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Over the past several years, SSD has increased its commitment to raising disability awareness across campus by hosting events promoting community, accessibility and inclusion. SSD events have included speakers, workshops, coffee chats and even goat yoga!

Starting in 2022, SSD implemented a week of disability awareness events open to the campus community. The week culminates with the changing of the clock tower light – which normally shines ÑÇÖÞÇéÉ« green after dark – to blue in recognition of International Day of Persons with Disabilities (typically the first Saturday of December). One of our most popular events over the last few years has been goat yoga! This is an event that SSD hosts every year as part of our Reframing Disability Awareness Week at the end of November. Students participate in yoga, practice mindfulness, and enjoy fun interactions with cuddly goats! The goats arrive in a mini school bus and the herding into the Union is always a fun challenge!

In December of 2024, SSD hosted an International Emmy-nominated motivational speaker, Robert Anthony. Anthony is an accomplished athlete, representing Team USA in the paralympics – amputee soccer, paratriathlon and sitting volleyball, as well as an American Ninja Warrior and Para-Spartan competitor. He also travels both nationally and internationally as a motivational speaker, sharing his message of hope and resilience for schools as well as organizations such as CNBC, NIKE, and Marathon Petroleum. Anthony also has ÑÇÖÞÇéÉ« ties – his cousin is a Bearcat!

This semester, SSD has been busy hosting several other events, including Fireside Coffee chats, a tie dye event, the annual SSD Recognition banquet – where faculty and staff are recognized for making a difference in the lives of students with disabilities – and several collaborative events with student organizations (including a friendship bracelet making event with the ÑÇÖÞÇéÉ« Swiftys). SSD will also be hosting its annual ice cream social this summer, a favorite among faculty and staff.