Martha Velasquez

Martha Velasquez
Job title: 
Associate Director and Manager of Auxiliary Services
Bio/CV: 

I’m Martha Velasquez, Associate Director of the Disabled Students’ Program at UC Berkeley. As a proud Bay Area native and first-generation college student, I understand firsthand the transformative power of education and the importance of support systems that center on equity and inclusion.

I’ve worked in the field of disability services my entire career and have been with DSP since 2006. I first led our Alternative Media Services team for over a decade and have been serving as Associate Director since 2017. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from CSU Monterey Bay and my master’s degree in Psychology from Arizona State University.

I’m passionate about making higher education more accessible for students with disabilities, especially those navigating multiple barriers as first-gen, low-income, or underrepresented students. I love working in a space where I can advocate, build systems of support, and collaborate with others to create meaningful change.

When not working, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, exploring the Bay Area, and staying rooted in the community that shaped me.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers/Ella 

Role: 
Management Team

Contact Martha

Email: mvelasquez@berkeley.edu

Phone: (510) 642-0518

I tell my students, 'When you get these jobs that you have been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.
Toni Morrison