Frequently Asked Questions

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[Note: There is a separate DSRP FAQ for Residence Program participants and
a Proctoring FAQ for faculty.]

Newly Admitted Students

Current DSP Students

Faculty/Departments

 

Newly Admitted Students

Will I automatically receive services from DSP if I submit a "certification of disability" during the admissions application process?

No. Services are not provided by DSP automatically. All students seeking services through DSP must complete an application. If you are unable to complete the online application process, you can also request assistance in person from the Receptionist at the DSP office.

After applying online, you will receive an email confirming receipt of your application, the name of your disability specialist, some useful information for you as well as a reminder to call the DSP Reception Desk to make an appointment with your assigned disability specialist.

Please note that while it is not necessary for you to meet with your assigned Specialists before the beginning of August, anyone planning to attend Summer Bridge or who wishes to see their Specialists before or during the CalSO orientation may make advance appointments to do so.

What do I have to do in order to prove that I have a disability?

Our website will tell you how to provide appropriate certification for various kinds of disabilities.

If you have already sent us certification but we conclude that it either is not sufficient to support a disability diagnosis, or does not give us the information that we need to plan appropriate accommodations and services, we will send you a letter informing you of this fact and requesting additional materials.

Why did you request that I submit to more learning disability testing?

Additional or updated testing is normally requested when the existing testing does not give us enough information to determine appropriate services for you. You may review the specific criteria for the diagnosis of learning disabilities and the determination of appropriate service.

If I was eligible for disability services in high school, will I automatically be eligible for similar services at Cal?

IEP's and 504 Plans are not binding on the University of California or any organizations outside of the schools in which they were developed. Accordingly, you will not automatically be eligible for specific services or accommodations simply because you present your high school Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan.

To determine whether you are eligible for our services, one of our Disability Specialists will conduct a comprehensive assessment and evaluation process that is consistent with established University of California systemwide practices. The assessment and evaluation process will include, but not be limited to, interviews with you as well as a review of documentation provided by physicians and other clinicians (for example, clinical psychologists, audiologists, and optometrists). See the Disability Verification Requirements.

Please keep in mind that at UC Berkeley, students with disabilities are eligible to receive services if they meet the following criteria:

    • The students have documented physical, medical, and/or psychological conditions;
    • Their disabilities limit one or more major life activities; and
    • Appropriate professionals have verified that the students need individualized services, the absence of which would impede educational access.

Why is there a difference between the services I was offered in high school and those I am eligible to receive at Berkeley?

In general, disability services at UC Berkeley are intended to provide student access to educational programs rather than remediation of the student's disability. For example, extended test time is an accommodation that promotes access by giving the student enough time to demonstrate mastery of course material. Instruction in the phonics method of reading (not offered at DSP) is an example of a service designed to remediate disability.

As part of your comprehensive assessment and evaluation process, your Disability Specialist will determine which services are necessary to assure your full participation in the academic program at UC Berkeley. Some students require program modifications, such as a reduced course load. Some students require auxiliary services, such as notetakers or laboratory assistants. Many students require academic adjustments, or modifications in instructional methods such as electronic textbooks and class handouts, extended time for examinations, or substitution of an essay for a class presentation. In combination, program modifications, auxiliary services, and academic adjustments are often referred to as "academic accommodations."

What are my responsibilities for ensuring that I receive the accommodations I am entitled to?

The individual assessment and accommodation process is an interactive one. Consult with your Disability Specialist if you are uncertain about the accommmodations or services you believe you are eligible to receive. Try to participate fully in the process and exercise all due diligence in ensuring that the University is aware of your needs.

Will you discuss my progress at Cal with my parents, or answer their questions if they write or phone?

We urge you to keep in close personal contact with your parents throughout your years at Cal. However, DSP cannot normally discuss any information about your progress at Berkeley with a third party, including your parents, unless you authorize us to do so in writing in advance. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the University policy regarding the release and disclosure of student information generally prohibit DSP from disclosing confidential information to anyone but the student.

The relevant campus policies are available online.

What advice would you give to the parents of new Cal students with disabilities?

Communicate with your sons and daughters on a regular basis, offering support and understanding. Encourage them to empower themselves and take responsibility for their own education and their own lives. Urge them to contact and meet with their DSP specialist early and often. The same is true for meeting with their instructors. The Berkeley campus is especially rich in resources of all kinds; new students should be prompted to seek out these resources and use them to the fullest.

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Current Students

forthcoming

Faculty/Departments

A student with a disability is enrolled in my class. What adjustments or other accommodations must I make?

There are many kinds of disabilities, and they affect students in many different ways. Specific answers about what an instructor must do will depend on an individualized analysis of each student's need. You have the resources of the Disabled Students' Program (DSP) for help with this, and it is in your best interest (logistically, legally, etc.) to use that help.

DSP will make sure that a student is indeed entitled to accommodations in your class, and perform the professional assessment of what those accommodations should be. All you have to do is refer the student to DSP, and request that they acquire a "letter of accommodation" from a DSP professional.

Once you have a "letter of accommodation" from DSP, you need only follow the recommendations in that letter.

See also other articles on this website.

How do I obtain exam room and proctoring assistance?

The campus operates a shared system for providing test accommodations and proctoring for students with disabilities.

Your department or college should arrange testing accommodations and proctoring at the local level when it has available space and staff to serve as proctors. Focusing proctoring arrangements initially at the departmental level allows you to have greater control over the test-taking process.

If no department or college resources are available, you may contact the campus Proctoring Coordinator at proctoring@berkeley.edu, to arrange for centralized space and proctoring for administering the exam. Once arrangements have been made, faculty are responsible for notifying students of the exam, and requesting that students confirm they have received notification.

You may request the service online.

Requests for midterms should be made at least two weeks prior to the regularly scheduled exam.

Requests for final exams need to be made at least six weeks prior to regularly scheduled exams; the exact date will be posted on the Proctoring Services website.

Exams must be delivered to and picked up from 260 Cesar Chavez Student Center, the Disabled Student Program, by you or a person you designate. The exams delivery and pick up is at the reception desk. The hours are 8:30-12pm and 1pm-4pm.

During slower times and summer session it may be possible to make alternate arrangements for testing site, pickup and delivery by contacting the proctoring coordinator. However, during final exams and other heavier times of the semester, exam proctoring coordinated through our central location must follow the standard procedures outlined above.

For more details visit the Proctoring Services website.

What if I am concerned about, or object to, a recommendation in DSP's "letter of accommodation?"

If you are concerned that the recommendation is not appropriate for your particular class, then you should contact the signatory. The DSP Advisors know that their recommendations can occasionally, inadvertently compromise the purposes or standards of a class, and are ready to discuss such concerns with you.

The goal is to find a way to accommodate the student in a manner that does not fundamentally alter the essential performance standards of your class. If there is an unresolved disagreement after a good-faith effort, there is a process for pursuing the matter; see the Berkeley Campus Policy for Accommodating the Academic Needs of Students with Disabilities at http://www.dsp.berkeley.edu/BerkAcomPolicy.html. Note, however, that the DSP Advisor's recommendations must be followed until they are overturned or modified.

How far in advance must students with disabilities inform an instructor about needed accommodations?

Students who work with DSP are strongly urged to communicate with instructors as soon as possible. However, the University must make every feasible effort to accommodate students regardless of the notice.

A specific answer to this question is contextual with the nature of the needed accommodation. For example, a student who has a vision impairment may need to use a dark pen and write in large print. Perhaps s/he will need to write the "short answers" on a separate sheet of paper instead of in the blank spaces on the test document itself. This accommodation really doesn't need any advance preparation, so not much advance notice may be needed. On the other hand, if a student's accommodation requires an instructor or the department to arrange a separate, quiet room; a proctor; or both, then more time is obviously needed. For such matters, especially when a department must arrange a proctor, the proctoring office needs advance notice of two weeks for midterms and six weeks for finals. This means students should make sure that they give their professors enough time to contact the proctoring office.

How do I arrange a wheelchair-accessible classroom?

Contact your Department Scheduler. S/he will make the necessary arrangements, including any contact with the Office of the Registrar. If you don't know who your Department Scheduler is, you can find out by calling 642-0313.

What can I do to help prevent problems related to students with disabilities in my classes?

Fundamentally, your responsibilities are to assure equal opportunity in your classes for all students with disabilities who are qualified to be in your classes, and to protect students' confidentiality in the process. Here are a few things you can do:

Include guidance in your syllabi and other course-related handouts, web-sites, and the like. Consider announcing similar information in your first days of class. Recommended wording:
If you need disability-related accommodations in this class, if you have emergency medical information you wish to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please inform me immediately. Please see me privately after class or at my office.

Students who need academic accommodations (for example, a notetaker), should request them from the Disabled Students' Program, 260 César Chávez Center, 642-0518 (voice or TTY). DSP is the campus office responsible for verifying disability-related need for academic accommodations, assessing that need, and for planning accommodations in cooperation with students and instructors as needed and consistent with course requirements.

Make sure all course-related websites are accessible to users with various disabilities. See the campus web design guide.

Review the pamphlet Teaching Students with Disabilities (also available in hard copy from DSP).

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