DSP does not have a deadline by which students can apply for services. Students can be diagnosed with or acquire disabilities at any time, and the process of obtaining disability documentation can also take time. Sometimes students who already have a disability identity will wait to seek services until they have first tried participating at Berkeley without formal accommodations. Students may also find that the impact of their disability has changed during the semester and that they need additional support in accessing their program of study due to this change.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, DSP must conduct intakes and assessments and initiate reasonable accommodations and services for students with disabilities whenever they apply for initial services or request new accommodations. We (as a university) cannot set limits for when students can request disability accommodations. That said, sometimes it is difficult to accommodate last-minute requests, particularly for exam accommodations. If an instructor has difficulty accommodating a last-minute request, they can reach out to the student’s assigned Disability Specialist, and DSP will assist whenever possible.