The Disability Programs and Resource Center
A Brief History
The Disability Programs and Resource Center (DPRC) was originally
established as the Disabled Student Service Center (DSSC) as a full-time
office on Oct. 20, 1975. Members of the Disabled Students Union played
a central role in making it happen, with the assistance of the Student
Affairs Office at the time. The Center was originally intended to serve
students with physical and perceptual disabilities and to assist other
units of the university to provide services that result in equivalent
educational opportunities. The grand total of students registered with
the Center for services during that first year (1975 - 1976) was 299.
Overall, the number of students registered has been as high as 900 (in
the 1996 - 1997 academic year).
The center was originally funded by an Innovation and Expansion grant
from the State Department of Rehabilitation. The grant was a 90-10 percent
matching grant refundable up to three years with the university’s
share increasing 10 percent each year. Paid staff included a full-time
coordinator position and a half-time clerical position. Volunteer student
help was a regular part of the center’s program during that first
year. Volunteers provided a wide variety of services to students with
disabilities as well as helping to staff the center when the coordinator
and clerical assistant had other commitments.
Lynn Smith was the first coordinator of the center, and served in that
position until 1979 (sadly, Lynn died of AIDS-related causes in 1986).
After a national search, Cindy Kolb was hired as the center’s
director in 1981 and served the university with distinction until her
death from disability-related complications in 1989. Molly Brodie was
hired later that year and served as director until 1994. Deidre Defreese,
as the senior professional in the center, shepherded the program during
another national search for director. During this time the DSSC (which
was commonly referred to as the DSS) was renamed the Disability Resource
Center (DRC) to better reflect the services provided. Kimberly Bartlett
was then hired and served as director from 1995 – 2000. Deidre
Defreese stepped in again to lead the DRC while another national search
was conducted for a director. This time the director position would
be filled with an individual who would not only oversee services to
students with disabilities, but would absorb supervision of a smaller
unit created in the early '90s to meet the needs of SFSU employees with
disabilities, as well as take an administrative leadership role on campus
for disability access at all levels. In 2001, Gene Chelberg was hired
as director of this new and larger organization called the Disability
Programs and Resource Center.
Today, the center is funded in whole by the University’s general
operating budget. The staffing has expanded to meet the needs of the
campus and includes 13 professional staff positions, three to five special
consultants, a considerable number of hourly workers (e.g. sign language
interpreters), and numerous part-time student staff. The staff work
in partnership with people with disabilities and the campus at large
to ensure full and equal access to university programs and facilities.
A detailed
chronology
of the Disability Rights Movements is available.
