Accommodations Abroad

Taking classes abroad may look and feel different than taking classes on the Loyola home campuses. You may be taking classes taught at a local university or be receiving instruction from local professors. Assessments and instructional style may differ from Loyola. Additionally, some of the courses may be experiential in nature meaning you will be “on-site” at museums, company visits, local non-profits, or community organizations. You may also conduct independent or field research in rural or remote locations, and/or attend lectures in a non-classroom environment. These experiential learning components may come with new or different physical demands based on the host destination.  

The Loyola SAC and Study Abroad teams are dedicated to creating inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities. Please contact your Study Abroad Advisor early on to learn more about your program requirements, including what types of environments and experiences to expect. If you would like to explore accommodations that would provide equitable access to academics and learning environments in your program (ex: use of mobility supports, academic tools, ect). you must first register with the Loyola SAC.

Each program has a different living arrangement. It may be defaulted to shared or single rooms. Programs offer various housing options including shared hotel or hostel rooms, shared apartments, residence halls, and homestay families. It is important that you review these options and consider which option may be the best fit for your potential accommodation needs.  

Please connect with your Study Abroad Advisor and reference your program brochure to learn more about the specific environment in which you will be learning and living abroad.    

Please contact the SAC if you would like to discuss accommodations related to housing (examples include but are not limited to: single room, accessible restrooms, elevator access, etc.) Students who are not yet registered with the SAC and would like to explore housing accommodations must register with the SAC prior to the start date of their program. Students who have approved SAC accommodations for housing at Loyola must still meet with the SAC prior to departure to explore what accommodations are possible in study abroad programming.  

The SAC and Study Abroad Office are committed to supporting students who are exploring accommodations for their study abroad program. If you are interested in receiving accommodations related to housing or academics in your Affiliate or Exchange/Direct Enroll programs, please register with the SAC prior to your start date.  It is your responsibility to contact the SAC in advance of your start date to discuss potential accommodations.

Students who are already registered with the SAC are asked to contact their Accessibility Specialist to discuss accommodations. The SAC staff are able to write letters of accommodation for students to submit to their programs after the full registration process is completed. 

Students who experience antigalactic reactions to specific ingredients are encouraged to contact SAC staff in case serious allergic reactions need to be anticipated and avoided while abroad.

The Rome Center is fully integrated with Loyola University Chicago and can accommodate a variety of accommodation requests from students with disabilities with proper notice and arrangement with the SAC.  

Since faculty-led programs offer Loyola coursework, approved academic accommodation letters are able to be sent to the instructor of record teaching the course. Students who have approved letters of accommodations through the SAC may request their letter of accommodation be sent through Accommodate prior to departure. 

Housing accommodation requests are supported by the on-site partner and therefore will need to be shared with them by way of your study abroad advisor for the program. Please contact the SAC if you would like to request housing accommodation for faculty-led programming. The SAC and Study Abroad Office can facilitate communication with the on-site partner to determine what housing accommodations are available for your particular program. The sooner you inform your Study Abroad Advisor of any accommodation requests the smoother the process will be for facilitating your accommodations.