Reflections and Hope on the 33rd Anniversary of the ADA

Fri, 28 Jul 2023 12:27:36 -0400
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Thank you for everyone who celebrated the 33rd Anniversary of the ADA, whether it was on campus with our Accessibility Tour, attending the ADS/SDS Open House, or engaging with opportunities to create awareness, inclusion and pride-of-identity for people with disabilities.

At the executive level President Biden issued an ADA Anniversary proclamation, and Maryland Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, on behalf of Governor Wes Moore, issued a proclamation earlier in the week proclaiming July 26th to be a day of observance for the ADA with a commitment to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Some good news from the Association of Higher Education and Disability/AHEAD (one of the professional associations that UMBC's ADS/SDS Staff belongs to)

"AHEAD is happy to share that on the 33rd Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) have reintroduced the Pell Grant for Students with Disabilities Act! (HR 5739 for those wanting to reach out to their Federal Representatives)

This reintroduction is due to AHEADs continued efforts to work with Congress to address an issue that has been raised time and time again by our members as a stumbling block for students with disabilities to successfully complete college. Students are in the position of having to decide whether to follow their recommended course load or ignore the recommendation and go with a full-course load in order to qualify for the full Pell Grant amount for which they are eligible.

The Pell Grant for Students with Disabilities Act, like its predecessor in the last Congress, would allow students with disabilities to take the recommended course load without losing Pell Grant funding by having the U.S. Department of Education consider the recommended course load as equivalent to a full course load (which is 12 credits)." -AHEAD listserv post 7-27-23

Don't be shy about reaching out to your elected officials. Closer to home, resources for campus members and visitors with disabilities include: Student Disability Services, Accessibility and Disability Services (Employees and Visitors), and UMBC's online form for reporting accessibility concerns. As Disability Pride Month comes to a close, please know we honor and celebrate people with disabilities every day, and have more events planned, especially for October, Disability Employment Awareness Month.