The History of DREAM

2011

Picture of group of students, some wearing green Disabled & Proud conference t-shirts. Group is diverse including students of color, a mom with her dauther, and a little person

Group of students at the 2011 Disabled & Proud Conference where three students founded DREAM

Undergraduate Allegra Stout e-mailed disability-related listservs asking to network with disability student groups at other colleges and universities. Nev Jones and Michelle White (both graduate students) joined her to create a listserv for college students with disabilities. They named the group DREAM: Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring. Michelle White created the first website.

Allegra, Nev, and Michelle attended the 2011 "Disabled and Proud" conference for undergraduates with disabilities, sponsored by the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education at Syracuse University (SU). DREAM had its first meeting and recruited board members.

DREAM co-founders Allegra Stout and Nev Jones decided to create a different organization. Michelle White and DREAM board members worked with SU faculty member Wendy Harbour to move DREAM under the Taishoff Center at SU.

2012

DREAM began its weekly e-mail about news in disability and higher education.

DREAM creates a Facebook page, Facebook group, Twitter account, and LinkedIn group.

The Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) honored DREAM with its Meritorious Contribution award - one of its highest honors.

2014

Picture of man in wheelchair speaking into mic in a small theater full of people. The stage is bathed in purple lights

Disability Cafe open mic event at the 2014 Disabled & Proud conference

DREAM publishes the first issue of DREAMzine, which lasted one year.

DREAM holds Disabled & Proud: Dare to Dream, its second student conference, at Syracuse University.

2015

The Taishoff Center changes its mission to focus solely on students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Advisor Wendy Harbour leaves SU and begins working for AHEAD. The DREAM board decides to move DREAM to AHEAD, and continues to provide college students with disabilities and their allies news and information about disability and higher education through their listserv, website, and social media.

2016

Based at AHEAD, the federally-funded National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD) begins operations in December 2015. DREAM moves under NCCSD. Kim Elmore, a DREAM board member since late 2012, becomes Coordinator, and Wendy Harbour, now the Director of NCCSD, remains as Advisor.

A new, eight-student advisory board convenes in October.

DREAM becomes a member of the National Disability Mentoring Coalition and begins their #DREAMMentorMonday program, featuring guest mentors from the disability community on the second Monday of each month.

2017

2018

2022

Picture of Wite woman with shoulder-length brown hair, standing at a podium presenting

Kim Elmore, DREAM Coordinator

The DREAM Chapters and Affiliates program starts in September with 7 affiliates and 3 chapters on campuses across the U.S. Digital care packages are sent out each month to support their activities.

Five new members join 5 returning members of the DREAM Board, which meets monthly. These scholars, leaders, and activists from campuses across the U.S. advise DREAM activities and share their experience with academic allies through webinars and conference presentations.

Three new board members join 6 returning, focused on developing DREAM activism, mentoring, and chapter and affiliate programs. DREAM launches a blog, College While Disabled, co-edited by Megan Zahneis and Kim Elmore, which lasts until 2021.

DREAM members continue to advocate for students with disabilities in conference presentations and webinars, including with disability service professionals at the Association of Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD) and higher education professionals at the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). More importantly, DREAM Chapters and Affiliates work to improve lives for college students with disabilities on their campuses across the U.S.

From October 13-15, DREAM held its first online student conference, Disabled & Proud: Leading Change. Students, professors, and professionals from across the U.S. shared their experience and strategies for creating change in 3 keynotes, 15 concurrent sessions, 6 mentored chats, and 3 evening events--all just for students! In 2019, we'll share presentation videos through our YouTube channel and conference website.

In 2022, the US Department of Education awards the NCCSD a second round of funding for 2022-2026. The grant moves from AHEAD to the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Brian Abery is the lead Principal Investigator, Wendy Harbour is a co-Principal Investigator and Director of the NCCSD, and Renáta Tichá is a co-Principal Investigator. The NCCSD has a new logo and the NCCSD Clearinghouse undergoes major revisions that continue through summer of 2023.

The DREAM Board has it's first group mentoring in the fall of 2022, and Grad Chats start twice each month, giving graduate students with disabilities and graduate students studying disability a chance to connect and discuss issues important to them. DREAM now has almost 60 chapters and affiliates.