DREAM's Mission and Goals

DREAM's mission is to advance the interests of students with disabilities and their allies in higher education institutions across the United States.  DREAM advocates for student rights, increased accessibility, social and policy change, and support and mentorship to campus disability groups and individual students.  We hope to empower students with disabilities to work for local and national change, encourage the development of intersectional disability culture and peer support, and advance the study of disability within academia by serving as an online disability cultural center where all students are welcome.

In keeping with the larger cross-disabilities movement, DREAM aspires to be as inclusive as possible.  Goals include but are not limited to:

1. Advocating for an intersectional approach to disability where all aspects of students' identities feel welcome in higher education, while also acknowledging and addressing historical and current systemic discrimination and inequities.
   
2. Developing and maintaining a communications network to promote peer support and the exchange of ideas between students with disabilities in the United States.
3. Collecting and disseminating information on topics of relevance to disabled students.
4. Tracking and responding to local and national disability issues that affect post-secondary institutions, initiating national and local dialogues about issues that are in need of attention.
5. Encouraging and strengthening local campus groups and coalitions.
6. Promoting the participation of students with disabilities in all aspects of campus life and across disciplines.
7. Supporting the inclusion of disability in higher education curricula, including disability studies.

If you would like to learn more about disability cultural centers, we encourage you to read a statement from AHEAD about disability cultural centers, and to visit the website for a Disability Cultural Center Symposium at the University of Illinois-Chicago.