Monthly Newsletter from Disability Services

AUGUST 2023

We hope you are rested and recharged for a strong September start. As the team has been meeting new students over the summer, we're excited for incoming students to receive our monthly newsletter. Please do reach out to disability@uml.edu with any concerns or feedback!

The DS Team (Jodi, Brandon, Lauren, Evelyn, and Aida) 

The Disability Dish is now on your favorite podcast platforms! Find us at: Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts 

Episode 12

Would you like to be a guest on our podcast or have an idea for a topic? Faculty, staff, and students welcome! Email jodi_rachins@uml.edu

UML's new Public Speaking working group includes several campus department and we plan to offer resources and skill-building opportunities for students wishing to develop their presenting - particularly those with a fear of public speaking.

Please take 2 minutes to help us understand your needs better. (This is anonymous unless you choose to provide your name).

Get reminders of events, holidays, academic dates and deadlines; keep up with the office happenings; and giveaways!

Tutoring

Stay tuned for more information on Fall 2023 Tutoring!   

The Writing Center

You can sign up for a 30-min virtual meeting through the Writing Center Website.

Advising

To find your faculty or professional advisor, login to your Now Dashboard and select “My Academics.” There you will find your advisor’s contact information or, where available, to schedule an appointment with your faculty or professional advisor. If you need assistance please reach out to advisement@uml.edu.

Want to talk with someone right away? Did you know that Peer Advisors can talk with you about your schedule, SiS, class search, campus resources, deadlines, etc.? Check out the Peer Advising webpage for more information!  

SourceAbled  

SourceAbled is Rangam’s autism, neurodiversity, and disability hiring solution providing a collaborative, holistic framework designed to develop people, create inclusionary processes, and foster a culture of belonging. Start searching for jobs now ! 

Senate Paid Fellowship Program

The Massachusetts state Senate is accepting applications for a fellows to receive direct experiences in the operations of a legislative office, the legislative process, and a wide array of government functions; develop workplace skills and receive exposure to a variety of career options; and build a network of contacts. 

Eligibility:

Applicants must be able to commit up to 150 hours to a Senate office (18.75 hours per week for 8 weeks)

Position Type/Hours of Work: This is a part-time position for September-November 2023. Hourly compensation is $20 per hour. Fellowships will not exceed 150 hours. Exact schedules will be agreed upon with the Senator and/or office manager.

How to Apply: Complete the Fellowship application form and email Kimberley Hutter at kimberley.hutter@masenate.gov once it has been submitted. This will help our team identify candidates in Senator Brownsberger’s district, the Suffolk and Middlesex.

Follow Opening Week on Socials

Open Boathouse Kayak Center free to UML students with ID!

9/5 (Tue) 3-8pm Off Campus Bellegarde Boathouse Kayak Center

The UMass Lowell Kayak Center is open and free for up to 1-hour rentals from 3-8 pm on Tuesday, Sept 5 to all UML students, faculty and staff on Convocation Day. Free UML shuttle from East and South campus continuously running - hop on and come on out with old friends, new friends or just come by yourself and meet people! No skills or prior experience needed, we'll give you a quick how-to before you get on the water. 

Wellness Wednesdays

9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27 (Wed) 4-6pm Serenity Center

Join the Office of Student Life & Well-being for Wellness Wednesdays in the Serenity Center! Every Wednesday from 4-6pm 

Mind/Body Fair

9/18 (Mon) 4-6pm UCC 3rd Floor

Join the Office of Student Life & Well-being for the 2nd Annual Mind/Body Fair. Take care of your mind with meditations, essential oils, and activities with CAPEs, Well-being Leaders, and other campus partners, and your body with reiki and nutrition consults!

Fall 2023 events - Check out the events webpage. 

Check out the Well-being Blog 

The Student Life & Well-being blog shows how students are incorporating the eight dimensions of wellness into their daily life on campus. 

Did you know you could be seen the same day or the next from your first contact? 

To schedule an initial, first appointment: 

Call the Wellness Center at 978-934-6800 during normal business hours (Monday – Thursday: 8:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., Friday: 9:15 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.) for an in-person 30-minute appointment. It is advised that you call at 8:30 a.m. to obtain a same-day appointment, as initial appointments times are filled quickly. 

Did you know you can talk to someone 24/7? 

To get help when experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the UMass Lowell on-call clinician at 855-890-2879 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

Did you know there are quite a few self-driven resources for students? 

Just a few:    

Check out all the resources and more on the Counseling Services Website 

An accessible pedestrian signal, or APS, is a push-button device attached to a crosswalk that conveys visual crossing information in an audible and vibro-tactile format. This is particularly helpful for blind people and those who really need to time a crosswalk but also for those who have their noses buried in their phones, get distracted on a call, or pushing a carriage. 

forbes.com

United Airlines will put Braille throughout its plane interiors in order to support customers who are blind or have visual disabilities, becoming the first US airline to do so.

“By adding more tactile signage throughout our interiors, we’re making the flying experience more inclusive and accessible, and that’s good for everyone,” Linda Jojo, Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Officer for United, said in a statement.

“Finding your seat on a plane or getting to the restroom is something most of us take for granted, but for millions of our customers, it can be a challenge to do independently.”

cnn.com

The :30-second spot, entitled "Silence is Powerful," features professional driver Kris Martin, an experienced NASCAR and Le Mans driver and a six-time National Kart Champion, who is hard of hearing. As an advocate, motivational speaker, and inspiration for the deaf community, Martin is the perfect example of someone who has defied the odds. The spot opens with Martin behind the wheel of the all-electric Kia EV6 GT as it races along a professional track, taking corners, accelerating through straightaways, and even drifting. In between these sequences, we see Martin alone, looking to camera and using sign language to say, "I don't need noise to tell me something is fast," and "I can feel 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds." The spot closes with Martin signing "I've been deaf since I was born. It taught me one thing…," leading to the spot's tagline "Silence is Powerful."

prnewswire.com

The 45-year-old mechanic, Sharine Milne, known as Spanner, said she could tell a lot about somebody's injury or disability when they wheeled a motorcycle into her Townsville workshop. 

That is when she gets her hands "dirty and greasy" finding a unique way to modify her customer's ride to their physical needs. "When you've only got one leg to start off with, that means you're completely out of action," Ms Milne said.

"We're putting an electronic shift on his bike, so that he can actually shift with his hand rather than using his foot and his ankle."

abc.net.au

“There’s a history of non-disabled actors playing disabled characters,” said disabled actor Anthony Michael Lopez, who starred as Sir Dinidan in Lincoln Center Theater’s “Camelot.” “We call that ‘cripping up’ and some people call it ‘cripface,’ where people are imitating their idea of what their character’s disability would look or sound like or what the experience would be like.”

As authentic casting for every marginalized community gains support across the industry — not only as a principle, but in practice — “any character coming out of the script as a disabled character definitely should be played by a disabled person,” said Maria Porto, disability consultant and founder of Access Broadway. Certainly, theater (on Broadway and beyond) could use more stories with disabled characters. But there is also a question of casting and collaborating with disabled actors as characters whose ability is not prescripted.

broadwaynews.com

The New Zealand based romance series follows people with Down syndrome on their search for love, and was released on the streaming giant on August 11.

However, the production has split opinion and many are not fans of title's play on words.

The aim of the series was to 'showcase the joys and challenges of finding love while breaking down stereotypes and promoting inclusivity.'

dailymail.co.uk

A DJ for more than 25 years, Frank Jaconetti, 46, was brought to tears when he saw two of his students perform “like rockstars” in front of a crowd at a recent recital he held for his first class of student disc jockeys.

“I had two kids who are nonverbal, and they were jumping around and mixing it up on stage. They were in the spotlight, and people were cheering for them. To see their parents’ faces looking at them like they were rockstars meant everything to me”

(we don't condone the usage of the term special needs in this article) 

disabilityscoop.com

We love staying connected with you!

Submissions/ideas/feedback are always welcome:

disability@uml.edu