2023 VCA Annual Report - Disability Access and Compliance

The Office of Disability Access & Compliance (DAC) ensures campus compliance with state and federal disability rights law, as well as UCOP and Berkeley campus nondiscrimination policies and practices. DAC connects the UC Berkeley community with the resources, training, evaluative tools, and services that support equal access for disabled students, staff, faculty, and visitors to enjoy the physical campus and participate in university-sponsored non-course-related programs or activities. Their FY22 Operating Results & FY23 Budget can be found here.

Check out the DAC website for more departmental details.

Disability Access & Compliance is under the leadership of Ella Callow, JD, ADA Coordinator & Section 504 Compliance Officer.

FY22 Accomplishments

Here are the highlights:

  • Supported and participated in the opening of the campus Disability Cultural Community Center. 

  • Created together with IT a Digital Accessibility Program, with governing structure and implementation protocols, and began work on the remediation of campus’s inaccessible, public facing websites.  

  • Successfully concluded the 15 year settlement period stemming from the 2003 Gustafson settlement, and helped bring to conclusion a DOJ investigation stemming from 2014. 

  • Began partnering with each campus department to remediate barriers to disabled people participating in our programming (utilizing the 2021 Self Evaluation data).

FY23 Goals

Next year's goals include:

  • The Chancellor’s Committee on Disability Access & Planning will create a strategic disability access plan for campus.
  • The DSP Partners’ Group will release new academic adjustment protocols for faculty.
  • Increase signage and add geolocation mapping (via 'what3words') to paths in the Botanical Gardens and central campus.
Image of opening night of the Berkeley Disability Community Cultural Center.

Opening night of the Berkeley Disability Community Cultural Center! Multi-generational disability activist panel- 'From Crip Camp to Campus'- Dr. Karen Nakamura (+Momo her ESA), filmmaker Jim Labretch, public intellectual Judy Huemman, ASUC Senator Carlos Vezquez, Berkeley '21 grads (and leaders of the effort to secure the center) Alena Morales, and Dr. Katie Savin, and ASUC Disabled Students' Commission Co-Chair Elle Fenton.

FY22 Operating Results & FY23 Budget

Disability Access and Compliance