A student athlete using a wheelchair races on a track

Rutgers Disability Awareness Month

A Campus-Wide Celebration

Rutgers University is one of the most diverse institutions in the Big 10. Every October, we celebrate Disability Awareness Month, recognizing the vital role disabilities play in shaping our vibrant, inclusive community. Discover resources and actions to support accessibility, and learn how you can keep the conversation going all year long.

Upcoming Events

Resources and Actions

Disability takes many forms, both apparent and non-apparent. Disability Awareness Month at Rutgers is an opportunity for our community to recognize, bring awareness to, and learn about disabilities and the disability community.

Our Disability Studies minor, launched in 2023, is designed to support an intrinsically interdisciplinary approach to studying the lived experience of disability and the theoretical frameworks that surround that experience.

Rutgers is a global leader in disability and employment research. Learn more about the Program for Disability Research in the School of Management and Labor Relations. 

As an ally, you can take action and help cultivate an awareness of creating an inclusive environment for all individuals. Check out the Rutgers University Libraries' Books We Read blog series featuring books that highlight disability-related topics and written by authors with disabilities.

We're proud to be an Aira Access Partner, providing free around-the-clock, person-to-person visual interpreting services to anyone throughout the Rutgers–New Brunswick campuses. Students, staff, faculty, or visitors can use Aira for free on a smartphone simply by downloading the Aira app and connecting with an agent.

Thank You

Special thanks go to the School of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Education and the Office of the Chancellor for their generous donations. Thank you for believing in our mission. We are grateful for your partnership and belief in the importance of Disability Awareness Month.

Sponsors

  • Alliance Center for Independence
  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing
  • Association of Blind Athletes of New Jersey
  • Beep Baseball Team
  • Blind Athletes Inc, a 501c (3) New Jersey Lightning
  • Canine Companion
  • Center for Disability, Sports, Health and Wellness
  • Children's Lightning Wheels
  • Department of Kinesiology and Health
  • Docs With Disabilities Initiative
  • Docs With Disabilities Initiative - Access in Nursing Program
  • Gigi’s Playhouse Hillsborough
  • Integrated Dance Collaboratory (IDC), Mason Gross Dance Department
  • Ken Adeikman
  • Learning Centers
  • Move4More
  • New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Disability Services
  • Office of Disability Services
  • RU EcoPreserve
  • Rutgers Disability Awareness Month Committee
  • Rutgers–Newark Department of Urban Education and Disability Studies Program
  • Rutgers–Newark Disability Justice Coalition
  • Rutgers–Newark School of Arts and Sciences
  • Rutgers–Newark Women’s and Gender Studies
  • Rutgers–New Brunswick Office of the Chancellor
  • Rutgers Recreation
  • Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
  • Scarlet Arts Rx
  • ScarletWell
  • School of Arts and Sciences
  • Sheila Y. Oliver Center
  • The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development
  • University of Michigan Center for Disability Health and Wellness
  • University of Online Education Services (UOES)
  • US Association of Blind Athletes
  • Wheelchair Federation
  • Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University

Program Partners

  • Alliance Center for Independence
  • Bloustein Public Health Policy Group
  • Department of Kinesiology and Health
  • Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources
  • Institute for Teaching, Innovation, and Inclusive Pedagogy
  • Integrated Dance Collaboratory (IDC), Mason Gross Dance Department
  • Learning Centers, Loree 124B
  • Mason Gross Dance Department
  • Office of Disability Services
  • Residence Life – Residential Care Unit
  • Rutgers Business School
  • Rutgers Career Exploration and Success
  • Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services
  • Rutgers Cinema
  • Rutgers Dining Services
  • Rutgers Health Office of Disability Services
  • Rutgers–Newark Department of Urban Education and Disability Studies Program
  • School of Graduate Studies – Biomedical and Health Sciences Unit
  • The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development
  • The Office of Commuter Student Life
  • University of Online Education Services (UOES)
  • Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University

Active Planning Committee Members

  • Moira Armstrong
  • Patrick Bubniak
  • Barbara Cepeda
  • Caroline Coffield
  • Jennifer Demby
  • Jeff Friedman
  • Allyson Fry
  • Rhea Hood
  • Hongyoung Kim
  • Yumin Kim
  • Nikhil Kishore
  • Kathy Loder-Murphy
  • Christopher Manente
  • Nychey Michel
  • Nadia Montgomery
  • Lisa Rossman-Murphy
  • Kevin Orcell
  • Javier Robles
  • Julia Sass Rubin
  • Lauren Shallish
  • Jennifer Senick
  • Cynthia Simon
  • Gita Sharma
  • Natalie Schultz-Kahwaty
  • Olen Taylor
  • Jakora Thomspon
  • Ayanna Towers
  • Brandon Truett
  • Kate Van Riper