A total of $8 million in one-time funding for disabled students\u2019 programs, or DPSs, across UC campuses from the University of California Office of the President is expected to run out by spring 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis 8 million dollars in funding has enabled students to receive timely accommodations, directly impacting academic success, and campus participation,\u201dwrote ASUC Disabled Community Senator Jada Yang in a public response to the notice.<\/p>\n
However, the UCOP payment covers a small fraction of what DSP needs to run at UC Berkeley, according to Carmen Varela, the executive director of campus\u2019s DSP.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to Varela, DSP is funded through a \u201chybrid model\u201d which includes permanent campus funding, one-time and ongoing state funding, gifts, endowments and federal funding for DSP Scholars, a federally-funded TRIO program offered through Student Support Services.<\/p>\n
Historically, UC Berkeley was one of the first university campuses in the country to establish accommodations for students with disabilities. According to Yang, the program, which is under the umbrella of campus\u2019s Equity and Inclusion division, is the largest disability service program at any school in the UC system.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDSP serves over 6000 students (at UC Berkeley),\u201d Yang said. \u201c(Of that) $8 million in funding, $1.5 million was directed towards UC Berkeley\u2019s DSP.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yang said disability organizations across the UC system were alerted of the funding\u2019s exhaustion at a meeting last Tuesday with the UC Student Association.Yang\u2019s office is now urging UCOP to extend the funding for an additional year and include disabled students in decision-making.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe funding (for DSP) was temporary and was intended to support recommendations from the January 2024 systemwide report<\/a> on serving students with disabilities,\u201d said a UCOP spokesperson. \u201cCampuses matched the one-time funding to begin implementing some of the workgroup\u2019s recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n