30 Years of ADA 2020

In an interview with The Daily Californian, Mather discussed her experience having cerebral palsy, or CP, her passion for poetry and her recently published book.

UC Berkeley students with disabilities have struggled to obtain and utilize the accommodations they need from the Disabled Students’ Program.

Having neurotypical people represent neurodiverse roles feels belittling to me. It reduces something so complicated, so nuanced, so weird and beautiful, into a personality trait. Suggesting that autism is a definitive personality trait that anyone can portray, even if they aren’t autistic, isn’t authentic representation.

We take many aspects of social interaction for granted. But what are these interactions like for Autistics? Society must examine its role in creating an environment that can be exclusionary, and even hostile, toward Autistics.

We don’t take no for an answer. Our group comes from an incredible line of folks who have paved the way to get us what we have now, and we plan to spend this year “passing the torch” to disability advocates to come. 

At one time, there were dozens of wheelchair users on campus, said campus senior Alena Morales. By the time she got into UC Berkeley in 2016, she said she was the only wheelchair user admitted into undergraduate studies that year.

Sitting on the edge of South Berkeley and formed by various disability organizations, the Ed Roberts Campus, or ERC, provides resources and services at a universally accessible transit hub.

UC Berkeley student advocates Katie Savin and Alena Morales recently reflected on their work and progress toward making campus accessible and welcoming for students with disabilities.

While many students get tested regularly at UC Berkeley's University Health Services, or UHS, coronavirus testing facilities, some students with disabilities find it challenging to access these services.

UC Berkeley's Disabled Students’ Program was one of several campus programs that transitioned to online services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the change has resulted in challenges for many.