UC Berkeley

Disability Awareness Month

Disability Awareness Month

Each October, we honor Disability Awareness Month, which has a deep-rooted connection to UC Berkeley as a birthplace of the disability rights movement.

We also celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and Disability Pride Awareness Month, recognizing the inherent value and contributions of people with disabilities within our community and beyond. This year's NDEAM theme, “Celebrating Value and Talent,” reinforces our commitment to creating inclusive environments where all individuals (students, staff, faculty, and community members) can thrive and have access to meaningful opportunities, both on campus and in the broader world.

This month is closely tied to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark civil rights law protecting the rights of people with disabilities. UC Berkeley has created a Campus Disability Strategic Plan, submitted by the Campus Advisory Council on Disability and Accessibility Planning. It is the first such plan in the University of California system.

Our campus continues to be a leader in advocating for the rights of disabled people, thanks to the tireless activism of disabled students, faculty and staff and the allyship of the broader Berkeley community. Together, we uphold Berkeley’s proud tradition of fostering inclusion, accessibility, and equal opportunities for all.

Thriving Initiatives Spotlight: Disability Justice Hub

Despite the significant progress made by the disability rights movement over the past few decades, many groups remain excluded from fair access and representation. We invite you to learn about different types of disabilities, broaden your understanding of disability, and explore Disability Justice.

Task Forces/Advisory Bodies

Student Orgs and Advocacy Groups

Student, Staff, and Faculty Resources

Read and Watch

About the Loop

The Loop infographic: The Loop is a golf cart that provides intra-campus rides for eligible faculty, staff, and students with disabilities on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Loop is a free on-campus ride for disability access. It is a service that provides free rides for students, faculty, and staff with disabilities. Rides run from 7:45am-10pm during the fall and spring semesters, with extended hours during special events. The service offers about 120 rides per day with a five-minute average wait time, 37 stops, and student drivers operating three carts during peak hours. Contact and request details are listed at loop.berkeley.edu, access@berkeley.edu, and (510) 643-6456.

Events

Find Disability Events throughout the year.

Academics

Disabilities Studies Minor - Centers the knowledge and experience of disabled people, studying cultural and artistic productions, public laws and policies, professional practices, and everyday life with an emphasis on disability as a social situation and a political process. The approach is interdisciplinary, aiming to integrate the study of disability into academic fields across the campus; it is intersectional; and it makes and draws on long-standing connections between scholarship and activism, locally and globally.

Research

Assistant Professor Sunaura Taylor

She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and director of the Disabled Ecologies Initiative. Taylor also directs the Disability Studies Minor. Taylor is a scholar and artist who works at the intersection of disability studies, environmental humanities, animal studies, environmental justice, and art practice. Her research situates disability and ableism as central forces shaping human relationships to the more-than-human world.

Selected works:
Disabled Ecologies: Lessons From a Wounded Desert (UC Press, 2024)
Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation (The New Press, 2017)
Art portfolio

Sunaura Taylor posing wearing a brown long sleeve in front of a white background.

Assistive technology made possible by Berkeley

  • Todd Roberts (MEng ’20 ME) and Owen Kent (BA ’17 Film) cofounded ATDev, an assistive technology company, from work that started in a mechanical engineering course.
  • Corten Singer (BA ’17 CS, BA’17 CogSci, MS ’18 EECS) and Tomás Vega (BA ’17 CS, BA’17 CogSci), cofounded Augmental, an assistive technology company
  • Berkeley engineers led by Homayoon Kazerooni founded suitX, a provider of industrial and medical exoskeletons. The company was acquired by Ottobock in late 2021. Other suitX founders include Michael McKinley (MS '12, PhD '14 ME), Wayne Tung (BS '08 ME and MSE, MS '09, PhD '13 ME), Minerva Pillai (BS '07, MS '10, PhD '14 ME)

Invisible Disabilities

Sunflower graphic with text reading 'Invisible Disabilities' in the center, surrounded by the words 'Awareness - Support - Resources - Advocacy.' Below is a website URL: uhs.berkeley.edu/invisibledisabilities.

Invisible disabilities, such as chronic illnesses or mental health conditions, often go unnoticed but can significantly impact workplace experiences. At Berkeley, the Disability Management program is committed to fostering inclusivity, offering resources, training, and support for faculty and staff navigating these challenges. Learn about reasonable accommodations, workers' compensation, and available workshops to better understand and support invisible disabilities in the workplace.

Learn more about Invisible Disabilities and Disability Management

Check out our Invisible Disability Podcast series. Three new episodes during NDEAM including an episode dropping during National Invisible Disabilities Week October 18th through 24th!

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