UCOD Meeting Notes (November 18, 2025)

UCLA Committee on Disability / UCOD Meeting Notes (November 18, 2025)

UCOD Meeting Notes (November 18, 2025)

UCOD Meeting
November 18, 2025 / 2PM / Zoom

Attendees

Voting Members:
Yasamin Bolourian, Fang-I Chu, Christine Craib, Michael Garafola, Cate Gvon, Travis Lee, Carolanne Link (Proxy for Caitlin Solone and Quinn O’Connor), Sanaz Nabati, Grace Overman, Sylvia Page, Emilia Podesta, Sal Santa Ana, Nicholas Shinghal, Alexa Vaughn

Absent:
Aryan Pandey, Harold Pimentel

Guests:
Mauricio Baker Mason, Jessica Broutt, Roxas Haze, Marissa Klymkiw, Yonit Kovnator, Rose Maly, Jennifer Miyaki, Ariella Morrison, Isabela Murray, Spencer Scruggs, K. Supriya, Brooke Wilkinson

Agenda

1. Intros (MG, 6 mins)

2. Moment of silence for Alice Wong, Disability Rights Activist

a. Disability Visibility Project

b. Radiolab podcast: Voice

c. Year of The Tiger audiobook

3. Disability Pride Week summary (Everyone, 10-15 mins)

a. Lessons learned

i. Rain impacted foot traffic.

ii. Hybrid UCOD meeting went well.

iii. Sensory Hour for HIRE UCLA Job Fair: Included both grads and undergrads. Some issues with crowding and confusion around the entrance area in Pauley. Signage and picture instructions could help in future, ensuring that accommodations to enter after 3 are met. Still an improvement on the previous 4pm entry time. Sanaz will pass along feedback.

iv. Wheelchair basketball: Canceled due to leak in Collins Court.

v. CAE Open House: Well-attended. Showed off staff space and had good snacks.

vi. Disability Studies Student Welcome Event: Involved social activity and conversation between students and faculty.

vii. Drop-in Zinemaking Workshop: In future, will market more.

viii. Disability Allyship Training: Fostered relationships and opportunities for consultations with student groups and departments. Important to highlight the culture component.

ix. Supporting Neurodivergent Students lecture: Well-attended, including participants from outside of UCLA and produced follow-up conversations.

x. UDAN x DSU Virtual Escape Room: Team-based activity on Zoom. Included newcomers to DSU and UDAN.

xi. Keynote Talk from Sam McIntosh: Well attended and appreciated. Sam is available for follow-up questions. Could we market the hybrid aspect more next time?

xii. Disabled Authors Pop-up: Still up in Powell Main Rotunda.

xiii. Special screening. Had to reschedule due to tech issues. Radiation and Oncology plans to hold another screening in 2026 and plans to hold screenings twice a year.

b. Goals for next year

i. Budget unlikely to increase next year.

ii. Investigate the processes of booking Bruin Plaza and passing out food. This was a major challenge this year.

iii. Involve Vice Provost of Inclusive Excellence Ralina Joseph

iv. Connect to LA 28

c. Raise more money for DPW? (Fang)

i. Identifying external funding sources

4. New undergrad and grad jobs available: VR Disability Lab (3 mins)

a. Undergrad positions are currently available through Handshake. Graduate position will be posted soon.

b. Running assessment for people with disabilities in AR/VR instructional environments.

5. Resurrect the newsletter? (Fang and Travis, 5 mins)

a. Currently sunsetted.

b. Could external funding be helpful? There may be rules about this from Strategic Communications. Looking into other distribution sources, but would not be able to use UCLA name or brand.

c. Newsletter Committee was very labor intensive.

d. Suggestion to partner with a department to distribute.

6. Department updates (All, 10 mins)

a. DCP will be hiring between 2-6 student jobs related to digital accessibility. If anyone knows of undergrad screen reader users, please encourage application.

b. Adaptive Rec is partnering with Disability Sports and Inclusion Lab for Intro to Para-badminton on Saturday, November 22nd. Please encourage disabled students and allies to participate in adaptive rec programming. Suggestion to host a UCOD adaptive sports event. DS Labs could also partner. Please contact Michael if you’re interested in working on this event.

c. UDAN is hosting an online holiday craft night on December 4th at 6:30pm.

d. CAE: Application for accommodations is officially shifting over to My CAE next week. Students won’t have immediate access until after finals but more information and tutorials on the new platform will be distributed to students soon. Official launch of My CAE is in January. Students are advised to check their profiles to make sure all content migrates correctly. Accommodation letters that instructors receive will come from the specialists and have explicit instructions under each accommodation. CAE will hold office hours for students and instructors on My CAE.

e. Career Center: I Can Training: Two day training for staff and faculty on incorporating career decisionmaking.

f. Persisting issue with the area in front of the UCLA Store blocking elevator access. Please send any documentation of this to Yonit.

7. Closed door vote (Committee members, 10 mins)

a. Discussion with no formal vote.