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

Narratives of Belonging: Disability, Mental Health and Youth Literature

On Tuesday, November 11th at 6pm CT via Zoom, called Narratives of Belonging: Disability, Mental Health, and Youth Literature. A Place For Us partnered with PhD students and professors from Illinois State University to bring you an invigorating roundtable discussion where scholars will discuss the importance of disability studies and mental health when studying and reading young adult literature. Joining us in the conversation is Edcel Javcier Cintron-Gonzalez, Audrey T. Heffers, Jordan Grunawalt, and Dr. Jeremy Johnston. To learn more about them, please check out our social media pages. 

Image description: White poster with blue and red lettering that says, “Free Webinar on Medicare September 23rd 6pm CT. What will be covered on our Webinar: 
– Understanding Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D
– Who is eligible for Medicare
– What Medicare covers (durable medical equipment, hospital coverage, prescriptions, etc.)
– How the American Medicare Disability Advocates (AMDA) can help you get enrolled or better utilize your benefits
– Q&A with Heather Higginson”

On Tuesday, September 23rd, 2025, we hosted a Medicare Webinar with Medicare Advocate, Heather Higginson! Heather has been in the health insurance world for 3 and half years and specializing in Medicare for the last two years. Last summer, she began volunteering with the American Medicare Disability Advocates (AMDA) and eventually joined the AMDA Advisory Committee. The focus of AMDA is to ensure that people with disabilities gain access to the Medicare benefit options they deserve. She has volunteered at the Abilities Expo in Schaumburg, IL in 2024 and 2025 which has led me to help so many great individuals in the disability community with their Medicare. 

If you missed this informative webinar, you can check it out here!

Teal poster that says “Transitioning to Higher Education with a Disability A Virtual Event Thursday, Sept.18th 7pm Eastern/6pm Central Always Improving Minds x A Place For Us” and the AIM and A Place For Us logos on the bottom.

We partnered with Always Improving Minds (AIM) on Thursday, September 18th, 2025 to host a free webinar on transitioning into higher education with a disability! We discussed the major differences between high school and college, ways to make the transition smoother, and what to look out for to be successful in higher education! 

AIM is a student-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to fostering inclusive opportunities and meaningful engagement for individuals with special needs and disabilities.

If you missed it and want to check it, you can watch it here!

Navigating the Journey: Transition to Post-Secondary Education for Students with Disabilities

A Place For Us teamed up with Special Education Advocate, Ashley Traylor, to do this virtual webinar about navigating the journey of transitioning to post-secondary education for students with disabilities. This empowering and informative webinar is designed for students with disabilities and their families as they prepare for life after high school. This session explored the essential steps, supports, and legal rights involved in transitioning to college, vocational training, or other post-secondary pathways.

Picture of a group of people in white A Place For Us t-shirts, holding up a white A Place For Us banner, in front of a bronze statue in Daley Plaza, Chicago,IL.
Chicago Disability Pride Parade 2025: Picture of a group of people in white A Place For Us t-shirts, holding up a white A Place For Us banner, in front of a bronze statue in Daley Plaza, Chicago,IL.
Ana Kohout and Julia Tanna are smiling and sitting outside behind a table that has A Place For Us stickers, handouts, candy, and granola bars all over it. There is a white A Place For Us banner hanging on the front of the table.

GLASA Great Lakes Games Expo 2025: We had so much fun spreading the word about A Place For Us and connecting with so many new friends! To learn more about GLASA (Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association) visit their website at https://glasa.org/.

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( Kevin_Irvine@rush.edu), 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!

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 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.

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 7th, 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.

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. 

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, 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/)

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 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 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 15th at 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.

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: 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.

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:
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.

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.

mage 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 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 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 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: 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 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:
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.

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. 

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 disabilityculture@arizona.edu to request ASL interpretation. All materials will be made available digitally to participants.

[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]

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.

We are teaming up with Young People_Chronic Illnesses, an organization that one of our mentors’, Hannah, is a part of, to host Navigating Education with a Chronic Illness/Disability. This event will create a casual, safe place for individuals with chronic illnesses and disabilities to support each other and discuss ways to navigate the higher education system. We will be discussing how we have navigated higher education and sharing our experiences throughout the higher education system. The event will include open-ended related discussion questions and fun games to do in between. 
It will be held on Saturday, March 27th at 1pm CT via Zoom. If you are interested in attending this free event, you may register using this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/navigating-higher-education-with-a-chronic-illnessdisability-tickets-144566330787?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing
We are so excited to be partnering with We’re Okay Fam, a women’s empowerment healing collective who aim to empower women one conversation at a time. The event will start with us discussing people with disabilities’ connection with their bodies and force attendees to connect with their bodies. Then we will discuss some of the discomfort people endure because disability or pain is so stigmatized in our society. This will lead us into the idea that people tend to ignore what their body is telling them and in turn forget to care for themselves. From there we will get to self-care and reflect on ways we can acknowledge something to change the discomfort we may feel. The event will end with a healing circle, run by We’re Okay Fam, centered around understanding a disabled body-mind. This event is open to all disabilities, genders, races, and experiences.

“Understanding the Disabled Body-Mind Event” will be on Saturday, November 14th at 6pm CT! If you are interested in attending please register using this link: 
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/understanding-a-disabled-body-mind-tickets-126900008341
Tickets are $10. Everyone is welcomed to attend, no matter your gender, disability, race, or economic status! We hope to see you there and please help us spread the word about this event!
– The Staff at A Place for Us