access

I’ve only been a Berkeley student for about three weeks, but I’m already appreciating how quick and easy it has been to get accommodations for various events. To do so, one just needs to go to the Disability Access Services website, fill out a two-page online form, and submit. I’ve filed about half a dozen requests already, an indication of how many meetings I’ll need to be attending to during my time in Berkeley. (Though I’m probably better off than the tenured professors here in that regard.)

The services one can request fall in two categories: communication and mobility. I’m only familiar with the communications aspect, which includes sign language interpreting and real-time captioning. Since this is the first time I’ve really been able to take advantage of captioning availability, I’m trying out a mix — some events with captioning, some with interpreting.

Not only is it easy to obtain these services, it’s also quite reliable. I’ve never had a request denied or forgotten. In fact, I even got a captioner for a new graduate student meeting despite giving only 36 hours of advance notice. (I had forgotten that it was happening … won’t do that again!) I’ve met a few of the people who work at the access services group, and they’re all really friendly. They are closely related to the Disabled Students’ Program at Berkeley, which is designed to help accommodate students for class-related purposes.

I think even people who aren’t affiliated with Berkeley in some way can request accommodations for events, though they might need to pay a small fee. Berkeley students can get them for free.