Disability Access News

SDSU President Stephen L. Weber appointed Mary Shojai to head the 2007-08 SDSU Disability Access and Compliance Committee (DACC), which met for the first time on Feb. 22 and is charged with implementing CSU requirements for disability support and accommodations.

Shojai, director of Student Disability Services in Student Affairs, is particularly well qualified for this role, and her expertise on disability issues is often sought by other CSU and California institutions.

"I believe there is no one at this university more suitable or more dedicated to advocate for our students, faculty, staff and visitors on these issues than Mary," Weber said.

About Shojai

Shojai serves on the campus steering committee and instructional materials committee for the CSU Accessible Technology Initiative, the CSU Directors Council for Services to Students with Disabilities and the Cooperative Programs Advisory Committee for the California Department of Rehabilitation.

She has formerly served on the CSU advisory committee on services to students with disabilities. She is the legislative co-chair for the California Association on Postsecondary Education and Disability, and she recently assisted CSU Los Angeles, CSU Sacramento and University California San Diego in reviewing aspects of their disability services programs.

"It is a privilege to work with this group of campus leaders, all of whom are committed to sustaining and improving accessibility for individuals with disabilities at San Diego State University," Shojai said.

DACC Background

In December 2007, Weber formed the 2007-08 SDSU Disability Access and Compliance Committee, including a majority appointment of new members and the committee's first strategic redesign since its creation in 2005.

The 2007-08 DACC carries on the work of its predecessor in implementing the requirements formalized in Executive Order 926, the California State University Trustees' Policy on Disability Support and Accommodations, issued to the CSU Presidents by Chancellor Charles Reed in December 2004.

The responsibilities of the DACC include the monitoring and evaluation of current disability policy on campus, the development of future programs and services, and the recommendation of priorities and timelines.

The committee is composed of staff, faculty and students selected to broadly represent all university divisions and departments and the disability community. And because the earlier committee's experience demonstrated that narrowly focused assignments would achieve the most effective results, the 2007-08 member appointments were carefully made to specifically assigned working roles, based on areas of individual expertise.