Together for Mental Health Awareness Month Resources, Support and Access to Quality Care Matter!
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.



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 (beyond some of the swag on campus) is linked here.

In addition to the above resources and information, UMBC has many resources and opportunities outlined below.


Students (undergraduate and graduate) groups and 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.

Community

While some 24 hour resources are provided, it's important to know that  anyone can have a moment of crisis, and are people available to listen and help via the following resources:


Have a safe and healthy month!

Photo person wearing a black shirt with MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS in white capital letters displayed credit Matthew Ball via  Unsplash
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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:

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

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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.

In addition to the above resources and information, UMBC Fitness and Wellness has many activities that boost mental health - check out their myUMBC page here.  Other local resources are outlined below.


Students (undergraduate and graduate) groups and resources include:

UMBC Counseling Center (Link) which includes
University Health Services (link)
Wellness Initiative (link)
UMBC NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Student Group

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.

Community

While some 24 hour resources are provided, it's important to know that  anyone can have a moment of crisis, and are people available to listen and help via the following resources:


Have a safe and healthy month!

Photo person wearing a black shirt with MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS in white capital letters displayed credit Matthew Ball via  Unsplash
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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 more people are on campus now we are sharing,  NAMI's Strength over Silence series  which provides stories of courage, culture and community to share lived experiences, resilience and recovery from African American and Latinx communities in anticipation of National Minority Mental Health Month in July.

Mindfulness and meditation practices can boost mental health - look into these apps to engage in this practice at a time that works best for you:

Insight Timer: https://insighttimer.com/
Smiling Mind:  https://www.smilingmind.com.au/
Calm: https://www.calm.com/
Head Space: https://www.headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app
UCLA Mindful: https://www.uclahealth.org/ucla-mindful
Stop, Breathe, Think: https://www.stopbreathethink.com/

Being physically active also boosts mental health. If you would like to do more than walk around your neighborhood, see what classes UMBC's Recreation Department offers for remote participation via this link to their website.


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 NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Group

UMBC Counseling Center (Link) which includes
University Health Services (link)
Wellness Initiative (link)

Faculty and staff mental health supports available through Human Resources include

UMBC's Wellness Initiative
Connecting with mental health providers and wellness coaches through employee health benefits, as well as
24/7 free confidential counseling via the Employee Assistance Program (link)

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.

Community

While some 24 hour resources are provided, it's important to know that  anyone can have a moment of crisis, and are people available to listen and help at any time, including:


Have a safe and healthy month!

Photo illuminated neon "Open" sign by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash
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