diff --git a/modules/block/block.test b/modules/block/block.test
index 79b6b19ef599cb41c1aaf28301fed8dbe55df396..91887fdd53df664ec7ee01ccba29f2b3ef5673f9 100644
--- a/modules/block/block.test
+++ b/modules/block/block.test
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ class BlockTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
       'administer blocks',
       filter_permission_name($full_html_format),
       'access administration pages',
-      'access dashboard',
     ));
     $this->drupalLogin($admin_user);
 
diff --git a/modules/dashboard/dashboard.module b/modules/dashboard/dashboard.module
index af789e064ed26226e3bb0eac2b88b40c3a1a087e..c90f65d7565deb6e23f93aded88efdd64fb7eeb9 100644
--- a/modules/dashboard/dashboard.module
+++ b/modules/dashboard/dashboard.module
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ function dashboard_menu() {
     'title' => 'Dashboard',
     'description' => 'View and customize your dashboard',
     'page callback' => 'dashboard_admin',
-    'access arguments' => array('access dashboard'),
+    'access arguments' => array('access administration pages'),
     // Make this appear first, so for example, in admin menus, it shows up on
     // the top corner of the window as a convinient "home link".
     'weight' => -100,
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ function dashboard_menu() {
     'description' => 'View and customize your dashboard',
     'page callback' => 'dashboard_admin',
     'page arguments' => array(TRUE),
-    'access arguments' => array('access dashboard'),
+    'access arguments' => array('access administration pages'),
     'type' => MENU_CALLBACK,
   );
   $items['admin/dashboard/drawer'] = array(
@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@ function dashboard_menu_alter(&$items) {
   // Make the dashboard the default local task on /admin.
   $items['admin']['title'] = 'Dashboard';
   $items['admin']['page callback'] = 'dashboard_admin';
-  $items['admin']['access arguments'] = array('access dashboard');
   $items['admin/dashboard']['type'] = MENU_DEFAULT_LOCAL_TASK;
   $items['admin/by-task']['type'] = MENU_LOCAL_TASK;
 }
@@ -154,18 +153,6 @@ function dashboard_page_build(&$page) {
   }
 }
 
-/**
- * Implements hook_permission().
- */
-function dashboard_permission() {
-  return array(
-    'access dashboard' => array(
-      'title' => t('View the administrative dashboard'),
-      'description' => t('Note: modifying the dashboard requires the !administer_blocks permission.', array('!administer_blocks' => l(t('Administer blocks'), 'admin/people/permissions', array('fragment' => 'module-block')))),
-    ),
-  );
-}
-
 /**
  * Implements hook_system_info_alter().
  *
diff --git a/modules/simpletest/tests/common.test b/modules/simpletest/tests/common.test
index 68b99f7a1cc9cedf3466b63181db53b9519a1808..c1d294e7d1eb7b42c8603fd9dd08952d897ca443 100644
--- a/modules/simpletest/tests/common.test
+++ b/modules/simpletest/tests/common.test
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@ class DrupalAlterTestCase extends DrupalWebTestCase {
   }
 
   function testDrupalAlter() {
+    // This test depends on Garland, so make sure that it is always the current
+    // active theme.
+    global $theme, $base_theme_info;
+    $theme = 'garland';
+    $base_theme_info = array();
+
     $array = array('foo' => 'bar');
     $entity = new stdClass;
     $entity->foo = 'bar';