Berkeley Accommodation Process for Academic Appointees with Disabilities

The academic appointee has primary responsibility for starting the accommodation process and providing necessary documentation. Specific responsibilities include:

1. Starting the process by making a request for accommodation with the Chair or other unit head.
2. Providing information from a health care provider regarding limitations or restrictions to an appropriate campus office.
3. Providing the required documentation to the Chair.
4. Engaging with the Chair in good faith in exploring accommodation options.

1. Upon receipt of a request for accommodation, the Chair shall provide the appointee with a Physical, Environmental, and Mental (PEM) Demands of the Job form and a job description describing the essential job functions. The Academic Personnel Office can assist the Chair in accessing these documents. There are also sample documents on the Academic Personnel Office website.

   1. PEM form for Senate faculty
   2. PEM form for Unit 18 lecturer
   3. PEM form for Graduate Student Instructor (GSI)
   4. PEM form for Graduate Student Researcher (GSR)
   5. Sample Senate Faculty Job Description
   6. Sample Unit 18 Faculty Job Description
2. The academic appointee provides the PEM form and job description to their health care provider, along with a Certification of Health Care Provider form (if a leave is being requested) or a Work Status form  (if a non-leave accommodation is being requested) which the health care provider fills out. The Certification or Work Status form references the job functions in the PEM form and job description. 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
   1. Certification of Health Care Provider of Employee's Serious Health Condition form(link is external)
   2. Work Status form
3. The academic appointee provides the completed Certification form or Work Status form to the Chair, including any request for a specific accommodation.

1. The Chair consults with the Academic Personnel Office, or with Disability Management Services(link is external), regarding appropriate and feasible accommodations for the appointee’s limitations. Typically, a Chair will start with the Academic Personnel Office, but in more complex situations, or in the event of disagreement, the Academic Personnel Office or the Chair will contact Disability Management Services as well.
2. These offices will advise the Chair on accommodations that are
   1. appropriate to the individual appointee, addressing the appointee’s documented functional limitations so as to enable the appointee to perform the essential functions of their job), and
   2. feasible for the University; i.e., do not constitute an undue hardship for the University and do not fundamentally conflict with its academic standards or mission.
3. Please note that while Chairs or unit heads are delegated the authority to respond to requests for accommodations, any accommodation that includes modifications to a faculty member's teaching requires campus review and approval. Such requests may be submitted to the Academic Personnel Office.

1. The Chair discusses potential accommodations with the appointee.
2. In cases of disagreement among the academic appointee, Chair, the Academic Personnel Office, and/or Disability Management Services(link is external) regarding the appropriateness or feasibility of a recommended accommodation, the matter shall be elevated to the Office of Disability Access & Compliance(link is external).
3. The accommodation decision is conveyed to the academic appointee by the Chair. The Chair and the faculty member document the agreeement using the Transitional Work Agreement form, which should be filed with the Academic Personnel Office. 

1. APM-710(link is external), Leaves of Absence/Sick Leave
2. APM-715(link is external), Leaves of Absence/Family and Medical Leave
3. APM-730(link is external), Leaves of Absence/Vacation
4. APM-758(link is external), Leaves of Absence/Other Leaves With Pay
5. APM-759(link is external), Leaves of Absence/Other Leaves Without Pay

For funding of accommodations, the following steps should be followed:

1. When annual cost of accommodation is one thousand dollars per year or less, the department is expected to provide the funding.
2. 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.
3. 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.