The National Federation of the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland each administer a separate scholarship program for post-secondary students.  Both scholarships have been significantly enhanced this year.  The deadline to apply for an NFB scholarship is March 31, 2022, and the deadline to apply for an NFBMD Scholarship is April 15, 2022.

National Scholarship Program: Each year, the NFB awards 30 merit-based scholarships totaling $240,000. 

• Each scholarship recipient will receive $8,000 and additional prizes.
• Scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, leadership, and community service.
• The 30 scholarship finalists are announced in the spring and attend the National Convention, where they are mentored by blind role models.
• Application materials must be submitted (online or postmarked) by 11:59PM on March 31, 2022.
• To be eligible, applicants must:
• Be legally blind in both eyes;
• Reside in the United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico;
• Be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time, post-secondary course of study in a degree program at a U.S. institution in the Fall of 2022 (one scholarship may be awarded to an individual who works full-time and attends school part-time);
• Be age 18 before July 5, 2022; and
• Attend the entire National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind (and all scholarship activities) in New Orleans, Louisiana from July 5 through 10, 2022 (scholarship finalists will receive convention financial assistance).
• To apply:
• Submit an application using the online application system at https://nfb.org/civicrm/scholarships/login; or
• Download, complete, and email or mail in a hard copy application form by visiting: https://nfb.org/scholarships.

State Scholarship Program: The NFB of Maryland will award up to four scholarships of $4,000 each as part of the John T. McCraw Scholarship Program. NFBMD may award a scholarship to a former McCraw scholarship recipient. 

• Scholarships are merit-based and awarded based on academic achievement, community involvement, and leadership.
• Application materials must be submitted (online or postmarked) by 11:59PM on April 15, 2022.
• To be eligible, applicants must:
• Be legally blind in both eyes;
• reside in Maryland or be pursuing post-secondary studies at a school in Maryland;
• be age 18 prior to July 5, 2022;
• Be pursuing or planning to pursue a full-time or part-time, post-secondary course of study in a degree program in the Fall of 2022 and Spring of 2023 (priority will be given to full-time students); and
• Attend the entire National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind in New Orleans, Louisiana from July 5 through 10, 2022 and the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland in Towson, Maryland from November 11 – 13, 2022 (scholarship finalists will receive convention financial assistance).
• To apply:
• Submit an application using the online application system at http://nfbmd.org/scholarship/apply; or
• Download, complete, and email or mail in a hard copy application form by visiting: http://nfbmd.org/scholarship.

• Via the Ground floor connection tunnel between Math-Psych and Sondheim - Sondheim has two new elevators and the assisted door that leads to the Quad and ILSB has been repaired.
• Via the fourth floor skywalk entrances on both sides of the building from the fourth floor of either Biology (2-3 elevators) or Sondheim (2 elevators)

Welcome back, SDS Students!

Are you ready to begin the Spring 2022 Semester? We are delighted to be back on campus with you and hope you had a restful and healthy break! The Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) would like to share some reminders and offer some tips on places to get information and keep connected.

1. Please follow our MyUMBC group where we list events, reminders, changes or updates related to our office.
   Click on the link at https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/sss. 
   Click the "follow" button, and under the "Notifications" button, please be sure to click "All Updates" to receive all of our posts.
2. Submit your Semester Request for your accommodation letters to be sent to your faculty members. How? https://sds.umbc.edu/accommodate-semester-request/
   
   To use your approved accommodations, you need to have submitted a Semester Request for Spring 2022 in the Accommodate online student portal link found on our SDS website. Please review your selected accommodations and courses before clicking on Submit. 
   
   **NOTE: Your faculty will not get your letters (nor will you be able to schedule in-person tests in Accommodate) without a Semester Request.** 
   
   If you have added/changed a course since you first submitted your Semester Request, please submit a new Semester Request.
   
   
3. Accommodated testing:
    
   SDS testing is from 9 AM - 4 PM Monday through Friday. Due to COVID-19, we will continue to have limited seating available due to capacity/spacing restrictions required for health and safety.  Extended testing hours will be offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays until 6:30pm starting in a few weeks. Please remember, face masks (KN95 or equivalent) must be worn during testing, and you must be compliant with all COVID-19 protocols.
   
   a. If you are taking online or hybrid courses, you will likely be taking tests online. You will NOT schedule these tests in SDS. Instructors can provide extended time (for those with timed tests) in the platform they are using. Make sure to remind your instructor(s) that you have testing accommodations prior to each online test.
   
   b. For in-person tests for courses on the Main Campus, you will need to schedule your tests with SDS at least 2 business days in advance of the test using the Accommodate portal. You will not be able to schedule in-person tests unless you have submitted a Semester Request and you are approved for testing accommodations.  We encourage you to schedule all of your in-person tests/quizzes in Accommodate at the beginning of the semester.
   
   c. For in-person tests for courses on the Shady Grove Campus (USG), you will need to follow the procedures established by the Macklin Center for Academic Success (MCAS) DSS office  https://shadygrove.umd.edu/student-services/center-for-academic-success/dss. (*For Spring 2022, they are delaying in-person opening for 2 weeks).
   
   
4. Notetaking: 
   
   If you are approved for notetaking assistance as an accommodation, we encourage you to try assistive technology for notetaking. We have licenses available for web-based notetaking software called Glean. Glean now includes transcription of the audio that you have recorded using Glean.  If you are experiencing a disability-related barrier that prevents you from taking your own notes, please send an email to SDSnotetaking@umbc.edu to receive access or to discuss solutions. 
   
   Note Taking Options: https://sds.umbc.edu/note-taking-assistance/ and https://sds.umbc.edu/assistive-technology/notetaking-support/
   
   
5. SDS staff availability & office hours:
   
   We are available Monday through Friday during regular office hours: staff have both in-person and telework/remote days. Appointments Front Desk for quick questions during the hours listed on our website at https://sds.umbc.edu/, OR call our front desk at 410-455-2459, OR email us at disAbility@umbc.edu. 
   
   You can also schedule appointments for most staff online using Accommodate!
   
   Please contact us as soon as possible if you experience disability-related challenges in your courses. We are here to assist you in navigating what may be unfamiliar procedures in order to ensure that your accommodations are implemented when needed. Staff are available to review your accommodations and assist in finding solutions if new challenges arise.

Helpful Links:

Academic Success Center (Main Campus) - tutoring, academic support: https://academicsuccess.umbc.edu/asc-business-continuity/

Retriever Integrated Health (RIH) for Counseling & Health Services: https://studentaffairs.umbc.edu/departments/retriever-integrated-health-rih/

Visit https://covid19.umbc.edu/ for the most up to date information from UMBC regarding health and safety operations on campus.

To report a campus accessibility concern, go to https://accessibility.umbc.edu/report-campus-accessibility-concern/

*SPRING 2022 has new safety protocols at UMBC: requirements include PCR testing to return, vaccine booster shot if eligible, and wearing KN95 masks (UMBC provided). 

We strongly suggest all students check their UMBC email and UMBC social media accounts regularly to not miss anything we want to share with you. Our team looks forward to working with you, and we wish everyone a wonderful semester. 

Stay healthy, Retrievers!

Student Disability Services staff

Email: disAbility@umbc.edu

Website: https://sds.umbc.edu/

Phone: 410-455-2459

Happy New Year!

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.  Any concerns regarding SDS testing 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/

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

We will update our operations and availability for next week as more information becomes available.

Stay safe and stay healthy!

SDS Staff