October is Disability Identity Awareness Month
Celebrating Disability Identity!
October is a special month at UMBC as we celebrate Disability Identity Awareness Month on campus while also recognizing the 80th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). NDEAM is an annual observance that highlights the contributions of people with disabilities in the American workforce and emphasizes the importance of inclusive workplaces for individuals with all types of disabilities, including non-obvious and mental health conditions. This year’s NDEAM theme, “Celebrating Value and Talent,” honors the achievements of American workers with disabilities, past and present, and aligns with the upcoming celebration of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, reminding us of the importance of early detection, education, and support in the fight against breast cancer. Over the past 40 years, awareness efforts have helped reduce breast cancer death rates in the U.S. by 44%, saving more than half a million lives. The National Breast Cancer Foundation encourages everyone to "Help Women Now" through education, early screenings, and community support.
At UMBC, we invite our community to join us in celebrating disability identity through events, conversations, and activities designed to foster inclusion, understanding, and connection. Events are happening throughout October on the highlighted dates, with some hosted by the UMBC ADS/SDS Office and others by Instructional Technology. From engaging conversations to hands-on workshops and community-building activities, these events provide opportunities to learn, connect, and celebrate the diverse experiences of our UMBC community.
October 3, 8, 27: Campus Accessibility Walk & Roll Tours (Noon, MP 222)
October 3: I Have an LOA (Letter of Accommodation), Now What? (Online, 2-3 PM)
Oct 9: Digital Accessibility 101: Principles and Practices – 12–12:30 PM, Online
If you can click it, you can fix it. Learn what digital accessibility is and why it matters.
Oct 10: Accessible Images: Basics of Alt Text & Decorative Images – 12–12:30 PM, Online
October 13: Disability Awareness Month Film Screening: Quad Life (4:30–7 PM, UC 310)- Click the link to save your spot!
October 15: Campus Accessibility: Facilities Management & ADS Project Discussion (Hybrid, Noon, ILSB 101/ Engineering Lecture Hall 027*)
Oct 15: Free Webinar – Making AI Work for All: Enhancing Accessibility for Students in Higher Education – 2–3 PM, Online
Sponsored by Northwest Higher Ed Accessible Technology
October 17: Accessible Documents and Course Materials: PDFs, PPTs, and More (Noon, MP 222)
October 21: FMLA & Job Accommodations (Non-Supervisors) (Noon, Online)
October 24: Tea Time with Tori (Noon, MP 222)
Oct 24: Review & Improve Your Blackboard Course Accessibility Score with Ally – 12–12:45 PM, Online
October 27: FMLA & Job Accommodations (Supervisors) (11 AM, Online)
We look forward to seeing you this semester.
Movies with Meaning: Honoring Awareness, Inclusion, and Hope
Stories have the power to inspire empathy, raise awareness, and spark meaningful conversations. In recognition of Disability Identity Awareness Month, the 80th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we've curated a list of impactful films that celebrate resilience, identity, and community. Each of these movies sheds light on personal strength, inclusion, and the importance of support—values that resonate deeply with UMBC's commitment to accessibility, understanding, and compassion.
Disability Identity & Disability Employment Awareness
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Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020) – A powerful documentary about a groundbreaking summer camp for teens with disabilities that sparked the disability rights movement and led to the creation of the ADA.
Door to Door (2002) – Based on the true story of Bill Porter, a man with cerebral palsy who became a top-performing door-to-door salesman. A touching example of persistence and dignity in employment.
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The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) – A heartwarming adventure about a young man with Down syndrome pursuing his dream of becoming a wrestler, highlighting inclusion and independence.
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The Theory of Everything (2014) – Chronicles the life of physicist Stephen Hawking, showing his journey with ALS and his groundbreaking scientific achievements.
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Ray (2004) – Chronicles the life of musician Ray Charles, focusing on his success despite blindness, illustrating employment, talent, and perseverance.
Contact us: disability@umbc.edu | (410) 455-2459 | sds.umbc.edu
These events are open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's
nondiscrimination policy.
UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all. For additional inquiries about access or accommodation, please email disability@umbc.edu.
Accessibility and Disability Services and Student Disability Services celebrates Women's History Month, calling to mind all women who have contributed to pivotal moments and events in history and contemporary society, especially through the intersectional identity of disability. We celebrate beyond
International Women's Day with the theme of Moving Forward, and even with disabilities have always been an essential part of all history. Here are some women who have made history recently:
Local People Making History in this area:
These two articles showcase some of these women trailblazers, with links for more in-depth information:
Disabled Women from History You Should Know About- Sarah Bernhardt
- Adelaide Knight
- Raganhild Kata
- Rosa May Billinghurst
- Annette Kellerman
- Dorothea Lange
Take a moment, connect with the linked material, and learn more about these trail-blazers.
Disability-related resources at UMBC include:
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Accessibility and Disability Services and Student Disability Services celebrates Women's History Month, calling to mind all women who have contributed to pivotal moments and events in history and...
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Office of Accessibility & Disability Services
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Erricka Bridgeford, a medium complexion black woman with a bemused smile and a frohawk, wearing a Black Lives -build, create, achieve, inspire - Matter hoodie offering a mask with the same message with her partial right arm
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Writing About Disability: Tips from the UMBC Style Guide
Words Matter: Affirming Identity and Co-creating Belonging
Certainly with the wide range of people with disabilities, this entry is a beginning, with several examples. Additional resources beyond the guide include:
A cropped photo of a person's hands writing in a notebook with a pen, near a laptop, books, a pair of glasses and a hot beverage accompanies this post. Credit: Thought Catalog via Unsplash.com.
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For Disability Awareness Month - take a look at UMBC's Style Guide for tips on how to write effectively about people with disabilities with the section on Inclusive and Affirming Language. With...
https://styleguide.umbc.edu/inclusive-language/
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Office of Accessibility & Disability Services
https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/accessibility
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Office of Accessibility & Disability Services
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On Language and Disability: Some Considerations
Person-first, Identity first and more. Ask.
The two primary ways that we identify with disability in language are
person first (person who uses a hearing aid) and
identity first (
Sandra Mae Frank is a Deaf actor). Both options have implications for how we, as a community, think about disability, and it is important, when working with individuals to glean their preference for either centering on identity, or identifying as a person first, which can create distance, especially based on their lived experiences to date. Someone with a person-first perspective may state, "I identify as a person with a disability to separate my Self from the stereotypes and stigma that others associate with disability."
When referencing disability, naming it explicitly is important. Accessibility and Disability Services and Student Disability Services embrace the word "disability" and work with people with any health condition that may qualify as a disability, regardless of how the person self-identifies. In the same vein, avoid coming across as condescending by not using euphemisms such as handi-capable, diverseability or differently-abled. We agree with Lawrence Carter Long's
#Say the Word Campaign. Other terms have been retired or don't apply in higher education where the emphasis is access and
on not being "Special" and acknowledging that
"handicap" is very Last Century.
The following resources (many with direct links to content) were informed by recent communications from our professional association the Association of Higher Education and Disability/AHEAD. If you would like to explore further, check out these links and books:
● Becoming Disabled: Rosemarie Garland-Thomson*, New York Times, 2016
● Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist: Judy Heumann (Beacon, 2020)
● Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cure: Eli Clare (Duke UP, 2017)
● Claiming Disability: Knowledge and Identity, Simi Linton (NYU Press, 1998)
● Disability as Diversity: Lilah Burke, Inside Higher Ed., 2020
● Disability Visibility Project: Alice Wong
● Disabled: Just Say the Word: Barbara J. King, NPR, 2016
● Disabled Person or Person with a Disability: Annie Elainey
● Guidelines: How to Write About People with Disabilities, University of Kansas, Research and Training Center on Independent Living
● Guidelines for Writing About People with Disabilities: ADA National Network
● Identity-First Language: Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN)
● Language and Disability: Explore Access, UA Partners for Inclusive Communities
● The Language of Disability Activity: Disability as Diversity Toolkit, Explore Access, UA Partners for Inclusive Communities
● Language Guide: Disability Cultural Center, Syracuse University
● Leaving Evidence (blog): Mia Mingus
● PC Labels Do a Disservice: Stephen Stern, Inside Higher Ed., 2020
*Rosemary Garland-Thomson came to UMBC as a speaker for the Dresher Center's Humanities Forum on May 8, 2019
A photo of Scrabble letters stating "choose your words" illustrates this post. Credit: Brett Jordon via unsplash.com
As we plan for Spring and select courses, many are interested in more information about disability identity, history and context. To support those who would like to know more, we're highlighting and listing courses that take a more comprehensive look at individual and collective experiences of disability-related topics that are a part of the national conversation.
Highlighted Course:
Writing Disability Identities: ENGL 493 - 01 (5128) Seminar in Communication &Technology
:
"Nothing About Us Without Us": this slogan epitomizes the disability rights movement's demand for disabled people to control social representations of their lives and bodies. In this course, we will connect Writing Studies and Disability Studies to explore the efforts of disabled activists to gain inclusion and challenge harmful stereotypes about disability and neurodiversity. Topics and communities we will study include: physical disabilities and mobility; d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing; blindness/visual disabilities; mental disability and neurodiversity; chronic illness and chronic pain; invisible disabilities; and others. Our primary readings will span many genres, from essays and memoir to documentary film, podcasts, and social media activism. (
Combined with ENGL 671) Link:
https://highpoint-prd.ps.umbc.edu/app/catalog/classsection/UMBC1/2212/5128
Instructor: Dr. Drew Holladay is an Assistant Professor of English at UMBC who teaches classes on writing and digital media. Dr. Holladay connects each course to issues of social justice related to disability/ableism, racism, xenophobia, gender identity, and sexism, among others. His research is primarily in the rhetoric of health and medicine with significant grounding in disability studies and feminist theory. He is currently working on his first book, tentatively titled Neurodivergent Embodiment: Rhetoric, Advocacy, and Lived Experience.
Other courses that include disability themes or sections:
Previous Courses:
Composing Disability: ENGL 220
Disability and Rehabilitation SOCY 455/655
Do you know of a course that should be added to the list? Email us via
slazar@umbc.edu to expand the list and possibly be featured in a future highlight.