As a compliance office, DSP is required to document correspondence from parties engaging in the interactive process and the fundamental alteration process. If you are engaging in email correspondence with a Disability Specialist regarding implementing a student’s accommodations, your messages will be saved in the staff notes module of that student’s AIM file. This module is not directly available to students in AIM. However, all student records at UC Berkeley, including staff case notes, are subpoenable if the student is engaged in a grievance or legal process, and all students have a right under FERPA to request and review their academic records.
We ask that all communication between Faculty and DSP Staff, Supervisors, and Managers is conducted by all parties in a professional and respectful manner that upholds UC Berkeley’s Seven Principles of Community
Abusive communication received by DSP staff from a Faculty member is shared with the department leadership of that Faculty member, and DSP is required to submit a report to OPHD when staff are subjected to abusive behavior in accordance with Berkeley’s Abusive Conduct in the Workplace policy.
If a Faculty member has any concern about the tenor of communication they receive from a DSP staff member, they should share that concern directly with DSP Executive Director Carmen Varela.