Ben Perez

UC Berkeley students walking around campus may have noticed the new Loop benches popping up at various locations. 

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

In the first lecture, Pineda lost no time in frankly discussing his disability with the class. A neuromuscular condition means he has weak muscles, and needs a wheelchair for mobility and a machine to help him breathe. He needs a personal assistant with him at all times to help him with daily living tasks.

With the new school semester already underway, some students in the Disabled Students Program, or DSP, have been unable to get to their classes in Wheeler Hall.

Starting this fall, Caltrans will invest more than $1.6 million in construction to make Berkeley sidewalks more accessible to people with disabilities.

The campus has expanded accessibility in order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and requirements imposed after lawsuits. Barriers for students with physical disabilities, however, can often lie less in building plans, which are picked over for potential inaccessibility, than in barriers of the moment.