Disability Awareness Month Celebration
“Acceptance Without Exception”
October 2024
Disability Awareness Month is nationally recognized during the month of October. We are proud of the accomplishments and contributions of members of this community and embrace the honor and acknowledgement of their achievements. The James Farmer Multicultural Center is working closely with the Office of Disability Resources, as well as Diversability, Talk to the Hands, and Best Buddies student clubs to coordinate and plan the events for this month-long celebration.
Disability Advocacy is on the rise, but oftentimes only includes visible, easily defined disabilities. Invisible disabilities, complex disorders, rare diseases, and psychological disabilities are often pushed to the wayside without adequate support or recognition. This month we are promoting access, accommodation, and acceptance for ALL disabilities, without exception.
Disability Awareness Month Kick-off – Table Fair
Tuesday, October 1 | 11:00 am – 2:00 pm | Campus Walk in front of Lee Hall | (Rain location: 2nd Floor Gourley Living Room, Cedric Rucker University Center)
Join us for our Disability Awareness Month kick-off event and tie dye a free t-shirt! Information and goodies will also be available from campus and community partners including: the Office of Disability Resources, the James Famer Multicultural Center, DiversAbility, Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society, Talk to the Hands, Best Buddies, the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Mental Health America – Fredericksburg, and more.
Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society Induction Ceremony
Thursday, October 3 | 6:00 pm | Chandler Ballroom, Rucker University Center
Contact: Danielle Smith, DAPi Faculty Advisor (dsmith24@umw.edu)
The Delta Alpha Pi Induction Ceremony is a time to celebrate new members to our Zeta Mu Chapter. Delta Alpha Pi is an academic honor society founded to recognize high-achieving students with disabilities who are attending 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.
Adaptive Sports Day
Saturday, October 5 | 11:00 am – 1 pm | Goolrick Main & Auxiliary Gyms
Co-sponsored by Delta Alpha Pi International Honor Society, DiversAbility, and the James Farmer Multicultural Center
This event celebrates the unique abilities of persons with disabilities in the realm of sports. Often, persons with disabilities are discouraged or denied the opportunity to participate in any form of spots. This event will demonstrate inclusive excellence and uplift and champion individuals with disabilities by giving them a platform to shine and excel. It will bring about positive social change through engagement. By participating in the various adaptive sports stations, individuals have the opportunity to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the complexities faced by individuals with disabilities, as well as their talents and contributions in sports and more broadly.
Accessibility Bingo
Tuesday, October 8 | 8:00 pm | The Underground, Lee Hall
Cosponsored by CPB Trips and Weekly Events
Join the weekly bingo team as they incorporate terms and important information regarding accessibility throughout the night. Bring proof of attending a Disability Awareness Month activity and receive an extra card too.
2024 Disability Awareness Month Major Speaker: Eli Clare
Wednesday, Oct. 16 | 7:00 pm | Weatherly Wing, Seacobeck Hall
Co-Sponsored by the Office of Disability Resources
White, disabled, and genderqueer, Eli Clare lives near Lake Champlain in unceded Abenaki territory (also known as Vermont) where he writes and proudly claims a penchant for rabble-rousing. He has written two books of essays, the award-winning Brilliant Imperfection: Grappling with Cureand Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation, and a collection of poetry, The Marrow’s Telling: Words in Motion. His next book, a mixed genre volume titled Unfurl, will be released in July, 2025. Additionally, he has been published in dozens of journals and anthologies.
Eli works as a traveling poet, storyteller, and social justice educator. Since 2008, he has spoken, taught, trained, and consulted (both in-person and remotely) at well over 150 conferences, community events, and colleges across the United States and Canada. He currently serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Disability Project at the Transgender Law Center and is also a Disability Futures Fellow (funded by the Ford Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation). Among other pursuits, he has walked across the United States for peace, coordinated a rape prevention program, and helped organize the first ever Queer Disability Conference.
Assistive Technology Demo Day
Thursday, October 18 | 11:30 – 1:30 pm | 2nd Floor Gourley Living Room, Cedric Rucker University Center
Assistive Technology (AT) changes lives, and many of us use it every day! See how high-tech and low-tech devices can support learning and every day activities. Come check out Assistive Tech Demo Day to play with and see AT in action at UMW.
Sensory Bins Service Activity
Tuesday, October 22 | 4:00 pm | Chandler A, Cedric Rucker University Center
Come make a sensory bin to take home and/or make one for local students. Sensory bins allow people to relax and engage with their five senses in a calming and self-regulated way.
Sensory Bins Service Activity
Tuesday, October 22 | 4:00 pm | Chandler A, Cedric Rucker University Center
Come make a sensory bin to take home and/or make one for local students. Sensory bins allow people to relax and engage with their five senses in a calming and self-regulated way.
Workplace Accommodations: How to Navigate the Process
Wednesday, October 23 | 12:00 pm | Chandler B, Cedric Rucker University Center
Sponsored by the Center for Career and Professional Development and the Office of Disability Resources
Workplace accommodations do exist! Are you unsure of what types of accommodations you could ask for or unsure of how to navigate the process for requesting accommodations from an employer? The Center for Career and Professional Development and the Office of Disability Resources are excited to bring Marty Bywaters-Baldwin, Chief Mission Officer from the Rappahannock Goodwill Industries to provide insight on how to navigate this process. Come get your questions answered and learn how to prepare for this conversation with future employers. If you need accommodations to be able to access and fully participate in this event, please contact Jennifer Uber, in the Office of Disability Resources, at juber@umw.edu to request accommodations.
Movie – Barbie (ASL version)
Monday, October 28 | 7:00 pm | Chandler A/B
Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans. (Credit IMDb)
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact the James Farmer Multicultural Center at (540) 654-1044 or visit students.umw.edu/multicultural. Please email us at jfmc@umw.edu if you have any questions regarding disability-related accommodations.