Fall 2023 Newsletter
Welcome to the fall 2023 semester! We would like to give a special welcome to our new first-year and transfer students joining us as part of the USF community. In this newsletter, SDS is delighted to share a message from our director, important information about requesting accommodations, excellent USF resources, and opportunities for SDS students.
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A Message from Our Director
Dear Students,
I trust this message finds you well as we begin the fall 2023 semester. As we embark on another semester, I am honored to share a few words with you.
Our mission at Student Disability Services (SDS) is rooted in the belief that every student deserves the opportunity to fully participate in their university experience. SDS recognizes disability as an aspect of diversity and is committed to facilitating equal access and an inclusive, accessible environment for students with disabilities.
Over the past months, we have made substantial strides in enhancing our services and fostering a more accessible campus culture. I am proud to highlight some of our recent achievements:
- Expanded Accommodation Options: We have broadened our range of accommodations to better cater to the unique needs of each student. Specifically, we’ve partnered with USF’s Educational Technology Services. (ETS) to make a new suite of software available to the entire USF community! Read below about how Texthelp can assist you.
- Accessibility Awareness Initiatives: Our team has been actively engaged in raising awareness about disability-related issues. We have hosted workshops, one-on-one trainings, and discussions to promote understanding and empathy among faculty, staff, and students.
- Spring 2023 External Review: Last spring, SDS programs and services were reviewed by outside experts in disability service provision. While the overall assessment was positive, we were given feedback on how to better serve our students and the university community. Keep an eye out for our Fall 2023 Student Survey for more information on this important topic, and how you can participate and help improve our services.
Looking forward, we have an exciting lineup of initiatives planned for the upcoming semester, including:
- Inclusive Curriculum Development: Collaborating with faculty to ensure course materials and teaching methods are accessible to all students using Universal Design for Learning concepts.
- Accessible Campus Enhancements: We are committed to making physical spaces on campus more accessible through upgrades, renovations, and feedback from the community.
- Mental Health and Well-being: Expanding our support services to address the mental health needs of our students with disabilities.
I encourage you all to engage with SDS and share your ideas, questions, and concerns. We are here to serve you, and your feedback is instrumental in our journey toward an even more inclusive and equitable academic environment. The Fall 2023 Student Survey will be pushed out in October – please participate!
In closing, I want to extend my gratitude to our dedicated team at SDS, our faculty who champion inclusivity, and all of you who actively participate in making our community better. Together, we can continue to create a campus where diversity is celebrated, and everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Wishing you all a successful and enriching semester ahead.
In community,
Tom Merrell
Director, Student Disability Services
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Meet Your ASUSF Student Representative: Kendrick Lacerda
Hello everyone! I’m a fourth-year philosophy major, and I’m the 2023-24 SDS student representative for the ASUSF Senate. As a student with a disability, I know how important it is for our voices to be heard so that all of us can flourish at USF. I will do everything in my power to advocate for us. Outside of my position as SDS Rep, I’m on USF’s debate team, and I love going to coffee shops around SF on the weekends. If you have any issues related to accessibility, ideas for improvements, or you’d like to get to know me, please send me an email.
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Request AccommodationsA friendly reminder! Please log into the SDS Online Services portal on our website to request your accommodations. Accommodations must be requested each semester that you need them. Please contact your disability specialist directly if you have any questions or concerns about your accommodations. If you don’t know who your specialist is, please contact the front desk at sds@usfca.edu or by calling (415) 422-2613.
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Emergency Evacuation Assistance
If you need evacuation assistance on campus during an emergency due to your disability, please email your disability specialist to let them know.
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SDS Student Survey
Keep an eye out for our Fall 2023 SDS Student Survey, which will be sent out next month. This will provide a chance for us to hear your very important feedback to help improve our services.
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| Helpful Tools & Announcements
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Announcing New Digital Literacy Tools From TextHelpIn order to enhance universal design strategies, SDS has partnered with ETS to make a new suite of software available to the entire USF community. Texthelp is a collection of several digital literacy support tools that help with everyday tasks like reading text out loud, converting PDFs and images to a readable format, creating voice notes in mp3 files, making math content accessible, and more. For instructions on how to install the tools as individual Google Chrome extensions, please visit the Texthelp web page.
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The ETS student training schedule is now live!Please take advantage of ETS trainings and webinars. They offer courses in everything from data analysis to Texthelp, Equatio, Panopto, and other useful tools for students. Sign up for trainings »
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| Opportunities & Getting Involved
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Workforce Recruitment Program Now Accepting ApplicationsAre you interested in a government internship or a long-term job after you graduate? The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP), coordinated by the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Defense, is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and select private-sector employers with highly motivated college students, graduate students, and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to demonstrate their abilities in the workplace through internships or permanent jobs.
How to Apply:
Visit WRP.gov to learn more about the eligibility criteria to apply. Please use a computer or tablet (not a mobile device) to register. Applications close Thursday, Oct. 12.
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Delta Alpha PiInterested in joining an academic honor society that recognizes students with disabilities? Then we would like to welcome you to the DAPi community for the Delta Alpha chapter at the University of San Francisco! Delta Alpha Pi is an academic honor society founded to recognize high-achieving students with disabilities who are attending colleges (including community colleges) and universities as undergraduate or graduate students. This dynamic organization celebrates and supports academic achievement, leadership, and advocacy for post-secondary students with disabilities.
Students who are eligible to be initiated into the Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society (DAPi) meet the following criteria:
Undergraduates:
- Present with a documented disability and work with an adviser, or who self-identifies as an individual with a disability
- Complete a minimum of 24 credits
- Maintain an overall grade point average of 3.10
- Demonstrate an interest in disability issues.
Graduates:
- Present with a documented disability and work with an advisor, or who self-identifies as an individual with a disability
- Complete a minimum of 18 credits
- Maintain an overall grade point average of 3.30
- Demonstrate an interest in disability issues
If you are interested in joining, please contact Disability Specialist Susana Pineda.
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Working Group on Universal AccessAre you interested in working to promote universal access at USF? The Working Group on Universal Access (WGUA) meets monthly to discuss accessibility at USF and how we can improve our campus culture of accessibility. The WGUA is looking for an undergraduate and graduate student to serve on the working group for one year. Please email Disability Specialist Rocelyn Dacre if you are interested in joining this important group!
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Disabled Student UnionHave you been looking to connect with the disabled community at USF? The Disabled Student Union is a group passionate about creating a social space focused on visibility, pride, and enacting change on campus. They are currently working to be recognized by the school as an official club (they are not affiliated with SDS).
If you have any questions or comments, please direct them to usfca.dsu@gmail.com or @usfca_dsu on Instagram.
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Neurodiversity Social ClubBased on the positive response last semester to offering a drop-in space for neurodivergent students and their allies to gather, the Neurodiversity Social Club will be open again this fall on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. in UC 305.
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Follow Us on Social Media
Want to stay connected? Give us a follow on our social media accounts where we share on-campus events, internship opportunities, and more! You can find us on Instagram and Twitter.
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