Berkeley Campus Plan for Accommodating the Academic Needs of Students with Disabilities
This policy describes the roles of various units and individuals at the University of California, Berkeley in ensuring that students with disabilities receive appropriate accommodations in their instructional activities, as mandated by Federal and State law and by University policy.
The fundamental principles of nondiscrimination and accommodation in academic programs were set forth in Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title II; and their implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Part 104 and 28 C.F.R. Part 35 respectively.
These laws establish that students with disabilities may not, on the basis of their disabilities, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any University program or activity. The University must make sure that its academic requirements do not discriminate or have the effect of discriminating against persons with disabilities. Academic requirements that are justifiably essential to a student's program of instruction are not considered discriminatory. Academic accommodations to which a student may be entitled include changes in the length of time allowed to complete degree requirements, substitution of specific courses required for the completion of degree requirements, and adaptation of the manner in which specific courses or examinations are conducted.
University of California policies are presented in the University of California Guidelines Applying to Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap, which appear as Section 140 of the University's Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations, and Students.
The disability specialists and the rest of the Disabled Students' Program team are located at:
Disabled Students' Program
260 Cesar Chavez Center
Berkeley, CA 94720-4250
Phone: (510) 642-0518
TTY Relay Service for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Only: (510) 642-6376
To file a student complaint regarding academic disability accommodations: https://dsp.berkeley.edu/students/policies/policies-guidelines/dsp-complaint-resolution-process.
Disability Access and Compliance is the campus unit that is responsible for ensuring all University-sponsored programs and services provide equally accessible to people with disabilities.
To file other disability related complaints: https://dac.berkeley.edu/dac-requests-and-forms
UC Berkeley specific disability processes and procedures: https://dac.berkeley.edu/accommodations-services/policies-and-procedures