Disability Resource
Program
The Disability Resource Program (DRP) is committed to ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity for success.
To fulfill our commitment and ensure that all students have equal access to educational opportunities, UC Law SF complies with the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable state and federal civil rights legislation. This federal anti-discrimination statute seeks to provide students with disabilities the same opportunities as students without disabilities. Students with disabilities are a diverse group. Under the ADA, a disability is not a specific diagnosis or condition; a person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity (including seeing, hearing, learning, reading, and concentrating). UC Law SF makes reasonable accommodations for qualified students with known disabilities. The purpose is to mitigate the impact of the students’ disabilities in the law school environment. Accommodations can include making academic modifications, removing architectural barriers, providing auxiliary aids and services, or a combination of any of the above. All accommodations and services are provided on a case-by-case basis, and information is kept confidential in accordance with applicable laws.
Disability Services and Accommodations
Through education, service and support, we seek to create a welcoming, inclusive environment that empowers students in their educational and law school careers. Towards this end, DRP works with students to meet challenges and overcome obstacles to achievement. The following services are offered throughout the semester. If you believe you may qualify for DRP services, please review our information on how to register for services.
Individualized accommodations are determined in an interactive process that involves the student, and the DRP Director or Assistant Director. Individual faculty may be consulted to determine the reasonableness of the accommodation given the context of the class and the request. The Dean of Students and/or the Academic Dean may be consulted in complex cases.
Students with a disability related need may receive priority registration. This provides students and the DRP with advanced notice of classroom accessibility and accommodation needs and allows advanced planning for students’ scheduling needs.
Students may take advantage of specialized counseling available through DRP to support students in learning how to manage their disability-related symptoms. The counseling, as determined by the DRP Director, may include multimodal learning and studying approaches, mindfulness training, ADHD strategies, and stress management techniques.
Students with specific seating requirements may be eligible for reserved seating. Examples of reserved seating include ergonomic chairs for students with mobility impairments, or seats in the front of the classroom for students with low vision, difficulty hearing or ADHD. If you believe you need an ergonomic chair or you need a seat in the front of the class, please contact DRP prior to the start of classes. Eligibility for this accommodation will be determined in a meeting with the DRP director.
Students at UC Law SF must be enrolled full time. However, students with disabilities may qualify for scheduling accommodations that do not fundamentally alter the nature of the program. Although the law does not require the College to waive courses considered essential to the program, students may reduce their course load if there is a disability related need. Scheduling changes to reduce course load must be approved by the DRP Director, Dean of Students, and/or the Academic Dean.
Class recordings may be provided for qualified students for classes in which significant note taking is expected. Written (peer) notes may be provided to students for whom class recordings are ineffective to provide access (e.g., Deaf students, students who cannot independently take typed or handwritten notes.) Peer note-takers take notes for all students who have been approved for this accommodation in a class; recipient student names are not disclosed to the note-takers or the professor. Students receiving notetaking support are still expected to take their own class notes unless they are unable to do so because of their disability and are advised of the most efficient way to integrate class recordings into their own notes. Read the Notetaking Accommodations policy [need link here] for more information about the conditions required to receive notetaking support. By receiving written notes and/or class recordings you will be deemed to have understood and agreed to this policy.
Electronic Texts
E-texts can also be ordered by DRP from the publishers for use with assistive technology (AT) such as a screen reader that reads the text aloud or enlarges the text. This format is available at no extra charge to eligible students with disabilities who purchase the standard textbooks and submit their receipts to the DRP; however, publishers require receipts that show that the books were purchased at the full (new) price. The DRP must certify student eligibility. All e-texts are sent to UC Law SF in an electronic format.
Audio Texts
Recording For the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) provides digitally recorded textbooks to students with documented disabilities (such as vision loss, ADHD or dyslexia) that would affect reading standard print. Students are responsible for applying for RFB&D services via DRP. Please contact the Resource Coordinator if you require this accommodation.
Assistive Hearing Devices
Assistive technology includes videotext displays, or other effective methods of accommodating aurally delivered material for deaf or hard of hearing students.
American Sign Language Interpreter (ASL)
This accommodation is provided to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. This accommodation must be requested at least two months before classes commence so that appropriate arrangement for an ASL interpreter may be put in place in a timely manner.
CART/Real Time Captioning
CART, often referred to as real time captioning, instantly translates spoken words into English text for deaf or hard of hearing students. This accommodation is an alternative to using ASL interpreters.
UC Law SF Grievance Procedures may be used to address disputes concerning the accommodation process and other forms of discrimination based on disability, alleged to have occurred in any College program or activity.
Exam Accommodations
Students with disabilities may qualify for nonstandard testing accommodations. These accommodations are intended to mitigate the impact of the student’s disability and maintain parity in the exam process. A student’s use of testing accommodations is not disclosed to the instructors or other students.
Students who have difficulty using standard exam software may use one of several alternative types of software, e.g. speech output software that converts text to speech, or voice recognition software that converts speech to text.
Sample software is available at DRP. However, students must provide their own software. Financial aid is available. In some instances purchases may be covered by insurance or by the Department of Rehabilitation.
Students who have trouble taking an exam in a standard classroom may have exam accommodations in private or semi-private rooms. Exam rooms can be adjusted for special lighting needs, for example natural light instead of fluorescent lights.
Students with vision loss, problems with manual tasks or who otherwise have difficulty completing scantrons may have a scribe transfer their answers from the exam to the scantron.
Final exams may be recorded, Brailled, enlarged, or otherwise presented in a nonstandard format depending upon the student’s need. If you believe you need such accommodations, please contact DRP no later than three weeks prior to final exams. The DRP Director determines the formatting for each exam.
How to Register and Registration Checklist
The Disability Resource Program (DRP) works with students individually to determine appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Information about a student’s participation in DRP is confidential. Students who may require accommodations must provide the College with notice of their disability related needs and submit supporting professional documentation. Students must communicate directly with DRP; individual professors do not make accommodation decisions.
New Students
Students can contact the Disability Resource Program via email or call DRP (415) 565-4874 before or at the very beginning of the semester to initiate this process and for timely consideration of classroom-based accommodations. In order to provide accommodations that require faculty notification or special arrangements, the intake process should be completed before the first day of class.
Returning DRP Students:
For classroom-based accommodations that require classroom or logistical set up to be put in place, such as faculty letters, alternative formats/e-text, and notetaking support, please submit your request via your AIM profile in the box titled ‘Accommodations Requests.’ If you do not submit accommodation requests in a timely manner, you run the risk of not receiving your accommodations. Also, check to make sure you don’t need to provide updated documentation. When in doubt, contact DRP at 415-565-4874 or via email at DisabilityResourceProgram@uclawsf.edu before the deadline.
Final exam accommodations:
If you are only requesting exam accommodations, you must still register with DRP (i.e., you must submit the required documentation and participate in comprehensive intake meeting). If you don’t already have a meeting scheduled with the Director, contact DRP.
**NOTE: Going to Student Health Services by the deadline is NOT the same as completing DRP’s registration process by the deadline! It is your responsibility to make sure your documentation is received by DRP well before the deadline to allow sufficient time to review, and that you have an appointment with the Director scheduled before the deadline.
Please submit an accommodation application via the AIM Application Link to make an appointment to meet with the department to initiate the request for accommodations. Even if you do not believe you will require accommodations, we suggest that you register with DRP because, should you later require accommodations, you will not have to wait for a review to determine your eligibility.
Obtain documentation forms from the DRP website. Submit forms to a qualified professional for completion and then return them to DRP either via mail, e-mail (DisabilityResourceProgram@uclawsf.edu), hand delivery, or fax at (415) 581-8807. All students requesting accommodations must submit professional documentation of their disability prepared by an appropriate qualified professional prior to receiving services from DRP. See California Bar Forms A-G for a description of the appropriate diagnosing professionals. Additionally, documentation of accommodations received at another educational institution are required if applicable, and documentation of accommodations received at a previous workplace may be helpful in determining accommodations in law school.
Upon receiving the student’s written documentation, the Director of DRP will review the documentation and will determine eligibility for services. After this initial determination, you will meet to discuss reasonable and appropriate accommodations for all UC Law SF programs and activities, including classroom instruction and exams. It is important to give as much advance notice as possible of all accommodation requests. You will be notified by the DRP Director of the accommodation determination.
Should you disagree with the Director, you must make your position known to the Director immediately. If the matter is not resolved at this level, you may then grieve the accommodation decision in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 90.00 Student Initiated Grievance Procedure, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco Policies and Regulations Applying to College Activities, Organizations and Students.
Continuing students with accommodations that require classroom or logistical set up to be put in place, such as faculty letters, alternative formats/e-text, and notetaking support, will need to submit requests early each semester to continue their accommodations via the AIM Portal. Other accommodations will be continued automatically, such as class recordings, priority registration, priority seating, wellness room access, and exam accommodations.
You may meet with the Director of DRP throughout the school year to discuss any further adjustments in accommodations.
Depending upon the nature of your disability, updated documentation may be required during your career at UC Law SF to ensure a current diagnosis, as well as current information of functional limitation due to your disability.
