I’m transferring Fall 2019, and am currently sorting out which UCs I’m applying to, and which UCs I’m prioritizing. I’m a disabled student, registered at my community college since I started, and it’s imperative that I keep that status to some degree wherever I go. I am registered as disabled for a non-physical chronic, serious illness (that’s as much as I’m wiling to disclose here).
My illness is currently stabilized but as mentioned, it’s chronic and I depend on some system of basic support within the university to maintain my stabilization, and get more assistance in case of flare ups or relapses.
Obviously people can’t reliably rank each UC’s services, so instead anyone who is disabled at a UC, I’d appreciate hearing how you like your disabled students program and at which UC you attend. Especially interested in non-physically disabled students, but anyone regardless of condition who is registered in a disabled students program is welcome to give their input, since I’m looking for how involved, comprehensive, easy to access the program is, and how reliable accommodations are! Thank you!
(Any snide comments about hand-holding [that’s not what accommodations are], legitimacy of disability, etc are unwelcome)
From my conversations with disabled students at UCSD, while the surrounding hospitals and clinics are great for people who need regular appointments, the campus staff isn’t very accessible. Aside from exam accommodations the school does not go out of its way to make disabled students’ lives any easier (despite the fact that the most decorated current athlete is a Paralympian). Some examples of UCSD not being accommodating are:
http://triton.news/2018/02/former-student-loses-disability-case-ucsd/
http://triton.news/2017/10/former-student-sues-ucsd-alleging-disability-discrimination/
http://triton.news/2017/06/students-petition-disability-resource-center-equity/ (a real eye opener, the petition failed and the space was allocated for a completely frivolous arcade instead)
The campus is also extraordinarily difficult for students with mobility impairments to navigate, although the ADA golf carts help. Even if you apply, I’d think twice before SIRing here. Hope this helps—it’s not a disabled student’s perspective, though, so do take it with a grain of salt.
Thank you! This is just the kind of information I was looking for! UCSD is indeed one of the UCs I’m eyeing, though not right at my top, and this definitely adds to that consideration. I really appreciate all the links, too. Hopefully I’ll get more insight like this into the other UCs from other people to get an even better picture of it all. Thanks again!
UCD is flat and beautiful, hence why they have 40K bikes, including the profs.
They have some classes that have been accommodated with FM systems for the HOH population.
I will be attending UC Santa Barbara as a freshman this fall and I am registered with DSP for an acquired brain injury. Obviously, I haven’t started attending yet so I can’t quite confidently say that the services have been helpful to me, but registering and communicating with the staff has been made a breeze for me. My academic adviser at orientation mentioned she had a disability and DSP helped her a lot. UCSB is also known for having a very supportive community of students, which though this doesn’t actually correlate to services, it will be a better environment to be in (especially for the disabled) than, say, the hypercompetetive/academic masochism found at UCSD or UCB (not that either of those would be the wrong choice for you, necessarily). Obviously I am a little biased because this is my school, but I think UCSB should rank near the top of your choices.