Monthly Newsletter from Disability Services (DS)

APRIL 2026

If you would like a Peer Coach to reach out to you or you have any questions - please fill out the Peer coach form and one will get in touch with you within a couple of days. 

We've heard this is sometimes tricky for students. There are sections you can SKIP.

Then you will see all available appointments and can book either virtual or in person as best suits your needs.

New England Deaf Softball Organization (NEDSO), a regional Deaf-led sports league dedicated to creating competitive and community-focused opportunities for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing athletes across New England. Their mission is to strengthen the Deaf sports community by providing a structured environment where Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, CODA, and SODA athletes can compete, build friendships, and represent their local regions with pride.

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students are invited to play slow-pitch softball. Many students enjoy sports but may not always have access to Deaf-inclusive athletic spaces where communication and community are central. NEDSO was created to help fill that gap.

Our season is designed to be accessible for students and working professionals:

• Games typically take place once per month

• Teams are organized by region to reduce travel

• Players of all skill levels are welcome; many participants are trying softball for the first time

Students can learn more about the league and register at New England Deaf Softball Organization.

Inside our Minds is award-winning BBC docuseries focusing on neurodiversity. Presenter Chris Packham, who was diagnosed as autistic in his 40s, meets neurodivergent people, who are all at a key point in their lives, and learns about the ways they sense and interact with the world.

World Autism Awareness Day takes place on April 2 every year and is one of only four official health days set up by the United Nations. Although every year carries its own individual message (2026 is Autism and Humanity – Every Life Has Value), at its heart, World Autism Awareness Day is a community-wide event, which rather than raising awareness of what autism actually is, aims to highlight the achievements and possibilities which autistic people are capable of.

Do you #lightitupblue? or #wearredinstead ?? See what Autistic and unapologetic has to say about the great debate of Blue or Red.

One of the many made-for-TV moments came just hours before the closing ceremony on Sunday, when the U.S. sled hockey team defeated rival Canada to claim its record fifth gold medal in a row.

American skiers Kendall Gretsch and Andrew Kurka, who are both leaving Italy with new medals, carried the flag for Team USA.

npr.com

Art history departments often fail to embed disability studies into their curricula when engaging with art, politics, and identity.

Decades-old programs at major institutions in New York, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), offer robust opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Other departments in art museums are starting to catch up to the work that access teams have been doing for decades, and these programs deserve to be appreciated and centered as part of museum worker education. 

hyperallergic.com

One teacher deciding whether to self-identify with his ADHD and medication management to his colleagues allowed the show to focus on a rarely discussed topic that Tennie was more than glad to represent. 

"That’s one thing that’s amazing about Harrison. He doesn’t have Parkinson’s, but he’s a brilliant actor. I don’t have to convince him I have Parkinson’s, but he had to convince me he had Parkinson’s. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much of his own understanding of the disease he brought to it. I mean, I recognized Parkinson’s in his eyes. The things I was feeling, I recognized in the way he was expressing himself. … I was just brought to tears by it."

tvinsider.com

Disney+ will premiere Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language on April 27, offering newly animated American Sign Language (ASL) versions of three musical numbers from recent Walt Disney Animation Studios films. The project is directed by longtime Disney animator and director Hyrum Osmond, who collaborated with Los Angeles-based Deaf West Theatre to bring the songs to life in ASL. Rather than relying on direct word-for-word translation, the team focused on conceptual storytelling through movement and expression.

cartoonbrew.com

We love staying connected with you!

Submissions/ideas/feedback are always welcome:

disability@uml.edu