Disability Awareness Month launches at NCF
When Marra Piazza Brass first arrived on the New College campus in the fall, there was no set program in place for Disability Awareness Month. She sought to change that this March.
The associate director of Student Disability Services (SDS), along with her assembled committee of students and staff members, have created a full schedule of inclusive, campus-wide events.
“I believe higher education has an opportunity to make access and accommodations more accepted,” said Piazza Brass, who joined New College from Eckerd College in September. “People sometimes try to avoid the topic of disabilities, but over 25 percent of the population has a disability, and we are all part of the same community.”
To create a shared sense of community this month, New College students, staff and faculty have begun participating in such gatherings as a “Building the Foundation: Faculty & SDS Working Together to Promote Student Success” event on March 1, as well as an in-person awareness kickoff (with T-shirts, buttons and bumper sticker giveaways) on March 5 outside Hamilton Center.
This week features two “Universal Design in Your Presentations” events (a Faculty Teaching Tuesday program from noon to 1:15 p.m. Tues. March 9, and a student workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. Wed. March 10).
“Universal Design is the process of making products, services, etc. in a manner that takes into account the needs of all individuals. When offering a component of a class or access to a building that has been designed universally, it provides access for all,” Piazza Brass said. “The first event will discuss best practices for adjusting online and hybrid learning through a Universal Design lens. The second event will be presented by students for students, and will cover accessible presentations.”
Next week’s schedule has “Career Conversations: Navigating Disabilities in the Workplace” from 6 to 7 p.m. Thurs. March 18—a discussion event designed by New College’s Center for Career Engagement and Opportunity (CEO).
“I’ll join a panel of staff members to discuss accommodations in the workplace. We want to make sure people are aware that accommodations do not end upon graduation from college; disabilities and related accommodations are also applicable to the workplace,” Piazza Brass said. “This will be a great event to help our students learn more about what to expect next when they leave New College.”
That same evening, participants will be treated to a “History of Disability Rights” party from 6 to 8 p.m. Thurs. March 18 (with a panel discussion from the Disability Awareness Month Committee from 8 to 8:30 p.m.)
“We’ll get together virtually to view the documentary Crip Camp, which highlights a summer camp in upstate New York in the 1960s for individuals with disabilities. It follows the campers’ experiences and growth, as well as their significant impact on civil rights,” Piazza Brass said. “The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and won the Audience Award. The executive producers are the Obamas and it has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m excited to share the experience of watching this with others in the New College community.”
Then there is a “Disability Dialogue: Open Discussion with the Associate Director of Student Disability Services” from noon to 1:15 p.m. Tues. March 23, and “Exploring the Diversity of Disability” from 6 to 7 p.m. Wed. March 31.
“Events like this on college campuses help to increase awareness, teach skills and create opportunities for dialogue, which help create a stronger community,” Piazza Brass said. “I’m thrilled to be a part of it.”
For more information on SDS, call 941-487-4637, email [email protected] or visit ncf.edu/campus-life/student-disability-services.
Abby Weingarten is the senior editor in the Office of Communications & Marketing.