as a reasonable housing accommodation when there is a disability-related need for the animal.
ESA requests are reviewed individually through an interactive process. A recommendation or letter from a healthcare provider does not automatically result in approval.
How to Request an ESA
- Have your provider complete the AARO ESA Provider Form.
- Complete the AARO ESA Request Form.
- Submit both forms. AARO will begin reviewing your request once your request form and supporting documentation have been received.
- Complete the Residential Life process. If your ESA accommodation is approved by AARO, you will receive additional instructions from Residential Life.
What Your Documentation Must Explain
Your provider's documentation should clearly address:
- Your disability and functional limitations: How does your disability substantially limit you in your daily life?
- How your disability affects you in University housing: What disability-related barrier or difficulty do you experience in a residential setting?
- Why the animal is needed: What specific symptoms or functional limitations does the animal help alleviate or mitigate?
- Your established relationship with the animal: How does this particular animal currently provide disability-related support to you?
- Provider information: Documentation must come from a qualified professional who has an established therapeutic or evaluative relationship with you and is familiar with your disability and need for the accommodation.
Documentation that only provides a diagnosis, states that an ESA would be beneficial, or recommends an animal without explaining the disability-related need for the animal in housing may not be sufficient.
Interactive Review Process
AARO may contact you or your provider if additional information or clarification is needed. Please monitor your Indiana State University email throughout the review process.
Housing accommodation requests are generally reviewed by the Housing Accommodation Review Committee within 1–2 weeks after all required information has been received.
ESA Owner Responsibilities
Students approved for an ESA are responsible for the animal's care, health, safety, and welfare. This includes appropriate feeding, exercise, veterinary care, supervision, and humane living conditions.
Animals that are neglected, inadequately cared for, or maintained in conditions inconsistent with appropriate animal welfare may be subject to removal from University housing.