Frequently Asked Questions

Graduate students with disabilities have unique needs that may lead us to ask where we “fit” in the university setting. A fellow-graduate student, Britt-Marie Zeidler, decided to explore that question by creating an initiative in which other graduate students can find support and work collaboratively to write their own answers to that question. For many of us, we have learned that our responsibility is not to “fit into” the settings around us, but to question how those settings are set up and advocate for ways in which our environments can change to represent us better.

You can be involved in GPSD to whatever extent you would like and are available. Here are just a few ways you can choose to participate:

• Join our email list!
• Come to events! We have weekly meetings and plan on hosting other events throughout the year.
• Organize an event! If you have an event you’d like to see happen, let’s make it happen.
• Volunteer! We have many volunteer opportunities ranging from leadership positions to support roles.

We understand that people are busy and it’s hard to make a firm commitment. Many of our volunteer positions are flexible, and our meetings are easy to drop-in and drop-out as needed. If you’re interested in getting involved, especially in volunteer positions, please don’t let concerns about time availability stop you! If you’d like to ask about our volunteer positions or have any other questions, please reach out to us.

There are no fees. However, for anyone who wishes to contribute monetarily to GPSD, we are currently working on setting up a process for donations.

No! We welcome anyone who supports creating a supportive and friendly environment for graduate and professional students with disabilities.

No! We will never ask you to disclose your disability, although you are welcome to share whatever you are comfortable sharing.