The Alliance Against Ableism has invited the Caravan for Disability Freedom and Justice (https://thedisabilitycaravan.com/) to come to UMass to collaborate with the Disability Community, broadly described as members of the AAA, UMAIDA ERG, Disability Culture Club, LGBTQIA+ ERG and The Stavros Center for Independent Living, to inform and educate our entire campus community.

The Caravan accepted this invitation and will visit Western Massachusetts on September 25, 2024, during their cross-country tour to shine a light on all those that have gone before as well as on current issues Americans with disabilities face.

We want to connect people with our rich history of activism and current advocacy on national, regional, and local issues. We view this as an opportunity to celebrate disability as an identity and help disabled people register to vote, further breaking down barriers many disabled people encounter when attempting to vote, and to help improve a sense of belonging for disabled Faculty,Staff, and Students in our campus community.

We have also extended invitations to Senator Jo Comerford, Representative Mindy Domb, The Stavros Center for Independent Living, and the Town of Amherst Disability Access Advisory Committee; and, all have accepted our invitation.

• Speeches and Presentations: Massachusetts Senator Jo Comerford and Massachusetts State Representative Mindy Domb
• Informational Booths: Resources and information on disability advocacy, disability pride and community, and support services
• Interactive Sessions: Engaging activities to foster dialogue and understanding
• Art Exhibit: Select artwork from Mouth Magazine, part of the Lucy Gwin Papers (1968-2009) collection at UMass Amherst
• Movie Showing and Q&A: Lives Worth Living with film producer Alison Gilkey