The procedures described below support UC Berkeley in implementing Section 711 of the Academic Personnel Manual. Section 711 of the APM states that each University of California campus will provide reasonable accommodation to faculty and other academic appointees who are disabled and need assistance to perform the essential functions of their positions.
The information on this site is intended to provide a clear, equitable and consistent interactive process for all academic appointees and their departments.
Policy Statement and Definitions
The University provides reasonable accommodation to otherwise qualified academic appointees who are disabled or become disabled and need assistance to perform the essential functions of their positions (see APM-711). An accommodation is reached after an interactive process between the University and the appointee.
Reasonable accommodation
Reasonable accommodation for an otherwise qualified academic appointee who is disabled or becomes disabled may include, but is not limited to:
- making existing facilities readily accessible to and usable by the disabled appointee
- providing classrooms with appropriate accessibility and instructional facilities
- restructuring the job to eliminate non-essential job functions
- granting a leave of absence in accordance with policy
- reduction of appointment percentage on a temporary basis with corresponding reduction in duties, compensation and benefits
- modifying the appointee’s work schedule
- acquiring or modifying equipment or devices
- providing qualified readers or interpreters
- reassignment to an available alternative position for which the academic appointee is qualified
In addition to the examples given above, a permanent reduction in time with corresponding reduction in duties, compensation and benefits may be considered.
The interactive process
An “interactive process” is an on-going, timely and good faith communication between the employee and manager/supervisor to explore whether or not the employee needs reasonable accommodation for the employee’s disability to perform the essential functions of the job, and if so, how the person can be reasonably accommodated. Both parties are expected to participate in good faith in the process.
Confidentiality
Information about an academic appointee’s need for an accommodation and their medical restrictions will be treated and retained as confidential information. It should be shared only with those who have a need to know that information in order to accomplish their job. Appointees should not share the diagnosis or other details of the underlying condition. Implementing an approved accommodation may mean that others will become aware that an appointee is being treated differently than other colleagues, but the University will not disclose any private medical restriction or accommodation information to individuals who do not have a need to know that information as part of their job responsibilities.
Process overview: roles and responsibilities
Through an interactive process, the appointee and appropriate representatives of the campus communicate regarding the essential functions of the job, the functional limitations of the appointee, the range of possible accommodations, the reasonableness of possible accommodations, and the implementation of reasonable accommodations. The University will consider this information in determining the types of accommodations that can be offered. An appointee is not entitled to the accommodation of their choice, but to one that is reasonable.
Responsibilities of the academic appointee
The academic appointee has primary responsibility for starting the accommodation process and providing necessary documentation. Specific responsibilities include:
- Starting the process by making a request for accommodation by sending an email to DMSrequest@berkeley.edu. The email should include your department and the the person within the deparment with whom Disability Management Services (DMS) will interact.
- Consulting with DMS to understand the process and the documentation from your healthcare provider required to support your request for accommodation.
- Providing the required documentation to the Disability Analyst assigned to your case. Engaging with the Disability Analyst, Chair (or equivalent), and Academic Personnel Analysts in good faith in exploring accommodation options.
Responsibilities of DMS
Disability Management Services (DMS) will have primary responsibility for responding to the accommodation request of the academic appointee. Specific responsibilities include the following:
- Explaining the interactive process by which the campus handles a request for accommodation. Explaining and providing the documentation/forms required to support the accommodation request.
- Engaging with the academic appointee in good faith to identify potential accommodation options.
- Meeting with the academic appointee's supervisor and unit or campus academic personnel analysts (as needed) to identify potential accommodation options that would appropriately and effectively support performance of the essential functions of the job. Scheduling and participating in an interactive discussion with the academic appointee and their manager/department to discuss the accommodation options identified and determine together the most appropriate accommodation(s) and develop an implementation plan.
- Documenting and implementing the accommodation and monitoring the effectiveness of the accommodation, as appropriate.
- Ensurng that approved reasonable accommodations are provided to the appointee in an effective and timely fashion. This may include ongoing discussions, review, and new decisions.
If the University (Chair/Unit Head/Academic Personnel Analyst) knows of an appointee’s disabling condition, the chair, unit head, or analyst should send an email to DMSrequest@berkeley.edu with the name of the employee, their contact information, their department, and the person within the department with whom DMS will interact.
Process overview: responding to a request for accommodation
As part of the interactive accommodation decision process, an academic appointee must furnish appropriate documentation from a health care provider regarding functional limitations or restrictions related to their ability to perform essential job functions.
Documentation to support a request
- Upon receipt of a request for accommodation, the Disability Analyst will work with the appointee to obtain from their healthcare provider:
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- A certification that the appointee is a person with a disability as defined under state and federal law
- The precise job-related limitations imposed by the appointee's disability and whether these limitations are temporary or permanent, and
- The recommended accommodations
The Disability Analyst will ask the appointee to provide their healthcare provider with their job description and PEM form to assist in the identification of limitations, and the impact these limitations present in the performance of the essential functions of their job. Note that these forms do not include personal medical information such as diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis; they do include a time span during which the stated limitations are expected to apply.
- The academic appointee provides the completed Reasonable Accommodationa Certification form to the Disability Analyst.
Interactive Process and Communicating the Outcome/Documentation
Once the requested documentation supporting the request has been received, the Disability Analyst will:
- Meet with the academic appointee to identify potential accommodations and assess the effectiveness each would have in enabling them to perform the essential functions of their job.
- Schedule and meet with the department, the academic appointee, and other academic personnel professionals (including APO or HR Partners, as needed) to discuss and identify potential accommodations and assess the effectiveness each would have in enabling them to perform the essential functions of their job. (The appointee's medical diagnosis will be kept confidential throughout all discussions but supervisors and APO will be made aware of the appointee's limitations, as needed).
- In collaboration with the department and the academic appointee, select the appropriate reasonable accommodation(s) and document the agreement in the Record of IP Form.
- Support the department and academic appointee in implementing the accommodation and monitor the effectiveness of the accommodation, as appropriate.
Requests for leave as an accommodation
Leave requests should be considered in accordance with University policies as set forth in the Academic Personnel Manual.
The Academic Personnel Office can provide guidance regarding these policies.
Campus support
The office of the Vice Provost for the Faculty administers a fund to assist departments when costs for an approved reasonable accommodation exceed one thousand dollars in a given year. The accommodation may entail a one-time expense (e.g., the purchase of adaptive equipment) or an ongoing expense (e.g., the services of an interpreter). This funding process is available to assist with the costs of accommodating the needs of a specific academic appointee.
Funding of accommodations
For funding of accommodations, the following steps should be followed:
- When annual cost of accommodation is one thousand dollars per year or less, the department is expected to provide the funding.
- If the annual cost of accommodation exceeds what the department can cover, a department chair may request funding from the dean. The chair’s request should describe the accommodation and include a budget showing the cost of accommodation. Deans are expected to supplement departmental funds to the extent that their resources allow.
- If the dean concludes that the costs exceed the resources available at the departmental and decanal levels, they may submit a request for supplemental funding to the Vice Provost for the Faculty via the Academic Personnel Office. The dean’s funding request should describe the accommodation and include a budget showing the cost of the accommodation and indicating the contributions to be made from departmental and decanal resources.
Medical separation
Medical separation will be considered only in cases where an academic appointee has a disability (or a medical condition that has become disabling) that cannot be reasonably accommodated without causing undue hardship. Prior to medical separation, the University will engage in an interactive process in accordance with the provisions of APM 711, Reasonable Accommodation for Academic Appointees with Disabilities. If an academic appointee holding an appointment that is not self-terminating is still unable to return to work and/or perform the essential functions of the academic position after the interactive process has been exhausted, a medical separation review may be initiated. The interactive process is exhausted when it has been determined that (a) no reasonable accommodation(s) can be provided that would enable the academic appointee to perform the essential assigned functions of the position without causing undue hardship and (b) there is no alternative vacant position on campus for which the employee is qualified and can perform the essential functions, with or without reasonable accommodation (see APM 080, Medical Separation).
Revised 08/08/2025