Our Events

Here are our upcoming events and things we have done. Check back often to see what we and our network are up to.

Join us on Wednesday, January 29th, 2025 6:30-8pm CT on Zoom for a comprehensive webinar about disability inclusion in employment. We will be joined by Kevin Irvine( [email protected]), who is currently the Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant, Individuals with Disabilities, at Rush University Medical Center. Kevin personally has both visible and invisible disabilities and wealth of knowledge about disability inclusion, law, and employment opportunities! 

In this hour and half webinar, we will help you navigate getting a job with disability by discussing the where to start your job search, laws you should know, and accommodations, and much more! That being said, we want this event to be the most productive hour and half of your life so please share with us below what you would like us to discuss when it comes to disability inclusion in employment.

If you would like to attend this free event, please fill out this Google Form. To learn more about what will be discussed at this webinar, please check out the following resources:

https://www.discover.com/online-banking/banking-topics/employment-for-people-with-disabilities

https://www.rush.edu/rush-careers/culture-inclusion
https://disabilityin.org/what-we-do/disability-index/https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ofccp/section-503
https://www.eeoc.gov/publications/ada-your-employment-rights-individual-disability
https://askjan.org/a-to-z.cfm

One of our mentors, Sarah Todd Hammer recently created a short film called PRESS BUTTONS that came out on July 29th and we are honored to be showing it for free on Tuesday, August 20th at 6pm CT via Zoom, followed by a Q&A with Sarah Todd! The film is an authentic representation of disability advocate Sarah Todd Hammer’s life. PRESSING BUTTONS: Disability Goes Deeper than What You See is a compelling mini documentary that opens the doors into her experiences with both disabled joy and disabled grief. From becoming paralyzed from the neck down at age eight to heading off to college, we learn about the challenges Sarah Todd navigates in her daily life. Perhaps the most sobering message of all is that we will never truly understand.

If you missed it no worries! You can watch PRESSING BUTTONS on Sarah Todd’s YouTube Channel and check out the exclusive Q&A we did with her about the film on our YouTube Channel below!

Join us Sunday, June 9th, 2024 for a FREE virtual panel of disabled artists! They will be discussing their experiences with navigating being a disabled artists in a world that is not always accessible to them.

About the panelists:

Kristen works with number mediums, including ephemeral art, painting, drawing, sculptures, and collage. She graduated from Beloit College Spring 2024 and is planning on becoming an art teacher.

Levi Moos (he/they) is a Saint Paul artist interested in train erocticism, queer futures, Jewish calendar, and ritual, and humor. He creates a variety of media including relief print, zines, textiles, recycled materials, drawings, and paintings.

Image description: on a white background in pink, yellow, blue, and dark purple text is “Artistic Expression and Disability a Virtual Panel

Sunday, June 9

7pm Central

Over Zoom”. In the bottom left is the A Place For Us logo. In the bottom right corner is an image of a manual wheelchair with splotches of various colors behind it.

Join us on Wednesday, February 7, 2024 for a FREE virtual event in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin at Madison’s Disability Cultural Center. This will be a discussion about belonging in college with a disability. 

Image description:

On a white background at the top in blue text is “belonging in college with a disability: a virtual discussion”. Below that is an illustration of two people sitting at a table. The person on the left is holding a book and appears to be reading it. The person on the right is in a wheelchair and is using a laptop. Below this image in blue text is “Wednesday, February 7

7-8 pm central

Over zoom”. In the bottom left is the A Place For Us logo. In the bottom right is the UW-Madison logo.

On Saturday, November 11, 2023 at 10 am, we will be partnering with Access Living for a virtual event about academic accommodations in higher education. This FREE event is great for students with disabilities who are or will be in college, and anyone else who would like to learn about this topic. 

About Access Living: “Access Living is the Center for Independent Living (CIL) that serves the City of Chicago. That means we are a local, disability consumer‑controlled, cross‑disability, nonresidential, private nonprofit. As a CIL, we believe in dignity, community integration, civil rights, and equal access for all people with disabilities.” (https://www.accessliving.org/who-we-are/)

Image description: On a white background in the upper left corner is the Access Living logo. In the upper right corner is the A Place For Us logo. In the middle in black text over a light blue cloud shape is “Academic Accommodations: How they work and how to get them”. Below that in mint green text is “Saturday, November 11”. Below that in bluish purple text is “10 to 11:30 am CST”. Below that in turquoise text is “Over Zoom”. In the bottom left is an image of a young woman sitting in a wheelchair with a backpack on. She is wearing glasses, her hair is in a ponytail, and she is holding books and a writing utensil in her lap. In the bottom right is an image of a young blind man at a desk with a blue mug on it next to the open braille book he is reading with his hands.

On Saturday, July 22, 2023, A Place for Us will be marching in Chicago’s Disability Pride Parade, and you are invited to join us!

The parade will start at 11 am. We will be meeting at Dollop Coffee, a café near the starting point, at 10:30. 

All are welcome, including allies! If you aren’t able to make it, we will be streaming live on social media that day too, so you can tune in remotely. 

Image description: 

On a black background is “Join us for Chicago’s Disability Pride Parade Saturday, July 22 Meet at 10:30 am”. Each line of text is a different color (from top to bottom: red, yellow, white, light blue, and green), corresponding with the colors in the Disability Pride flag, which is pictured in the bottom left corner. The flag is a very dark gray rectangle with 5 differently colored stripes crossing it diagonally from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. The colors in order from left to right are red, yellow, white, light blue, and green. In the bottom right corner in white text is “Meeting place:

Dollop Coffee

343 S Dearborn St

Chicago, IL 60604”. Below that is the A Place for Us logo.

On Tuesday, November 15, 2022, join A Place for Us and Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA) for a panel discussion about what it’s like to be a disabled student athlete in college! 

The panel will be at 7 pm central and is expected to last about an hour. 

Image description: On a white background, at the top, is an image of six disabled athletes. From left to right: a wheelchair user is tossing a ball into the air, about to hit it with a tennis racket. A woman is standing with her right hand on her hip and she is spinning a basketball with the finger of her left hand, which is prosthetic. A man is standing with his left hand on his hip and a soccer ball under his right foot, which is prosthetic. A woman is sitting in a wheelchair, dribbling a basketball with her right hand. A man with a prosthetic leg is jumping rope. A runner with a prosthetic leg has their hands in the air. Below this image in turquoise text is “Student Athlete Stories

A panel of current and former college student athletes with disabilities

Tuesday, November 15

7 pm CST/8 pm EST/5 pm PST

FREE!

Register on Eventbrite”.

In the bottom left is the A Place for Us logo. In the bottom right is the GLASA logo.

The 2022 Disability Pride Parade was a super fun time! Thanks to everyone who showed up. We looked great in our custom T-shirts designed and made by our Social Media manager, Alexis!

Image description: A group of disabled people and allies, many in wheelchairs, sitting in front of and standing behind two banners with the A Place for Us logo on them. Many of the people are wearing white t-shirts with “Disability Pride” and the A Place for Us logo on them.

Are you a person with a disability wanting to get a career in social work, occupational therapy, medicine, recreational therapy, mental health, education, physical therapy, or another related field? Are you interested in working with disabled clients in the future? 

Come to this virtual event hosted by A Place for Us Network in collaboration with Disability Lead members! Our panelists all work with other disabled people every day, and their first-hand experiences can give students an idea of what it’s like to work in these fields as a disabled professional.

At this event, panelists will discuss their journeys to their current careers, the day-to-day struggles and joys of working the jobs they’ve had, and their tips for disabled students trying to break into these fields.

Image description:

On a turquoise background in white and purple text is “Disability at Work:

Disabled Professionals with Disabled Clients

A Panel Discussion 

FREE to attend

Friday June 24 @ 1 pm CDT/2 pm EDT/11 am PDT

Register on Eventbrite for link”. Centered at the bottom is the A Place for Us logo.

Join us for a FREE event this coming Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 3 pm CST! It is the fourth and final event for this year’s Disabled Students’ College Survival Guide event series. This time, the conversation will be about next steps after college, including getting a job or going to grad school. The event is expected to last about an hour and a half and will be hosted on zoom.

Image description:

on a dark purplish blue background, “Disabled Students’ College Survival Guide

Navigating life after college 

Where: zoom (RSVP on Eventbrite for link)

When: Sunday, December 5, 2021

3-4:30 pm central

4-5:30 pm eastern 

1-3:30 pm pacific”. At the lower right corner are the A Place for Us and Invisible Illness Inc logos.

Join us for this FREE event on Saturday, November 6, 2021! A Place for Us and Invisible Illness Inc. will be partnering up to facilitate a conversation about building self-knowledge and advocating for yourself as a disabled college or grad student. 

Hope to see you then!

Image description: on a light turquoise background in purple text is “Disabled Students’ College Survival Guide

Where: zoom (RSVP on Eventbrite for link)

When: Saturday November 6, 2021

11 am – 12:30 pm Central/noon – 1:30 pm Eastern”. Towards the top left corner is the Invisible Illness Inc. logo, and towards the top right corner is the A Place for Us logo. At the bottom is an image of a silhouette of a man in a wheelchair speaking through a megaphone he is holding. To the right (the direction he is facing) are the words “building self-knowledge and self-advocacy” in purple text.

Join us and Invisible Illness Inc at our FREE event on October 2, 2021! 

We will be talking about socializing on campus, boundaries, and identity as students with disabilities. The event will be 90 minutes long, including a 10 minute break in the middle.

Image description: near the upper left corner is the Invisible Illness Inc logo, and towards the upper right corner is the A Place For Us logo. At the bottom are two images of people interacting. Some of them are in wheelchairs, others are standing. Some are wearing backpacks and/or holding books. In one image is also an apple, two books, a sheet of paper, a graduation cap, a globe, and a football. The text in the image says “Disabled Students’ College Survival Guide

A conversation about socializing on campus, boundaries, and identity

Where: Zoom (RSVP on Eventbrite for link)

When: Saturday, October 2, 2021

Noon-1:30 pm EST/11 am-12:30 pm CST”

Join us for Part 1 of our Disabled Students’ College Survival Guide! 

This event will be about Accommodations, Resources, and Transitions in higher education. The first two hours will consist of a panel and a discussion, followed by an hour for anyone who would like to make connections and socialize with the panelists and other attendees. During the social hour there will be a breakout room for anyone who has questions about the process of getting accommodations, and/or would like time to work on that process with someone around to walk you through it if needed. 

Image description:

at the top in white and light purple is “Disabled Students’ College Survival Guide”. Below that in a light purple rectangle is “Part 1: Accommodations, Resources, and Transitions” in light turquoise. Below that in white and light purple is “Where: Zoom (RSVP on Eventbrite for link)” and “When: Saturday, September 4

Panel 4-6 pm EST/3-5 pm CST

Social hour 6-7 pm EST/5-6 pm CST”. In the lower right corner is a light turquoise notebook and pen. To the left of that is a light purple open book with the Invisible Illness Inc. and A Place for Us logos on the pages.

We have an exciting (free!) event on Friday August 20, 2021, 5-7 pm Central/3-5 pm Pacific.

Join A Place For Us and the University of Arizona’s Disability Cultural Center for a virtual Zoom discussion!

We will be discussing how to navigate college and build community as students with disabilities! Start the new academic year building community with other students from the University of Arizona and across the United States. We will also be strategizing how we can get through the year together as students with disabilities in higher education. This event is geared mostly towards high school students looking to attend a university, but it is open to all, including educators, school administrators, social workers, guidance counselors, parents, and anyone else who works with teens and young adults.

Accessibility: CART captioning will be provided. Please contact [email protected] to request ASL interpretation. All materials will be made available digitally to participants.

We are so excited to be partnering with the Queer International Student Assembly (QISA) Sunday, April 18, 2021, at 1pm CT to host a virtual and free event about the international perspectives of the disabled LGBTQ+ community!!! Join us for a casual discussion on the intersection of Disability and LGBTQ+ issues.

[Image description: Dark purple poster with pink and blue blobs and the A Place For Us and Queer International Student Assembly logos in the corners. It says, “A Place For Us x Queer International Student Assembly Present International Perspectives on the Disabled LGBTQ+ Community! Register with the link in the bio (or above) Sunday, April 18th at 1pm CT via Zoom. Closed Captioning will be available]