Disabled Students' Residence Program

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.

In alignment with this year’s admission of the most ethnically diverse class in more than 30 years, one of the largest minority groups on UC Berkeley's campus, namely students with disabilities, has also seen an increase in admission rates.

Campus senior Justin Illescas never lived in campus housing, although they would have liked to. Illescas, who uses they/them pronouns, said UC Berkeley housing never replied to their application, and as a differently abled individual, they were not sure how to ask for accommodations in the first place.

O’Hara grew up in La Grange, Illinois with her four siblings before moving to Berkeley in 1971 at the encouragement of her sister, Liz O’Hara.

Autumn Shearer, a senior majoring in media studies, hasn’t been able to attend class for the past week since fracturing her foot last Friday.

At the end of the day Monday, the campus will close the Disabled Students’ Readiness Program, a subsidiary of the larger Disabled Students’ Program that helps students succeed in college and gain employment upon graduation.

In response to funding pressures and a shift in demographics, UC Berkeley’s Disabled Students’ Residence Program is currently transitioning to a model that will place a greater emphasis on independent living skills.