Princeton University AccessAbility Center

Calling all Princeton architects, designers, and disability advocates! Join Princeton administrators Mona Fixdal, Rachel Busnardo, and Alexis Mitschler on Thursday, December 1st from 12:30 to 1:30pm in the AccessAbility Center (Frist 242) to learn how Universal Design can be applied in the digital space, physical space, and the learning environment. Lunch and reusable utensils giveaways are also provided!

To request accommodations for this event, please email [email protected].

Influence how we advocate for ability, access, and difference at Princeton by completing an eight-minute survey for the AccessAbility Center: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfME-BOsj4qeO1504bb5SMgvtgNPV7-yxRejpnw3R_WLdZzjw/viewform

The Center is a gathering space designed for universal access. Our mission is to envision disability as a part of diversity. We recognize that many people in the Princeton community with and without disabilities want to support people with disabilities and promote access on our campus.

To accomplish these goals, the AccessAbility Center is creating an Ally Program to train people with campus roles that intersect with disability and inclusion, as well as those who want to advocate for accessibility. The three-hour Wintersession training will provide allies with fundamental information about disability, and open space for conversations about accessibility, ableism, and identity.

In order to prepare an effective training, we are reaching out to people with disabilities in our campus community to hear their thoughts on what makes an effective ally. We are inviting anyone on our campus who identifies as having a disability to provide their thoughts. The deadline to complete the survey is November 10th, 2022.

We're excited to hear from our community about creating a more inclusive Princeton!

Recent additions to the AccessAbility Center: a puzzle, free stress balls, and whiteboard prompts on our doors. Come visit us at 242 Frist to relax and join our community!

As some varsity athletes continue to compete and others prepare for their upcoming seasons, the AccessAbility Center encourages students to explore where access and athletics meet. As such, the Center is hosting a Student Spotlight on Maisie McPherson and her retirement from Princeton Varsity Water Polo after sustaining three concussions. Please join us on Wednesday, November 2nd from 12 to 1 PM in the AccessAbility Center (Frist 242) to hear from Maisie. Lunch from Jules Pizza (vegan and non-vegan options) will be provided for those in attendance!

To request accommodations for this event, please email [email protected] or call 609-258-8840.

This Thursday, October 27th at 8:30 PM, join us in the AccessAbility Center (Frist 242) for our first movie night of the academic year. We'll be watching THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME—a classic Disney film about forbidden love, secrecy, disability, and monsters—just in time for Halloween! Even if you can't stay for the whole movie, feel free to stop by for the fresh popcorn and classic movie snacks. See you in Notre Dame!

PAID FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITY: The Office of Disability Services is looking for first year, sophomore and junior undergraduate students to serve as an AccessAbility Center Student Fellow. One to two fellow positions are currently available. Each fellow works about 3-5 hours per week and is paid $13.50 per hour.

​The AccessAbility Center was founded in April 2017 on the premise that in order to value disability, people must understand and appreciate different abilities. The Center is a campus gathering space designed for universal access and intended to foster conversation about ability, disability, and access. Our mission is to envision disability as a part of diversity and provide opportunities for students to actively explore divergent abilities. Understanding difference enriches the educational experience and lives of our campus community.

The AccessAbility Center student fellows work with the Office of Disability Services staff to create programming, advocacy, campus outreach, and community engagement about disability and accessibility. As student representatives of the Center, the Fellows strive to build dialogue around varying abilities on campus and to build the AccessAbility Center into a visible, active, and supportive presence on Princeton’s campus.

​Apply at http://bit.ly/3CAIRqH by Wednesday, 9/21 at 11:59 pm!

Welcome to the Class of 2026 and Welcome Back to the Classes of 2025, 2024, and 2023! We trust that you all explored your interests at the Academics Fair, the Employment Fair, and the Activities Fair! Princeton is filled with opportunities to engage with your interests and identities.

As you continue to explore, remember the AccessAbility Center. The Center is a gathering space designed for universal access and to foster conversation about disability. Our mission is to envision disability as part of diversity. Hopefully, the AccessAbility Center partakes in advocacy to ensure that all of the opportunities and resources at Princeton are available to all students.

If you are interested in the AccessAbility Center, stop by TODAY from 4:30 to 5:30pm for our OPEN HOUSE! Our AccessAbility Center Fellows are available to speak about disability on campus and answer questions. While you learn about the Center, grab campus's softest t-shirt or create an identity bracelet. See you soon!

Finals week made better with puppy love from Princeton's own therapy dog Coach!

Stressed about final exams and the end of the year? Need a sheet mask? A care package? An afternoon with some therapy dogs? If so, stop by the AccessAbility Center and relax for five minutes or a whole hour. This finals season, the Center is hosting a series of stress-relief study breaks!

On Thursday, May 5th from 4-5pm in the AccessAbility Center (Frist 242), meet Coach, campus's newest therapy dog.

On Thursday, May 5th from 5:30-7:30pm, stop by the AccessAbility Center (Frist 242) to create your own stress relief package complete with sheet masks, fidget toys, and candy.

On Monday, May 9th from 1-2pm on Frist Lawn, learn about and meet a group of seeing eye dogs.

On Thursday, May 11th from 4-5pm in the AccessAbility Center (Frist 242), there's a second chance to meet the campus therapy dog Coach!

To request accommodations for any of these events, please email [email protected] or call 609-258-8840. See you there!

Trying to forget about Dean's Date for an hour? Visit the AccessAbility Center (242 Frist) this Thursday, April 28th at 8pm! We're screening the miniseries SPECIAL, based on Ryan O'Connell's critically acclaimed memoir I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. In eight fifteen-minute mini-episodes, Ryan, a gay man with cerebral palsy, decides to redefine his identity as an accident victim and embark on independent living and the workplace. Come for the freshly popped popcorn and classic movie snacks, stay for the show!

This month marks 5 years of the AccessAbility Center! Come celebrate with us on April 20th from 4-6 pm at Frist 242. Stop by our open house for sushi, cupcakes, popcorn, M&Ms, t-shirts, and more! Celebratory remarks and a special giveaway at 4:30 pm. We're so grateful for half a decade of support from the Princeton community!

We still have chills from Ali Stroker’s sold-out talk on turning limitations into opportunities last night! Thank you for joining us and sharing your incredible message. Photos by Jon Sweeney / Lewis Center for the Arts 🌟

Ali Stroker, the Tony Award-winning actress and first wheelchair user to star on Broadway, will be coming to campus on Monday, March 28th at 6 PM! In her intimate presentation TURNING LIMITATIONS INTO OPPORTUNITIES, Ali will perform and discuss her life, career, and the importance of advocacy, representation and inclusion.

ASL Interpreters and real-time captioning will be provided. Please email [email protected] or call 609-258-8840 to request additional accommodations.

This event is co-sponsored by the AccessAbility Center, the Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity, the Lewis Center for the Arts, the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, and the Graduate School. Tickets are going fast; get yours today at tickets.princeton.edu.

Join the AccessAbility Center at our next student spotlight on March 24th! We’re having an informal conversation with the incredible Jennifer Lee ‘23, who will be speaking about the nonprofit she co-founded with several other Princeton students: the Asian Americans With Disabilities Initiative. AADI began in the spirit of intersectionality, creating space to explore the ways in which disability and Asian American identity interact. Their mission is to provide the next generation of disabled Asian American leaders with accessible resources so that they can combat anti-Asian racism and ableism in their own communities.

Come chat with Jennifer about her experiences running the foundation! Snacks will be provided. March 24th, 4:30 at the AccessAbility Center!

Thank you to everyone who came out to our make your own stuffed animal event last night! We love you!

PRINCETON: Save the date for the AccessAbility Center signature event of the year, an evening with Tony award-winning actress Ali Stroker (GLEE, OZARKS, BLUE BLOODS)! Ali is coming to campus on March 28th, and tickets for her talk will be available to the student body very soon. Watch this space...

THIS WEDNESDAY: Need a midterms study break? Make your own stuffed animals, courtesy of the AccessAbility Center!

We'll have a table on the first floor of Frist from 8-9 on Wednesday night with everything you need. Take a breather and join us!

Accessibility matters because...

Princeton students wrote some great responses to this important question on International Day of People with Disabilities!

In honor of International Day of People with Disabilities, the Center encouraged students to write why accessibility matters to them. Check out Princeton's coverage of our event below!

TODAY 3-4:30 PM: find our easel at Frist Campus Center and join the white board campaign to celebrate the International Day of People with Disabilities (plus, grab a free donut!).

In 1992, the United Nations called for an international day of celebration for people living with disabilities to be held on December 3rd each year. International Day of People with Disabilities reminds us that we all have a vital role to play in identifying and addressing the discrimination, marginalization, exclusion and inaccessibility that people living with disabilities face.

Today, the AccessAbility Center is hosting a white board campaign encouraging students and staff to reflect on why accessibility matters on our campus – both to us as individuals and to the broader campus community. Whether we think about it on a daily basis or not, we all face questions and challenges of accessibility, and in order to truly support people with disabilities, it’s vital that we have conversations about how we can build spaces where everyone is welcome.

As the days grow shorter and colder, and as we look into the mouth of a new year, we’ve been aching to turn inward and reflect on where we came from, why we’re here. In the midst of all this shifting, the AccessAbility Center and Songline Slam Poetry are proud to co-host NIGHT OF HEALING: an open mic exploring and raising awareness of mental health and disability.

Songline Slam and the AccessAbility Center Present: Night of Healing

Join us at the Coffee Club, in the basement of Campus Club, on November 12th at 9 PM. Bring your guitars, comedy bits, poems, songs, and anything else that reminds you we can fight our way to tomorrow, together. Let’s make this a night for joy, a night for wonder, and a night for being present for each other.

All undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and members of the Princeton community are welcome to perform their original work at the open mic. The evening will feature ASL interpreters, and free pastries, tea, and coffee.

To request accommodations for this event, please email [email protected] or call 609-258-8840. Sign up to perform your work by November 9th: http://bit.ly/songlineaac

Curious about the AccessAbility Center, the Office of Disability Services, our fellows, our programming, or how we can help you navigate ability and access at Princeton? We're hosting an open house next Thursday, September 23rd, from 4:30 to 5:30 PM. Come and meet the AccessAbility Center Fellows, ask questions of the ODS staff, pick up free gear, make your own identity button, and eat snacks! Open to all Princeton students—just find us at 242 Frist Center.

AccessAbility Center community: join our friends at the student-run Princeton Disability Collective for a live webinar with a disabled activist tomorrow!

On March 16, 2021 at 7 PM EST, our very own AccessAbility Fellow Topaz Winters is hosting a conversation with Alice Wong -- editor of Disability Visibility, a diverse anthology of essays by disabled people, and founder of the Disability Visibility project, which is “an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture.”

Most recently, Alice has been fighting alongside the Disability Justice League-Bay Area for COVID vaccine equity in the state of California, in particular for people with high-risk disabilities and those from underserved communities, including communities of color.

Register: https://princeton.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_IeJtQAeyRpyZalZtt783Gg

If you have questions, concerns or access needs, please contact [email protected], [email protected], and/or [email protected]. The event will have CART real-time captioning!

Hope to see you there.

Happy International Day of Persons With Disabilities from your AccessAbility Center fellows! https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-of-persons-with-disabilities

Celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities, TOMORROW! The UN is hosting an online event this Friday in celebration: https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities-3-december/idpd2020.html

Action Toward a Disability-Inclusive, Accessible and Sustainable Post-COVID-19 World, 4 December 2020 (11.00 am-12:45 pm EST)

The event will include representatives of Member States, UN offices, organizations of persons with disabilities, civil society, and the private sector. It will emphasize the importance of disability-inclusive responses to COVID-19 and take stock of progress in “building back better,” including addressing the global policy framework on disability-inclusive development newly adopted by the General Assembly Third Committee this past November. The event will also address the tools of the UN system. These include hose developed for the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy, the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, UNWomen and the World Bank. It will also focus on important steps taken by civil society and the private sector to “build back better” in a disability-inclusive manner.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), 3 December 2020 | United Nations Enable The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) is annually observed on 3 December to promote the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities and to take action for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development. This year, the Internatio...

Daphne Frias is a youth activist and voice for modern inclusivity. On Thursday, November 19 at 5 PM EST, join us on Zoom for a talk with Daphne about what intersectionality and accessibility look like in the 21st century—including disability justice and equality for BIPOC. Tune in for highlights of her social justice work as well!

RSVP: A Conversation With Daphne Frias on Disability Justice

Email [email protected] to request accommodations for this event.