Autism - from Awareness to Acceptance

National Deaf History Month

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Accessibility and Disability Service and Student Disability Services highlight Black History Month.

Rediscover how some members of the Black Civil Rights Movement also played essential roles as activists in the US Disability Rights Movement, and paved the way for disability rights activists to influence social change and legislation. Many people with disabilities were part of both movements and continue to be today. Crip Camp shows how intersectional being black and disabled can be - beyond the Black Panthers. Further back in history, learn new things about the famous Black figures who also had disabilities. For instance, Harriet Tubman lived with epilepsy and narcolepsy.

In the links described below, we hope you may find information you will be happy to rediscover or learn for the first time. Black history is being made this moment, and there is an endless amount to learn from the past. A little time spent exploring Black history this month may lead you in enlightening directions. Research forays have been known to start at (link)Brad Lomax, and end up at the (link) Wild Zappers, a DC-based all black all deaf dance company - what new-to-you ancestral influencers and history-makers will become front-of-mind to you?

Test your knowledge by taking this quiz with the National Black Disability Coalition (NBDC): (link)http://www.blackdisability.org/content/black-disabled-trivia

Important figures in Black History:

• National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) has a Black History Bio for each day of February: (link)https://www.ndrn.org/resource/disability-rights-in-black/
• On the website for Respect Ability, an advocacy organization, you can find an article featuring the experiences and voices of current African-American celebrities who have disabilities. (link)https://www.respectability.org/2018/02/highlighting-african-americans-disabilities-honor-black-history-month/
• Learn about Black History heroes who are or were deaf or blind: (link)https://dcmp.org/learn/203-black-history-month

·       Enter “Black History” plus any disability (i.e. "autism," "dyslexia," etc.) into a search engine and explore more about the intersectionality of disability.

Explore Black History and Disability Rights:

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has a great article about the integral role Black disability rights activists played in securing rights for all US citizens with disabilities.  (link)https://www.ncld.org/news/honoring-black-history-month-unsung-heroes-of-the-disability-rights-movement/ For more on Brad Lomax, a leader in the 1977 protests that led to the implementation of section 504 of the rehabilitation act, see this NYT obituary (link) https:/www.nytimes.com/2020/07/08/obituaries/brad-lomax-overlooked.html

Black Disabled and Proud: College Students with Disabilities is a website by the HBCU Disability Consortium. Their page titled “Black Lives Matter and Disability” speaks to the recent and daily making of Black history as it intersects with disability. (link)https://www.blackdisabledandproud.org/black-lives-matter.html The page includes links to thoughtful articles as well as self-care info.

The Disability Visibility Project’s Black Lives Matter page has podcasts (with transcripts) that explore the individual experiences of people who are actively contributing individually and/or organizing to raise awareness about being Black and having a  disability.  (link)https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/tag/black-lives-matter/  Click through on the posts and find things like Jen White Johnson’s Black Disability Lives Matter mural (link)https://jenwhitejohnson.com/Black-Disabled-Lives-Matter-Mural-Project 

More UMBC posts and events are going up over the course of the month. If you are looking for disability resources - use these links:

• Student Disability Services: For ALL students - graduate and undergraduate
• Accessibility and Disability Services: Work Accommodation for Faculty, Staff and Student Employees as well as technical accessibility support
• Report Accessibility Concerns online 24/7 here

A photo of two black young women with their hair in white headbands at a 1960's era protest  with one larger sign behind them reading "Martyr Medgar Evers" and a poem that begins "The Black Man Fell and helpless lay,/ A Gaping Wound upon his back,/ A Witness to the Savage Way,/ A Beast Had Made His Foul Attack...." accompanies this post. Photo credit: Unseen Histories downloaded from Unsplash.com 

Happy New Year!

Accessibility and Disability Services, including Student Disability Services (SDS) will operate remotely this week (January 3rd through 7th) during regular business hours (8:30am through 4:30pm) and, in general, staff will not be available on campus to proctor in-person tests.  Employee accommodation requests and inquiries can be made online the ADS website (link). SDS questions and testing matters for this week should be emailed to disability@umbc.edu.  

As you know, UMBC has asked that students, staff, and faculty delay their return to campus, if at all possible, due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.  Anyone who wishes to return to campus must have a recent negative COVID test on file as well as meeting additional requirements.  See https://covid19.umbc.edu/

For students - the overwhelming majority of winter session courses are being taught online, and those courses with tests will be administered online as well.  Registered SDS students who would like to utilize approved testing accommodations for a Winter 2022 course,  must submit a Semester Request so that SDS can send your Letter of Accommodations to the instructor.  Instructions for submitting a Semester Request can be found at https://sds.umbc.edu/accommodate-semester-request/

For those who are new to requesting accommodations due to their health condition each process is available remotely 24/7 - however it is best to apply as soon as practical - details are here:

• Student Disability Services works with graduate and undergraduate students for academic accommodations
• Employee Accommodations for Faculty Staff and Student Employees are administered by Accessibility & Disability Services,
• Have an accessibility concern?  Report it here.  We also partner with Facilities Management Work Control system, Residential Life's Facilities FXit Process, and DoIT's RT system

ADS and SDS will update operations and availability for next week as more information becomes available.

Stay safe and stay healthy!

ADS and SDS Staff

December 3rd is the UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities, honoring the United Nation's commitment for promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. The day raises awareness of the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of disability that affects people around the world.