Access & Self-Advocacy: An Intro to UC Berkeley for Students with Disabilities

Hosted by the University of California's Undergraduate English Department, this course was offered to first-semester students with disabilities with the goal of helping them transition to the University environment and connect them with campus resources and community.

Asynchronous
Remote Instruction
Peer Mentorship
One Unit, Pass/No Pass Grading

Syllabus

DSP ENG 198 - Access and Self-Advocacy Syllabus.docx.pdf

Weekly Modules

The course was organized on Canvas into weekly modules that students could largely navigate at their own pace. Each week included a video, a written text, and a campus resource.

For each weekly modules, students were assessed by the completion of a skill based assignment, or a making community connection.

Skill Share

Students were asked to complete a skill-based assignment on alternating weeks that reflected a skill taught in the weekly video and text. The example to the right is from the Time Management Module.

Community Connection

Students were assigned to meet synchronously with a classmate as well as a "New Student Ambassador" (peer mentor). These New Student Ambassadors were upperclassmen students with disabilities who volunteered to support new students in getting acclimated to campus. Ambassadors were provided with a 2 hour training and students were given conversation prompts to help guide the session.

Here are some suggested topics of conversation:

What was your experience as a first semester student?
How did you decide on a major?
What student orgs are you a member of?
What have been some of your successes or challenges at Cal?
What advice do you have for newer students?
Have you ever experienced issues with your accommodation being met?

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