Each year, millions of people navigate the lived experience of mental illness.  UMBC's Office of Accessibility and Disability Services, which includes Student Disability Services, joins the movement in solidarity and partnership with Human Resources with its many departmental partnerships, to promote mental health awareness, fight stigma, and provide support. One in five people will have a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime.  We are in this together, indeed, we are stronger together when we embrace and support mental health.

#In Every Story There is Strength is this year's motto from NAMI:  more information about Mental Health Awareness Month from NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness), including promotional material, is linked here.

NAMI shares information about identity and cultural aspects that influence individual journeys, including people living with a disability.  They also link to this article on why having mental health professionals with disabilities is important.

In addition to UMBC's NAMI student organization's outreach, to  end the stigma toward mental health, behavioral health, and substance use disorders - On Our Own of Maryland's Distorted Perceptions/Refocus Look Again Campaign is a local Anti-Stigma initiative that supports mental health with local outreach to end stigma.  More information on their campaign is linked here.

Student Resources for undergraduate and graduate students include:

UMBC Retriever Integrated Heath has counseling and related services (Link) which includes
Faculty and staff mental health supports available through Human Resources include:

If a campus member's health situation changes (such as a recent injury or diagnosis, they can apply for, or update academic accommodation requests via Student Disability Services (link) and work-related accommodations via Accessibility & Disability Services (link).  ADS works in partnership with HR for faculty, staff and student employee job-related situations.

Each year, millions of people navigate the lived experience of mental illness.  UMBC's Office of Accessibility and Disability Services, in solidarity with Student Disability Services, joins the movement  with its many departmental partnerships, to promote mental health awareness, fight stigma, and provide support. One in five people will have a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime.  We are in this together, indeed, we are stronger together for mental health.

#Take a Mental Health Moment is this year's motto from NAMI:  more information about Mental Health Awareness Month from NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness), including promotional material, is linked here.

NAMI shares information about identity and cultural aspects that influence individual journeys, including people living with a disability.  They also link to this article on why having mental health professionals with disabilities is important.

In addition to UMBC's NAMI student organization's outreach, to  end the stigma toward mental health, behavioral health or substance use disorders - On Our Own of Maryland's Distorted Perceptions/Refocus Look Again Campaign is a local Anti-Stigma initiative that supports mental health with local outreach to end stigma.  More information on their campaign is linked here.

Students (undergraduate and graduate) groups and resources include:

UMBC Retriever Integrated Heath has counseling and related services (Link) which includes
Faculty and staff mental health supports available through Human Resources include:

If a campus member's health situation changes (such as a recent injury or diagnosis, they can apply for, or update academic accommodation requests via Student Disability Services (link) and work-related accommodations via Accessibility & Disability Services (link).  ADS works in partnership with HR for faculty, staff and student employee job-related situations.

A thumbnail photo credit Marcel Straub via  Unsplash

Each year, millions of people navigate the lived experience of mental illness.  UMBC's Office of Accessibility and Disability Services, in solidarity with Student Disability Services, joins the movement  with its many departmental partnerships, to promote mental health awareness, fight stigma, and provide support. One in five people will have a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime.  We are in this together, indeed, we are stronger together for mental health.

#More Than Enough is this year's motto from NAMI:  more information about Mental Health Awareness Month from NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness), including promotional material, is linked here.

NAMI shares information about identity and cultural aspects that influence individual journeys, including people living with a disability.  They also link to this article on why having mental health professionals with disabilities is important.

One challenging area is ending the stigma toward mental health, behavioral health or substance use disorders - On Our Own of Maryland's Distorted Perceptions/Refocus Look Again Campaign is a local Anti-Stigma initiative that support mental health by working to end stigma.  More information on their campaign is linked here.

Students (undergraduate and graduate) groups and resources include:

UMBC Retriever Integrated Heath has counseling and related services (Link) which includes
Faculty and staff mental health supports available through Human Resources include:

If a campus member's health situation changes (such as a recent injury or diagnosis, they can apply for, or update academic accommodation requests via Student Disability Services (link) and work-related accommodations via Accessibility & Disability Services (link).  ADS works in partnership with HR for faculty, staff and student worker job-related situations.

Photo of tiles spelling out  MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS is displayed; credit Marcel Straub via  Unsplash

Each year, millions of people navigate the lived experience of mental illness.  UMBC's Office of Accessibility and Disability Services joins the movement  with its many departmental partnerships, to promote mental health awareness, fight stigma, and provide support. One in five people will have a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime.  We are in this together.

You are not alone - is more than a tagline:  more information about Mental Health Awareness Month from NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) is linked here.

Community Conversations are locally-hosted series of webinars that support mental health as we shift toward a more-vaccinated future.

NAMI's Strength over Silence series features stories of courage, culture and community to share lived experiences, resilience and recovery from African American, Latinx and other under-represented communities in anticipation of National Minority Mental Health Month in July.

Students (undergraduate and graduate) groups and resources include:

UMBC Counseling Center (Link) which includes
Faculty and staff mental health supports available through Human Resources include:

Each year, millions of people navigate the lived experience of mental illness.  UMBC's Office of Accessibility and Disability Services joins the movement  with its many departmental partnerships, to promote mental health awareness, fight stigma, and provide support. One in five people will have a mental health diagnosis in their lifetime.  We are in this together.

More information about Mental Health Awareness Month from NAMI (National Alliance of Mental Illness) is linked here.

While Accessibility & Disability Services works with faculty, staff, and student employee work accommodations and campus accessibility, and Student Disability Services manage academic accommodation requests, the following links for campus and community-based information and resources offer more depth:

Students (undergraduate and graduate) groups and resources include:

UMBC Counseling Center (Link) which includes
Faculty and staff mental health supports available through Human Resources include

For the past few years, UMBC has worked with American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) in hosting our annual Out of the Darkness: Suicide Prevention Campus Walk. Each year, students, parents, staff, and community members come together to raise awareness about mental health and to find ways to support persons on their journeys out of darkness. In our current times, the mental health needs of our students are growing, making events like this are of great importance. In light of physical distancing, this year's annual Out of the Darkness Walk, to be held on Saturday, April 25, will be virtual.

Instructions: Please take a picture of yourself in an AFSP shirt (if you have one) or a UMBC shirt either walking or holding up a positive message and share it on your (or your department's) social media page. Ideally, take the picture outside (in a safe manner). Please include the following or a similar message:

 We encourage departments to make walking teams and register them on our campus website: www.afsp.org/umbc . Please urge students to make teams as well!  

Teams are asked to set a giving goal to raise money for AFSP and the many programs (including those at UMBC) that they support. Your giving goal is your choice. We will be raising funds through June 30, 2020.

Please join our department, in partnership with University Health Services,  as we  walk, tap & roll out of the darkness in body, mind and spirit!

 

Are you a current student with a disability interested in working with other honor students?  Look no further than UMBC's  Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society [link] for the embodiment of Disability, Achievement and Pride. We're seeking a few good  undergraduate (24+ credits/3.10+ GPA) and graduate (18+ credits/3.30+ GPA) students  who are registered with Student Disability Services. Click on the Delta Alpha Pi link to learn more.