JAN 2024

Welcome back everyone. Let's have a great Spring 2024 semester!

Please take a few minutes to complete our 2024 DS Student Survey!

It can be totally anonymous but if you choose to share your name at the end, you'll be eligible for a $30 Amazon gift card!

Are you a newly registered student with Disability Services navigating the accommodations process for the first time?  Or are you a returning student who could use a refresher on how the accommodations process works?

Disability Services is offering Semester Refresher virtual drop-in sessions to get most FAQs answered!  You need to attend only one session to get this information! 

LAST SESSION! Join the Semester Refresher Zoom session link for Friday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m.

DAC provides a collective space where students, faculty and staff push the needle on UMass Lowell disability matters by removing barriers, providing equal access, promoting culture/diversity/awareness and reducing stigma. Our group focuses on access/procedures/policies while serving as allies to help peers/colleagues to be more aware, open-minded, and flexible with inclusion at our school. DAC supports in collaborative efforts to provide education, destigmatize/demystify and celebrate disability as an aspect of diversity. If you are interested in joining, please contact Disability Services by email at jodi_rachins@uml.edu.

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

Episode 14 - Jodi and Lauren talk about disability identity, community, and diagnosis at different life stages with Sue Kim, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies; Ann Ciaraldi, Associate Dean of Student Affairs; Kelley Lawson, Assistant Director of Student Success & Communications, Honors College; and Courtney Morin, Biomedical Engineering senior.

Want to be a podcast guest or have a topic idea? Email jodi_rachins@uml.edu

Spring 2024 Tutoring, Writing Center and Advising (To find your faculty or professional advisor, login to your Now Dashboard and select “My Academics.” to find your advisor’s contact information or to schedule an appointment. If you need assistance please reach out to advisement@uml.edu.

Are you ready for a big giveaway? Well UML Registrar Office is hosting a giveaway and we want you to win! Wondering what you could be winning? That's right, a $50 gift card to Eggroll Café!

How to enter:

The flyers (shown on the right) are all around campus and all you have to do is take a picture of them and post them to your story. The person to find the most flyers and post while @umlregistrar on their story, will win! 

Make sure you are following the UML Registrar Office!

Deadline: 5 p.m. on Jan. 29, 2024

Good luck and keep an eye out for those flyers!

The National Disability Rights Network is interviewing voters with disabilities for a short film about the issues that matter to our community and showcase the power of our vote! Interviews would be 2-3 hours and in-person. Contact storytelling@ndrn.org

Data Science internship: You can learn how we harness the power of data and analytical techniques for a wide range of real-world business problems, including but not limited to predicting risk and set fair and competitive prices for our insurance products, improving the efficiency of insurance claims and services, detecting claim frauds, helping decide where to spend marketing dollars and more!

This internship position will also allow you to explore a possible full-time position at Liberty Mutual, a global Fortune 100 company.

What we’re looking for
• You’re an undergrad or grad student working toward a degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Actuarial Science, Computer Science, Economics, Finance, Business or a related field
• You have strong analytical skills
• Familiarity with coding is a plus; ideally in Python, or other programs such as SAS, R,
Matlab, etc.
• Familiarity with predictive modeling such as generalized linear models is a plus
• You can commit to a full-time 11-to-12-week program
• You must have permanent work authorization in the United States

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion extends beyond current employees. That’s why we are proud to offer internship opportunities for students with disabilities to deliver on our identity and values.

If you have questions about interview accommodations, or are interested in this opportunity, please contact Brendan Stamm Senior Campus Recruiter, or call 857-224-0166. More information 

Spring 2024 Groups at the Counseling Center

Students interested in group counseling should contact the Wellness Center at 978-934-6800 to complete a triage appointment to get started.

General Therapy Group

Want to improve your relationships? Do you feel alone with your problems, or feel like you don’t fit in? Struggling with anxiety, depression or self-esteem? 

Mondays 2:30-4 p.m. Wednesdays 1:30-3 p.m.
Thursdays 1:30-3 p.m.

Women’s Therapy Group

Interested in exploring your identity? Want to work on improving self-esteem, assertiveness or boundary setting? Struggling with feelings of loneliness, anxiety or depression? For female identified students 

Tuesdays 2:30-4 p.m.

LGBTQ+ Therapy Group

Looking for a supportive and affirming space to share
about your experiences as an LGBTQ+ person? This
group provides an affirming space to address identity
concerns, coming out or transitioning, oppression and
discrimination and concerns such as stress, anxiety,
depression and relationship issues. 

Fridays 2:30-4 p.m.

From Mayor to Labor Secretary to Hockey Players Association Executive Director

Marty Walsh will discuss his new position as Executive Director of the National Hockey League Players Association as part of the FAHSS Dean's Speaker Series

Tuesday, Jan. 30 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Alumni Hall

Contact: Jeffrey_Gerson@uml.edu

Mill City Grows Winter Market

Wednesday, Jan. 24 1-4 p.m.

University Crossing Lobby

The Rist Institute offers a winter farmers market for the campus with our partner Mill City Grows for fresh produce and other Lowell-based vendors to engage our students to shop locally!

Check out Craic's new UML special edition hot sauce!

Alexa continues to open possibilities and new ways to experience the world. Alexa's accessibility features are helping people be more connected, more entertained, and more independent.

amazon.com 

Jack Lawson received the Best Single Image award for his shot of members of the Nigerian National Amputee Football Team, otherwise known as Special Eagles, training on a beach in Lagos.

bbc.com

Our “You are You” collection contains medical device toys designed to facilitate conversations about self-love and the beauty of everyone’s differences, while also educating through play. The miniature doll and stuffed animal-sized medical devices are uniquely created by us, to help bring representation of various disabilities and medical needs to the toy world.

thebutterflypig.com

"My hope for Carl and his diverse group of Fuzzytown friends is that they will inspire neurodiverse and neurotypical kids alike to foster a world in which neurodiversity is not only recognized as a benefit to society, but is celebrated as exemplifying the full spectrum of what it means to be human," said Creator and Executive Producer, Zachariah OHora. CARL THE COLLECTOR is slated to premiere in Fall 2024 on PBS KIDS. 

pbs.org

Aria Mia Loberti, who is legally blind and Miss Ingrid, her guide dog made Globes history. “This is the first time there’s been an actual guide dog for the blind on the carpet,” she said.

ew.com

For all the challenges of communicating accessibility information to players, how designers improve it won't take much. Accessibility concerns are gaining mainstream attention, but the way such design features are communicated is critically important.

wired.com

We love staying connected with you!

Submissions/ideas/feedback are always welcome: disability@uml.edu