DREAM Events and Activities From the National DREAM Board

DREAM Chapters and Affiliates may host other online activities and events that are open to the public --
DREAM assists them in advertising their events to a national audience.
​The list below only includes things planned by the national DREAM Student Board.
Picture of a group of people standing and kneeling in front of a large screen showing a smiling Black woman. Everyone in the group is wearing masks.
College of the Holy Cross DREAM Group Event Post-COVID with Author Keah Brown

DREAM & NCCSD Activities and Events

​Disabled High School Students Preparing for College with Jen Montag:
The transition from high school to college can be exciting, uncertain, and challenging for disabled students. This webinar will explore what disabled high school students can expect as they prepare for college, including navigating accommodations, practicing self-advocacy, building support systems, and adjusting to academic and social changes. 
Fire Through Dry Grass Film Screening and Discussion
Join us for a screening and discussion of Fire Through Dry Grass, a documentary exploring disability justice, community, and activism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the experiences of disabled residents organizing within a nursing home, the film highlights the power of collective advocacy, storytelling, and resistance in the face of systemic ableism. Following the screening, participants will engage in a discussion reflecting on disability justice, community care, and the ongoing fight for accessibility and dignity.
Shot in the Dark Film Screening and Discussion 
Join us for a screening and discussion of Shot in the Dark, a documentary about disability, perception, and creativity through the lives of blind photographers who use their cameras to explore how we see and understand the world. Following the screening, participants will engage in a discussion reflecting on disability, creativity, and access.
TBA Events
  • Creating and Sustaining Student Groups Town Hall with Wendy Harbour
  • Disabled Graduate Student Perspectives
  • Preparing for Life After College as Disabled Students panel
  • Art as Resistance: Disabled Artists on Expression, Community, and Becoming Professionals
  • Leadership and Advocacy Panel
  • Leadership Summit​

Connect with DREAM


Examples of Past DREAM Activities

  • Applying to Graduate School: Timeline and Tips: his workshop will provide disabled students with an overview of the graduate school application process, including how to prepare application materials, request letters of recommendation, and build a realistic timeline for applying. 
  • Documentary Discussion with the Director of All Riders: Director Victor Dias Rodrigues joined us for a special guest Q&A! 
  • Finals Week Coworking Session: Join DREAM for a supportive body-doubling coworking session!
  • Disability Justice Researchers Panel: Join DREAM for a virtual panel featuring disability justice researchers whose work centers community, access, and transformative change. 
  • “What to Do When Accommodations Aren’t Accessible" Webinar: This webinar will explore common barriers students encounter when requesting accommodations and navigating disability services. Participants will discuss strategies for self-advocacy, communicating needs effectively, and seeking solutions when accommodations are delayed, denied, or inadequate. 
  • Deaf President Now! Film Screening and Discussion
  • Mindful Tea Tasting with Kate Costello
  • ​Labyrinth Workshop with Dr. Wendy Harbour: Labyrinths can be used for various purposes, including meditation, reflection, and stress reduction, but everyone has a unique experience.
  • DREAM Spring Town Hall 2026: The DREAM Town Hall is an opportunity for disabled students, educators, advocates, and community members to come together to share updates, reflect on our collective work, and engage in open conversation about DREAM’s priorities and future direction. Your voice and presence matter, and we hope you’ll join us.
  • Webinar: Options and Resources for Dealing with Disability Accommodation Concerns: This webinar brings together experts and student advocates to explore what to do when accommodation requests are delayed, denied, or ineffective. 
  • Midterms and Finals Week Coworking Session: Body-doubling is the practice of working alongside others to boost focus, motivation, and accountability. 
  • DREAM Fall Town Hall: DREAM invites chapters, affiliates, and students interested in starting disability student groups to join our Fall Town Hall!
    This event is an opportunity to connect with fellow student leaders across the country. Share experiences, challenges, and successes. ​Learn strategies for building sustainable disability culture and advocacy on campus. ​Strengthen the DREAM network and grow your student group.
  • Disability Cultural Centers' Student Activism: Join DREAM for an interactive panel featuring student leaders from campus disability cultural centers! Together, we’ll explore how students grow as leaders, advocate for campus improvements, and create networking and connections in their communities. This is an exciting opportunity to learn from peers, share strategies, and discuss ways to elevate the impact of disabled students on campuses and beyond.
  • Community Documentary Night: Without Pity
  • Community Documentary Night: Change, Not Charity
  • Intersectionality in Disability: A Panel of Diverse Voices
  • DREAM Community Film Screening & Gathering: Ride Ahead with the Directors
  • Teaching Disability History with EasterSeals Massachusetts: An engaging and interactive event on disability history, presented in collaboration with EasterSeals Massachusetts. This session offered an educational exploration of key moments, figures, and movements in disability history while encouraging active participation and discussion.
  • DREAM Community Film Screening & Gathering: Unseen
  • DREAM Community Film Screening & Gathering: Inside Out 2
  • Panel Discussion: Gilman International Fellowship AlumniGilman Fellowship Alumni
  • Panel Discussion: Disabled Graduates on Careers, Access and Advocacy
  • Disability Visibility Bimonthly Book Club.​
  • Graduate and Undergraduate Chats: Students meet to talk about their experiences as graduate students studying disability and/or being a disabled graduate student. 
  • ​DREAM Author Talks: Disability, Empowerment, and Change: Offers an opportunity to learn more about ​authors, their ideas, and their work in a discussion format with time for questions. On December 7th 2023 we heard from Julie Minich, author of Radical Health: Unwellness, Care and Latinx Expressive Culture. Dr. Katherine Aquino of Johns Hopkins University was the Moderator. Link to YouTube.
  • Disability History Game Night: DREAM had a fun interactive event on November 9th, 2023 where everyone played games while learning about disability history.  This activity was offered in partnership with Easter Seals, Massachusetts. Link to Youtube.
  • College Transition Series: Author Elizabeth Hamblet offered a four-part series in Fall 2023 on transition to college for students, their families, K-12 educators and other professionals. Much of the content that she presented is available on her site: LDAVISORY.COM
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  • ​"Crip Camp" Netflix Watch Party: In 2019, DREAM hosted a Netflix Watch Party for the film "Crip Camp," about a group of kids with disabilities who met at a segregated camp for disabled kids.  The movie follows the children as they grow up to become disability activists who created major legal, societal, and cultural changes related to disability.
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  • Disabled & Proud Conferences: DREAM held two in-person Disabled & Proud conferences for students with disabilities in 2011 and 2014.  In 2018, DREAM held its first Disabled & Proud online conference. The conferences were modeled after the first Disabled & Proud conference in 1999, hosted by the world's first Disability Cultural Center at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.   Their purpose was, according to the Board, to help disabled students network and build community, and to help students learn ways to create change on their campuses.

  • #LowOnSpoons Week: In 2020, as many campuses switched to remote learning during early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, DREAM brought students together to talk about being Low on Spoons (which means low on resources, time, energy, etc.) and how to recharge and care for each other.  Click here to see information about #LowOnSpoons Week.

  • Mentoring: ​DREAM has had mentoring projects almost every semester since it started in 2011.  DREAM had group mentoring in the Spring of 2023, and we're currently figuring out which kind of mentoring the Board wants in 2024. Click here to learn more about mentoring and DREAM.

  • #TeachDisabilityHistory: In 2021, DREAM hosted a panel discussion about the importance of children and adults learning history, and panelists discussed how knowing (or not knowing) disability history affected them and their ability to advocate for themselves.  Click here to learn more about #TeachDisabilityHistory
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DREAM is supported under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (P116D150005) to the Institute on Community Integration (ICI) at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and is run in collaboration with the Association on Higher Education and Disability.  Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of the U.S. Department of Education, ICI, or AHEAD.  If you have need assistance with the site or have questions, contact us.
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