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MEMO: Graduate Students with Disabilities

Office of the Dean
Graduate Division
University of California, Berkeley

January 14, 2008

To: Deans, Chairs, and Graduate Advisers
From: Andrew J. Szeri, Dean

As we start the new year, I would like to remind you that, when a graduate student raises the issue that a disability or medical condition is interfering with the ability to complete a course or degree requirement in accord with the usual expectations of the faculty, it is important to be aware that this triggers a legal responsibility on the part of the University to engage in what is termed the interactive process.  Meeting this responsibility is best accomplished by referring the student to the Disabled Students Program (DSP), which maintains a website at http://dsp.berkeley.edu and can be contacted at (510) 642-0518.  Although a faculty adviser, course instructor, or department or group chair may decide independently to grant a graduate students request for a relatively minor type of adjustment to the students standard course or degree requirements, the student still must be informed about DSP, as DSP may be able to offer additional types of academic support such as note-taking, assistive computer technology, or sign language interpreters.  On the other hand, denial of a graduate students request for accommodation raises potential University liability, and should be done only in partnership with a DSP specialist.
 
The campus has provided the Disabled Students Program with the expertise and funding to respond appropriately to the requests of most graduate students, based on DSP review of the students confidential medical documentation.  Although a graduate student is never required to register with the DSP, a DSP-issued Letter of Accommodation is a mandatory prerequisite for a student to be entitled to an academic adjustment and accommodation by the University for the disability or medical condition.  The disability-related accommodation needs of graduate students during the process of their earning course credits and fulfilling other degree requirements can usually be met by the DSP at no cost to the department.  Academic departments are, however, responsible for providing disability-related accommodations to academic student employees fulfilling work tasks, including Graduate Student Instructors and Graduate Student Researchers performing their teaching and research.
 
The campus offers several resources to assist academic departments in responding to faculty and other instructors (including Graduate Student Instructors), who request disability-related accommodations. The campus process for accommodating all instructors with disabilities is found at http://acads.chance.berkeley.edu/Faculty_Accommodations.shtml.  The process for funding such accommodations for faculty, GSIs, and GSRs is located at http://acads.chance.berkeley.edu/Accom_Funding.pdf.  Questions about either process may be directed to Assistant Provost Sarah Hawthorne, Academic Compliance & Disability Standards at acads@berkeley.edu or (510) 642-2795.
 
Best wishes for the coming year!

cc: Graduate Student Affairs Officers