Academic Accommodations and Resources - Spring 2025 Semester

January 9, 2025

Dear colleagues,

We have both ethical and legal obligations to provide accommodations and other supportive measures to our students. We call your attention to important campus policies and guidelines concerning academic accommodations for religious observance, illness, disability, hardship, athletics, pregnancy, and other situations.

Academic Accommodations Hub
The Academic Accommodations Hub is the student and instructor portal for support resources and academic policies, including key information regarding academic accommodations as well as links to mental health resources, resources for survivors of sexual violence and sexual harassment, and more. This hub is located on the website of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and may also be accessed through bCourses (click “Academic Policies” in the bCourses navigation bar). We strongly encourage all instructors to provide a link to the Academic Accommodations Hub in their course syllabi. The best place for that would be alongside where assignment due dates and dates for midterms and finals are given.,The Office for Faculty Equity & Welfare also has suggestions for referring to accommodations and campus resources in a supportive way on your course syllabus. 

Additional Resources:

Below is more detailed guidance on some of the situations where requests for flexibility or accommodation are particularly common and important to prepare for:

Disability Accommodations
We remind faculty that University and campus policies (including APM-015: Faculty Code of Conduct) establish specific requirements regarding classroom instruction, examinations, and disability accommodations. Instructors who need assistance with Disabled Students’ Program (DSP) accommodations can access a 10-Point Guide to DSP Accommodations. The guide provides information about common questions that instructors may have about implementing DSP accommodations. Use the DSP services request form to contact DSP staff and reach out to the DSP Faculty Liaisons with any questions.

The UC Office of the President (UCOP) has published guidance related to academic accommodations for students with disabilities. We recommend reviewing the guidance prior to the start of instruction. Instructors can also access a recommended training opportunity that is a 10–15 minute read and contains a six-step instructor checklist for preparing for an accessible semester. Instructors are encouraged to complete the deeper dive DSP online training “Disability, Accommodation, and Access in the UC Classroom” (visit the DSP Resources for Faculty webpage and click on the “DSP New Online Training” link). 

Accommodations for Religious Creed
In accordance with UC Berkeley’s policy on religious creed, instructors should consult the Calendar of Religious and Cultural Holidays prior to scheduling midterms and assignment due dates. The Religious Holidays Calendar—as well as the Academic Calendar and Student Enrollment Calendar—can be added to your bCal (go to the Academic Calendar webpage and see the “Add a Calendar to bCal” tab for instructions).

Accommodations for Student Athletes
Please refer to the Senate guidelines for guidance on how to address scheduling conflicts for student athletes.

If you have a student-athlete in your course who has schedule conflicts due to university-sanctioned events (including practices and travel), then you will receive a letter outlining their travel dates. The student athlete should contact you before the end of the second week of instruction (for spring 2025, by Tuesday, February 4) with a letter that describes all foreseeable conflicts in which the student may be participating (including potential playoff and championship games), as well as a proposal to resolve these conflicts. If you believe the student-athletes' conflicts make it impossible for them to successfully complete your course, please inform the student as soon as possible. 

Technology and Accessibility
Fostering an equitable learning experience for all Berkeley students and instructors by supporting accessible academic technology tools is a high priority. We strongly recommend instructors use Research, Teaching, and Learning’s supported learning tools which offer the benefits of accessibility, privacy, and security. By using RTL-supported tools, instructors can focus on teaching and learning, knowing they are providing a safe and accessible environment for all students. While alternative tools are available, they may not meet these critical standards. Instructors considering unsupported tools should consult with IT or the privacy office first to ensure compliance and must assume responsibility for reviewing and vetting tools for accessibility, privacy, and security. The campus is unable to provide any assistance for unsupported tools. 

Guidance for Digital Accessibility of Web Content

  • Required Training: In 2022, the campus entered into a Consent Decree with the Department of Justice concerning the need to ensure that web content is accessible to persons with disabilities. As part of the agreement, the Digital Accessibility Program has created a short mandatory training on this topic The training will be assigned to employees in the UC Learning Center this spring and again in spring 2026. You may also access the How to Comply with the Web Accessibility Procedures training now. 

  • Additional Resources: More resources and educational materials are available on the website dap.berkeley.edu.

    • The Learn section provides guidance on the creation and remediation of accessible websites, transcripts, captions, and digital documents (like word processing, ppt/slides, PDFS, and spreadsheets), as well as digital accessibility basics that apply to all web content.

    • The Testing section provides information on Siteimprove for websites and PDFs, manual testing templates and guides, and the WAVE Evaluation tool.

    • The News & Events section provides information on upcoming and past news and training/workshop sessions.

    • Please email improving-accessibility@berkeley.edu if you have any questions or would like to meet with a digital accessibility specialist.

Important Semester Dates
See the spring 2025 Academic Calendar maintained by the Office of the Registrar for the latest calendar information (students in degree programs that do not align with the standard academic calendar should consult with their department). Below are some important dates in the semester:

  • Spring Semester Begins: Tuesday, January 14

  • Instruction Begins: Tuesday, January 21

  • Academic and Administrative Holiday: Monday, January 20

  • Midpoint grading rosters open for instructors: February 24, 2025

  • Deadline for instructors to enter midterm deficient grades: March 18, 2025

  • Spring Recess: Monday, March 24 - Friday, March 28 

  • Affordability deadline for instructors to submit summer 2025 textbook adoptions to the CAL Student Store: Monday, March 3

  • Accommodation deadline for instructors to submit summer 2025 textbook adoptions to DSP: Tuesday, April 8 

  • Formal Classes End: Friday, May 2

  • Reading/Review/Recitation Week: Monday, May 5 – Friday, May 9

  • Final examinations: Monday, May 12 – Friday, May 16

Thank you for your continued dedication, creativity, and flexibility as we begin the new academic year.

Sincerely,

Benjamin E. Hermalin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Oliver M. O’Reilly
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education 

Lisa García Bedolla
Vice Provost for Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate Division

Amani Nuru-Jeter
Chair, Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate


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