Growing up in the Bay Area, Nataliah Cornejo-Ayers was inspired by UC Berkeley but never imagined she would attend. She was unsure if she would ever even pursue higher education until halfway through high school. At that moment, she set her sights on UC Berkeley, falling in love with the city and the idea of doing what she loves while staying close to her family.
Today, she’s a third-year student at UC Berkeley. As a student who is on the spectrum and lives with a degenerative eye condition, Nataliah’s educational journey, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Public Policy, involves not only rigorous coursework but also navigating the obstacles that come with low visibility, chronic pain, migraines, and various other components of her “invisible disabilities.” When seeking support for her disabilities, Nataliah encountered barriers in the systems, policies, and practices followed by the university. These insufficient processes have forced Nataliah to encounter numerous challenges during her time at Berkeley.
Nataliah began advocating for students with disabilities alongside the University of California Student Association (UCSA) before she officially held a position. During this time, she identified that there were obstacles in how long it took to access disability services, pushback from professors, and frustrations when dealing with health insurance for disabilities, which contributed to difficulties for students to access an equitable education.
Rather than accepting these barriers as inevitable, Nataliah was inspired to further her involvement in UCSA not only for herself, but for the larger community at all University of California campuses to combat these system-wide issues. Inspired by the work of Disability Justice Officers before her — Alexis Applebaum and Mia Terry — Nataliah applied to become the next Disability Justice Officer giving her an opportunity to connect with students and staff across the UC system and better understand the disability-related issues emerging across campuses.
Through those conversations, Nataliah also began to see how closely student access and support were tied to the people providing those services. Nataliah began to understand that disability services had improved mainly because of a prior one-time funding for services that was set to expire at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. This would mean that the system would definitely worsen. The end of funding meant cuts to staffing and DSP services. These anticipated cuts in funding were not a matter of “if”, but instead only a matter of time, and the University of California was not planning to reallocate funds.
“Staffing is crucial for the success of students everywhere. [Disabled Students' Program (DSP)] specialists, the Basic Needs Center, navigating housing; talking to staff at these centers was grounding, and I know they are there for me. We need continuity of care for all students, shared Nataliah. “The lived experiences of the staff members are so important to the support students receive, and students cannot excel in our universities without investing in the services that keep us alive and well. When working with support staff, I don't have to worry that I won't have an advocate.”
Through the collective work of mobilizing students, organizing, and lobbying legislators through UCSA, their team was able to secure $20 million of one-time emergency funding from the state: the funding is split, with $10 million allocated to basic needs and housing, and the other $10 million allocated for disability services. Nataliah celebrated the win in tears of joy for the support this would bring to students while also remaining grateful and recognizing that she's not the first one who has done work like this. She describes herself and the win as “standing on the shoulders of giants.” For Nataliah, this win means that students with disabilities can continue learning equitably and there will be continued access to essential needs for students of various identities. She emphasizes that this work was done not just with her voice but with the voices of everyone she represents and with the help of UC Berkeley’s Division of Equity and Inclusion, especially Ruben Canedo, the Director of Strategic Equity Initiatives, along with California Senator Sasha Renee Perez, who was integral to championing this budget ask in the state legislature.
“This is for all of us. There is no equitable access to education if there is not disability justice,” Nataliah says.
From her own experiences of trial and tribulation, Nataliah wants to remind students that their voices are essential in these processes. Experience is not necessary when advocating for yourself or others. Sharing your stories and raising your voice is possible, and it is necessary. Her biggest piece of advice is to find your people and grow your network of power.
“Force yourself to a seat at the table. Disabled people are more than capable of speaking for our community; you cannot talk about us without us. We have so much power as a collective when we work together. This is a win, and it will only get better.”
Learn more about the $20 million in funding secured.
