About the Disabled Students' Residence Program

General Info

The Disabled Students Residence Program (DSRP) is a unit of the Disabled Students' Program at the University of California at Berkeley (UCB). It is co-sponsored by UCB and the California Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). The Program assists those students who have a physical disability and need attendant assistance.

Eligibility Requirements
An Opportunity
Independent Living for Academic and Vocational Success
Facilities
Staff
Personal Attendants
Medical Care
Cost

Eligibility Requirements

An Opportunity

DSRP is an exciting opportunity for physically disabled students to participate academically at a major university while at the same time developing the skills and confidence needed to live and work independently.

As participants of DSRP, students encounter the challenges and rewards of directing their own lives as they become involved in the campus community and prepare vocationally for their future.

Independent Living for Academic and Vocational Success

The Disabled Students Residence Program (DSRP) service framework is designed to cover two semesters (one academic year). During the year students will develop and enhance their independent living skills.

The skills attained from DSRP are applicable to students graduating from the university and entering the work force. Students with physical disabilities who are able to manage their care and ensure that their personal needs are being met will be more likely to meet the requirements of the workplace.

Students will learn to coordinate their medical care and their attendant care needs by learning to hire, train and manage their own attendant staff. At the end of the first semester students will be expected to use their own attendant staff instead of the DSRP Special Assistants for routine personal care.

An important element of managing attendant care staff is managing the paperwork involved with hiring and paying attendant staff and maintaining a good relationship with In Home Support Services (IHSS). IHSS is a county program that provides funding for attendant care needs.

In recognition of the amount of time it takes learning these skills, students in DSRP are advised to take a reduced course load during their first year at UCB.

Facilities

DSRP has fully accessible rooms reserved in the UCB Residence Halls. Students in the program have private dormitory rooms in buildings shared with the general UCB student population.

Staff

Until the students have a staff of personal attendants in place, the DSRP staff of Special Assistants (SAs) assist students with their personal care needs. SAs will be available to assist students as long as there is a need for attendant care coverage; however the DSRP does not guarantee 24 hour, seven days a week coverage. SAs have extensive experience working with people with disabilities. They are available to help the students hire and train personal attendants by providing tips on interview techniques, and by demonstrating routines, transfers, bowel and bladder procedures.

Throughout the year, the SAs perform tasks difficult to arrange with an attendant, such as overnight repositioning. In the event a student's attendant is absent, SAs provide back-up assistance.

Once students are settled, their underlying goal should always be to cover attendant care needs with outside staff. DSRP staff should be used as a last resort. DSRP staff work with students to devise the best system to minimize their need for attendant services. Staff act as a resource, linking students to community and campus services and events.

Personal Attendants

Each student hires attendants for routine assistance. Prospective attendants are available through the Disabled Students' Program's Attendant Referral service. Students may use these referrals or choose to recruit attendants independently. Whichever method is utilized, the students conduct the interviews and decide whom they hire. Most students apply for Alameda County IHSS to pay their attendants' salaries.

The DSRP staff members, however, are UCB employees. They function primarily to assist students in training personal attendants and to ensure that students never miss a class for lack of assistance.

Medical Care

The DSRP is not a medical program. Students assume full responsibility for their health and medical care. For medical needs, students are entitled to use the campus health service, utilizing the Student Health Insurance Program, though most also select a private doctor shortly after their arrival.

If students are eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) through Social Security, they will also be eligible for Medi-Cal insurance, which covers many medical expenses.

Cost

For students who are eligible, the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) assists with the cost of DSRP. DOR may also provide assistance with student fees and books. The Coordinator of DSRP can provide more information about DOR.

Student Financial Aid is an additional source of assistance. SSI is another source of financial help and is often used to pay the cost of room and board. Upon arrival at UCB, eligible students can apply to Alameda County for IHSS funds to pay attendants' salaries.