The mission of the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) is to support the University’s commitment to equity and diversity by providing support services and academic accommodations to students with disabilities. We share information, promote awareness of disability issues, and provide support of a decentralized system of access for students within the University community.
Since its inception, SSD has always explored new ways to provide superior services to its students. As technology becomes more advanced and health care costs increase, and as funding has decreased due to many economic factors, we seek to continue providing our students with the services that will be most beneficial to their academic goals and achievement. Key areas of focus include: content tutoring, adaptive technology, and scholarship funding.
We believe that focusing on these crucial areas will enhance SSD's work as an invaluable resource for the University of Michigan community and for the approximately 3,000 students with disabilities our office serves annually in particular.
Opportunities
Adaptive Technology
An endowment ($50,000+) or expendable gift will assist the University to:
- Expand SSD’s offering of adaptive technology assistance to our U-M students with disabilities, which is a critical component for these students to achieve success.
- Provide the tools that students need to ensure their continued success in the classroom. In the last few years there have been some extraordinary developments in adaptive equipment aimed at maximizing student learning outcomes. We want to make sure that all of our students have access to them.
- Access and obtain the specific technology needed for students with disabilities. Your gift will help fund equipment like iPads, notebooks with speech output capabilities, voice recognition software, smart pens, and other equipment and software.
- Currently, costs associated with these technologies are prohibitive for many students with disabilities. Your gift will help ensure access to education at the University of Michigan and increase the likelihood of academic success, including important metrics such as retention and graduation rates for our students with disabilities.
A gift of $50,000 or more to SSD for this purpose will create a permanent named endowment.
Content Tutoring Program
An endowment ($50,000+) or expendable gift will assist the University to:
- Create a content tutoring program focused on U-M students with disabilities, one of the biggest demands our office receives.
- In surveys conducted to review our services with students, the one piece of feedback consistently received is the lack of tutoring opportunities geared toward students with disabilities. While providing tutoring services is not legally mandated, the research is clear that tutoring opportunities do improve a student's chance of academic success at the University.
- With increased resources dedicated to this priority, we could provide additional tutoring specifically for students with disabilities. Tutors could be graduate students, or professionals from the community who help in targeted academic areas. Cost is the biggest barrier for students who want tutors. With your support, SSD can increase funding to students to help cover or offset those costs.
A gift of $50,000 or more to SSD for this purpose will create a permanent named endowment. An endowment gift of this size would allow SSD to offer an additional 100 hours of tutoring annually.
Student Support Scholarships
An endowment ($50,000+) or expendable gift ($5,000+ annually) will assist the University to:
- Establish a named scholarship to support students who are registered with the Office for Services for Students with Disabilities. Donors may add specific preferences such as need- or merit-based criteria, in-state or out-of-state student, a particular school/college (e.g., LSA, Engineering), or link it to a specific condition (e.g., ADHD or dyslexia). We welcome discussions of other criteria.
- SSD is committed to making the U-M experience as accessible as possible for all enrolled students with disabilities. This begins by supporting these talented students with the appropriate academic accommodations. We would now like to grow the support available to these students in the form of financial aid.
- With your support, these scholarships will ensure more students with learning disabilities, chronic health conditions, or visual, hearing, or mobility impairments are able to pursue their degree with significantly less financial worry.
A gift of $50,000 or more to SSD for this purpose will create a permanent endowment providing financial aid for students.
Learn more about Services for Students with Disabilities!
Student Life is committed to student learning and the development of the whole student. We facilitate transformation and enrich education through new opportunities for learning and development; fostering an environment for the success of all community members; developing a deeper understanding of ourselves and others on an inclusive campus; enabling students to practice positive physical, emotional, social, intellectual, mental, and spiritual health; preparing students to succeed during and after their university experience; resolving complex issues through advocacy, services, and compliance; and providing programs and facilities for the physical, social, psychological, academic, and recreational needs of the campus community.
To do all this, and much more, Student Life needs your support—every gift matters.
Your Contribution
Your gifts of cash, pledges, or appreciated securities will enhance the experience of all University of Michigan students. Wills, estate, and planned gifts allow you to create a lasting legacy that will allow our students to grow and thrive for generations to come. Thank you for giving to the University of Michigan.
Planned Gifts
Legacy gifts from generous alumni and friends provide the future support needed to achieve the University’s long-term commitment to excellence. A bequest is the easiest and most tangible way to accomplish this. If you have already included Student Life in your estate plans, but have not previously notified us, please let us know. We would like to properly thank you for your support, ensure your wishes are met, and plan with you for the future.
To learn more about these opportunities to support Student Life, please contact Student Life Development at 734-647-7309 or email [email protected].