At the Office of Disability Services, we value disability as yet another component of the incredible diversity found on our campus. Here, students, faculty, and staff can find information and resources to help achieve success at Rutgers.
Rutgers Disability Awareness Month
A Campus-Wide Celebration
Rutgers University is one of the most diverse institutions in the Big 10 and disabilities play a vital role in making our community vibrant and inclusive. See how Rutgers came together to celebrate and learn during Disability Awareness Month in October and find ways to keep the conversation going with resources and actions throughout the year.
Resources and Action
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.
The Disability Studies minor is an interdisciplinary Rutgers–New Brunswick collaboration 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. Explore a Rutgers libraries collection highlighting research that intersects with disability by faculty across the university, and 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.
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.
Share in the Experience
Rutgers students took to social media to share highlights of some of the Disability Awareness Month events aimed at amplifying awareness and visibility of disabilities.
Telling Our Stories
Members of the Rutgers community reflect on one thing they want people to know about their experience as a person with a disability or as a caretaker for someone with a disability and how they want to be seen by the world.
Mason Gross senior Gabrielle Carmella is an art major with disabilities who is working on an exhibition by artists with disabilities from around the world.
The app provides free around-the-clock, person-to-person visual interpreting services to anyone at Rutgers–New Brunswick.
Looking Back at Disability Awareness Month
Disability Awareness Month is packed with in-person programs and virtual events. Each year, participants learn how to be allies, meet new furry friends, get active with adaptive sports, and more.
Beyond the Field
Rutgers hosted its first Blind and Adaptive Sports Day in 2017 aimed at showcasing abilities, opportunities, and educating the community about sports for people with disabilities. Since then, the event has grown into a campus-wide effort to raise awareness about disability, access, and inclusion—on and off the field.
Thank You
A special thank you to our 2024 committee, sponsors, partners, and program participants for helping us commemorate the many contributions and experiences of people living with disabilities here at Rutgers.
Active Planning Committee Members
Bryan Adams • Krystel Allen • Lizzy Chan • Kate Chao • Jennifer Demby • Javier Robles • Barbara Cepeda • Caroline Coffield • Jennifer Demby • Susan Ellien • Annette Freytag • Jeff Friedman • Paul Goobic • Shanelle Harris • Josephine Kim • Nikhil Kishore • Karthik Hulisandra • Kathy Loder-Murphy • Christopher Manente • Bret McCandless • Nychey Michel • R. Malamug • Nadia Montgomery • Lisa Rossman-Murphy • Kevin Orcell • Julia Sass Rubin • Lauren Shallish • Jennifer Senick • Arielle Smith • Cynthia Simon • Gita Sharma • Natalie Schultz-Kahwaty • Karin Stromswold • Jakora Thomspon • Ayanna Towers • Brandon Truett • Sangya Varma • Nadine Venturin-Trinadade • Sherlock Washington • Laura Warne • Roni Worowitch • Laurie Zazenski
Sponsors
Administration on Disabilities • Aidekman Family Foundation • Assistant Director Natalie Schultz-Kahwaty, PhD • Association of Blind Athletes of New Jersey • Blind Athletes Inc. • Center for Disability, Sports, Health and Wellness • Center for Youth and Social Emotional Wellness • Children's Lightning Wheels • Department of Human Services • Department of Kinesiology and Health • Director Jeff Friedman, PhD • Division of Developmental Disabilities • GiGi's Playhouse • Human Development and New Jersey APSE • Integrated Dance Collaboratory - Mason Gross Dance Department • Mason Gross School of the Arts • Mellon Foundation • Middlesex Board of County Commissioners • New Jersey APSE • New Jersey Lightning Beep Baseball Team • Office of Disability Services • Olark Accessible Live Chat • Residence Life Student Support • Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services • Rutgers Medical School • Rutgers Neurodiversity Task Force • Rutgers Recreation • Rutgers School of Social Work • State of New Jersey • The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development • US Association of Blind Athletes • US Department of Health and Human Services • Wheelchair Federation • Zimmerli Art Museum
Program Partners
Association of Blind Athletes of New Jersey • Blind Athletes Inc. • Center for Disability, Sports, Health and Wellness • Challenge Athletes Foundation • Children's Lightning Wheels • Counseling, Alcohol, and Other Drug Assistance Program • Department of Kinesiology and Health • Human Development and New Jersey APSE • Integrated Dance Collaboratory - Mason Gross Dance Department • Mason Gross School of Arts - Dance Department • Mason Gross School of the Arts • New Jersey Lightning Beep Baseball Team • Office of Disability Services • Office of Veteran and Military Programs and Services • Office of Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance • Olark Accessible Live Chat • Residence Life Student Support • Rutgers Access and Disability Resources • Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services • Rutgers School of Social Work • Rutgers School of Social Work • Rutgers Seeing Eye Puppy Raising Club • Rutgers University-New Brunswick Libraries • Rutgers Neurodiversity Task Force • The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development • Urban Education • US Association of Blind Athletes • Wheelchair Federation • Zimmerli Art Museum