Student Information
Eligibility for Services
To receive communication services accommodations from DSP, the applicant must be registered as a UC Berkeley student and provide appropriate documentation of their disability to DSP. Please visit the Application Process page to find more information about submitting documents and requesting services.
Realtime Captioning
Realtime captioning for an academic course involves a trained captioner transcribing spoken words into text in real-time. This text is then displayed on a screen or device for students to read, providing immediate access to spoken content for those who are D/deaf or hard-of-hearing. This service enables students to follow along with lectures, discussions, labs, and other verbal interactions, ensuring they can fully engage with the course material and participate in classroom activities.
Captioned Media
Academic captioned media is multimedia content that presents spoken dialogue, speaker identifications, sound effects, and music descriptions as on-screen text. This text-based representation of audio is commonly known as closed captions, allowing individuals to read along with the spoken content. Whether it's a recorded lecture, television clip, webcast, film excerpt, or short video, this conversion process ensures accessibility by providing a textual equivalent of the audio for students who are D/deaf or hard-of-hearing.
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreting
American Sign Language (ASL) serves as a mode of communication for students who are D/deaf or hard-of-hearing, relying on visual cues such as hand shapes, placement, and movements. Beyond manual gestures, facial expressions and body movements enrich communication in ASL, making it applicable across various university contexts including classrooms, discussion sections, labs, meetings, and seminars.
Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)
An Assistive Listening Device (ALD) increases a student’s ability to hear in numerous situations, such as large, crowded, or noisy rooms. The speaker wears a microphone that transmits directly to the listener’s ear. DSP can provide a portable Assistive Listening Device (ALD) or an FM unit to assist with hearing in class. This can be used in conjunction with CART/Realtime Captioning or on its own. ALDs are available to be checked out for an entire semester.