Monthly Newsletter from Disability Services (DS) |
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Welcome back! Now that it's 2026, we're more than a quarter of the way through the 21st century. It's a great time to reflect and make sure you're living your life the way you want to.
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1/26 (Monday)
- Last day for undergraduate students to add a course without a permission number.
- 2/2 (Monday)
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Last day to: Add a course with a permission number, Drop a course without record,
- Note: No refund after this date
- 2/16 (Monday)
- Presidents Day (university closed)
- 2/17 (Tuesday)
- 2/23 (Monday)
- Summer 2026 schedule of classes will be viewable in SIS at 4 p.m.
- Last day for grade of "W" for 8 week / MBA session 1
- 2/24 (Tuesday)
- Mid-semester: at least one evaluation required in each course.
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Updates from the DS Office |
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We're Hiring for a Peer Coach! |
Disability Services is seeking a dedicated undergraduate student to join our team as a Peer Coach. In this role, you will participate in a peer coaching program aimed at supporting students with disabilities - mainly students who are new to UML and students who are not in good academic standing. The role will include follow up meetings with students and assisting with time management, organization, general studying strategies, problem-solving, note-taking, reading for comprehension, utilizing online portals (i.e. NOW Dashboard, Blackboard, Outlook, etc.), and syllabi analysis.
Job Requirements:
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- UML junior or senior currently enrolled in a degree-seeking, undergraduate program and in good academic standing
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Ideal candidates should have a 3.0 or higher GPA, but we're also interested in considering an applicant who has had a bumpy start and has since turned it around
- Ability to maintain excellent confidentiality and boundaries
- Familiarity with disabilities, particularly in higher education (preference given to students already registered with DS) and an interest in helping peers succeed
- Strong written and oral communication skills, strong organization, attention to detail, and strong abilities with Microsoft suite
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Apply Today! Log into JobHawk and search for Disability Services Peer Coach (L2)
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Spring 2026 Accommodation Letters |
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Requesting Spring 2026 accommodation letters is now open!
- Remember
- Your instructors don’t know you have accommodations until you request these letters and accommodations are NOT afforded retroactively
- If you made any schedule changes/additions after you've requested letters, you will need to request again for those changes
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Changes to the Request Process
- When your letters are sent to your instructors, as confirmation, you will now receive only one email of your accommodation letter, but it will not have their names or the course information listed on top (Hooray! No more email bombardment from DS!)
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When you log into your Accommodate profile, you can now click Accommodation then Accommodation Letters and you will be able to see which of your instructors have received your letters (note: DS does not require instructors to sign in order for your accommodations to be in place)
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As always, sign up to meet on Accommodate if you have any needs
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Spring 2026 Semester Refresher |
Disability Services is offering one Semester Refresher virtual drop-in session to get most DS FAQ answered! You will get a chance to meet one of our Peer Coaches and ask questions about their DS experience.
The following topics will be covered:
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- Processing semester requests at the start of the semester
- Accommodation letters to and communication with Instructors
- Staying connected with Disability Services
- Testing Center scheduling
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Quick Guide to Booking an Accommodate Meeting |
We've heard this is sometimes tricky for students. There are sections you can SKIP.
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Please log onto Accommodate and select "Student"
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On the left side menu, select "Appointment"
- Then "Request New Appointment"
- Choose Type (Disability-Related Guidance, Revisit Accommodations, Peer Coaching, etc.)
- ** Not Required - Choose Staff Member
- Select Check Availability
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Then you will see all available appointments and can book either virtual or in person as best suits your needs.
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Peer Coach Meeting
Consider meeting with a Disability Services Peer Coach. This meeting can be in-person or virtual as you see fit, it can be up to weekly over the course of the semester. A Peer Coach has been through it, including bumpy semesters and can offer guidance and tips. You can work together to determine a plan for the semester that encourages success by talking about what has and hasn't been working, building academics, organizational, and time management support, and offering recommendations for other connections at UML. 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 via email soon!
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Share this with your support people! |
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Behind the Scenes Support: How Families Can Help Students Registered with Disability Services
*Specifically, for families with students already registered with Disability Services*
Over the break, many families take time to reflect on the highs and lows of the semester. It’s common to feel unsure about how to balance supporting an adult student while still encouraging their independence. Join staff from Disability Services for a conversation about how to help when a student shares too little/much, ways to maximize campus resources, common challenges that arise throughout the semester, and how to serve as their guardrails rather than the driver. Hosted on Zoom - Choose one below:
Feb. 4, 2026 7 p.m. -
March 9, 2026 7 p.m. -
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Academic Services and Resources |
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Tutoring and The Writing Center |
- On the Drop-in Tutoring calendar, you can look for "Just your classes? If you are currently enrolled, please sign in to tailor the schedule to your course load."
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Students can use The Writing Center to "work with students on a wide variety of writing projects: lab reports, college application essays, academic essay assignments, dissertations, etc." and are available at "any stage of your writing process." And you can visit The Writing Center up to twice per week!
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Welcome to Rowdy's Esports Arena, the latest major edition to University Crossing! Sporting high-tech architecture and 50 brand-new, custom-built personal computers (PCs), our arena is home to PC gaming on campus! Whether you're a seasoned gamer or simply looking to hang out and game in a low-stakes environment, Rowdy's Esports Arena welcomes you with open arms. Located underneath the River Hawk Shop, we encourage you to come check us out in person or visit us on our Rowdy's Esports Discord!
For more information visit Rowdy's Esports Arena
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Welcome to the Gaming Zone! Located at the Club Hub, the Gaming Zone has a variety of gaming activities for students to rent out free of charge at the Welcome Desk. Games include Large Scale Games, Tabletop Games, and Video Game Stations.
All games and consoles are subject to change and availability.
For more information visit Gaming Zone
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Applications Open Feb. 1, 2026.
The Neurodiversity Alliance offers over 100 paid national leadership opportunities for neurodivergent students and recent graduates ages 16 to 26. Leaders get the opportunity to work alongside national staff mentors and peers from across the country to advance our mission in meaningful ways, while developing core leadership and professional skills for life. More information at ND Paid Internships
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Michaela Benthaus, a 33-year-old German aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency, just became the first wheelchair user ever to travel past the Kármán Line.
Benthaus, a lifelong adventurer, damaged her spinal cord in a 2018 mountain biking incident. She told CNN her enthusiasm for space exploration grew from there, as she focused her passions on engineering and research challenges she could tackle while relying on a wheelchair for mobility.
cnn.com
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Declan Cassidy, 16, is inviting you along to experience part of his school day at Perkins School for the Blind.
According to Perkins, the tactile code is not a language. It was named after its inventor, Louis Braille, who developed the code when he was just 15.
wcvb.com
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The newest addition to the Fashionistas collection, a line of Barbies that aims to bring more of the real world’s diversity to children’s play, was designed in conjunction with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Everything from her outfit to her accessories to her joints was made with input from real autistic people.
The most popular argument against autistic Barbie is that branding one specific doll with one specific set of traits and accessibility aids as the autistic one will have too much influence on how people perceive autism.
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Caring about good autistic representation isn’t just about looking for a mirror in popular culture, it’s about looking for windows into other autistic experiences that can speak to any of us—and possibly expand the general public’s knowledge or acceptance along the way. This doll has the potential to do that.
time.com
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Disability Represents in the Arts |
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If you've ever spotted a giant dog sculpture outside a town hall, library, local business or even along the highway, you've likely seen the work of Dale Rogers. His instantly recognizable "Big Dogs" have become familiar landmarks across New England and far beyond.
Asked how he defines art, Rogers put it simply: "It's the process of solving problems."
That mindset, he said, helped shape a career that didn't always feel possible — especially growing up with a learning disability.
"To this day, I read and write at about a fourth-grade level," Rogers said.
He described feeling like an outlier as a kid, but now sees those experiences differently. Looking back, he said that path ultimately led him to where he is today.
wmur.com
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Members of the series’ writing, art and animation departments discuss expanding the ‘Dominion’ universe, bringing that T. rex and raptor clash to life, and how the show’s disability representation affects the legacy of Colin Trevorrow’s trilogy.
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Recast Brooklynn’s voice actor, paving the way for the hiring of Kiersten Kelly, a newcomer with congenital trans-radial absence. “If at all possible, we wanted to hire someone with a limb difference, but not at the expense of performance,” says Kreamer. “So we had castings with many people, some with limb differences, some without. There was a groundedness and an authenticity in Kiersten’s performance.”
[This story contains spoilers from Jurassic World: Chaos Theory series finale.]
hollywoodreporter.com
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Filmmaker Cameron S. Mitchell describes them as the first group of victims to be killed in the Holocaust — but the last to be remembered.
In his new film “Disposable Humanity,” which is being shown at the Miami Jewish Film Festival this Thursday, Mitchell investigates the history of Nazi Germany’s Aktion T4 program, revealing how Nazis built the first gas chambers to systematically murder institutionalized patients with disabilities and trained medical staff to become executioners. The program resulted in the deaths of nearly 300,000 disabled individuals, according to historian estimates.
miamihearald.com
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We love staying connected with you!
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