U-M Council for Disability Concerns

The Council for Disability Concerns will have its monthly meeting next Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 12:00 noon in the Huetwell Visitor Center’s First Floor Conference Room (also known as the Large Conference Room) in the Student Activities Building (SAB). It is along the north wall behind the central yellow reception desk. The accessible entrance to the building is on the east, Maynard Street, side. The SAB is just to the north of the Fleming Building, across E. Jefferson St. and between Thompson and Maynard. (View map)

The Council for Disability Concerns (CFDC) meets monthly to address disability issues affecting the University of Michigan community. Members represent a broad cross-section of the University and surrounding area. The Council is organized in committees reflecting the concerns and interests of its members including: Construction Advisory Committee, Investing in Ability Week (IAW) Speakers Committee, and the Neubacher Award Committee. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month at noon, generally in the University of Michigan’s Fleming Building. Meetings are open to all members of the University community. To verify the location of the meeting you wish to attend, please contact the Council at: disability@umich.edu.

The Council for Disability Concerns was formed in 1983 at the conclusion of the University of Michigan’s observance of the International Year of Disabled Persons (IYTD), which was celebrated in 1982. The Council was appointed by then President Harold Shapiro to carry on the work initiated during the IYDP and to act in an advisory capacity regarding University programs and policies which affect people with disabilities.

The CFDC sponsors two major events during the academic year: Investing in Ability Week (IAW) and the James T. Neubacher Award. IAW has grown to encompass a wide range of disability-related activities and awareness building events during the month of October. The James T. Neubacher Award is presented to an individual at the U of M making a significant contribution to disability rights. It is given in honor of Jim Neubacher, an alumnus of the University who was a columnist for The Detroit Free Press and an advocate for equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities.

See the tentative IAW schedule on this site for this year’s Investing in Ability Week held in October.

As we conclude our second decade, we look to our revised Mission Statement as a guide:

• Promote the development of a physical and social environment that provides full access of programs, services, and facilities to every person in the University community (students, faculty, staff, guests).
• Advance the University’s commitment to the quality of experience for all persons, including those with disabilities.
• Act in an advisory capacity to recommend University programs and policies that assure full opportunity and access to qualified individuals with disabilities.
• Advocate for the concerns of members of the University community who have disabilities.
• Educate the University community by increasing our awareness of and sensitivity to all issues related to individuals who have disabilities.

The CFDC recently developed its first strategic plan, which contains the following key objectives:

• Increase Awareness and Education, by:
  • Increasing general awareness about disability, and accessibility through education of various populations
  • Increasing specific information about disability among leadership, including University leadership and University Facilities leadership
  • Substantiating issues related to disability and accessibility
  • Mobilizing Resources
• Promote Consistent University Disability Policy Interpretation, by increasing consistency in baseline interpretation of University policies related to non-discrimination and reasonable accommodation of faculty and staff with disabilities

View the plan »