Accessibility and Disability

Active Minds is a 501(c)(3) national non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness for mental illnesses across college campuses. Active Minds at UTD is one of four hundred chapters across the nation, open to all students, with the goal to raise awareness about issues surrounding psychological health, remove stigma concerning mental disorders to make students feel more comfortable, and provide an open environment for students and faculty to speak about mental health and act.

AFA at UTD is a service organization that aims to advocate for Alzheimer’s disease through education, volunteering, and fundraising. Through collaboration with the nonprofit Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, we seek to involve the UTD community in joining the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

The purpose of ACSUTD is to present opportunities to provide support to cancer patients and their families everywhere. In addition to volunteering and fundraising opportunities, our organization will also provide our members with access to various speakers and presentations about ongoing cancer research.

We are a service organization that focuses on fundraising and volunteering for the American Heart Association. We also will be making available other volunteering services and educating in basic life support and connecting members to services to receive CPR certification.

Mission: Through our ASL club, we hope to educate our members in American Sign Language. Our goal is to not only bring about a culture of sign language on our campus, but we also hope to strengthen the ties between the Deaf and hearing community by spreading awareness through the various events that we will be hosting. In addition, we hope that our members will come away with an understanding of how sign language can be useful in early childhood
intervention and language development to guide those children who are speech- or language-delayed, or are at risk of being classified as nonverbal due to limited oral-motor skills.

Best Buddies UTD fosters one-to-one friendships between UTD students without IDD and their peers on campus or in the community with IDD. Young adults with IDD historically have been isolated at home or in work environments. The Best Buddies Colleges program is changing this by providing the opportunity for people with IDD to be involved in their local campus and community life.

BBU aims to help children with autism and special needs learn and develop through the support of UT-Dallas students. Our impact can be most meaningful through direct volunteerism at schools, camps and events. We hope that our members will serve as role models and promote success in this vulnerable population.

Bring Change to Mind at UTD seeks to fight the stigma surrounding mental illness and promote the mental and physical wellbeing of students on campus. The club focuses on a comprehensive approach to mental health and will cover topics such as nutrition, exercise, self-care, and culture in addition to traditional mental health disorders such as, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, eating disorder, and anxiety disorders.

Divergent is an organization that aims to help people understand different neurodevelopmental disorders. The organization will help students understand the potential causes of and cures for these conditions, and will encourage them to help foster a climate of acceptance and empathy towards those who have been affected. The organization’s mission is to create a new generation of individuals who will make the world a better place for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Welcome to For Autistic Empowerment! As an organization, our goal is to blossom a social community for students on campus with autism. Together, we continue to discuss our personal walks with autism- the struggles we've faced and the obstacles we've overcome. As we grow, we have goals to reach out and help younger students with autism, including those in high school. That said, we are looking for more more members who are dedicated, passionate, and willing to express their experiences with autism in order to help others. Anyone who is willing to attend meetings or to generally support our group is welcome to attend and to become a member.

Lemon Club at UT Dallas honors the legacy of Alex, a remarkable girl who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at the age of one and unfortunately passed away at the age of eight, after raising millions through lemonade stands in hopes of finding a cure for childhood cancer. We honor this legacy by raising awareness and funds for childhood cancer research. All of the funds go directly to Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

We at Princesses With A Purpose at UTD are focused on bringing HOPE, JOY, LOVE, and HAPPINESS to children in need.
Our members dress up as fairytale characters and visit underprivileged and hospitalized children through the form of hospital visits, Make-A-Wish parties, and other events we set up. Here at our UTD branch, we are focused on recruiting princesses, princes, and volunteers for our off-campus events, fundraising for the upkeep of costumes and wigs, and making appearances on campus when invited. If you love volunteering, dressing up, or even just want a creative way to earn service hours, this is the organization for you!

Society for MS and Chronic Pain will be devoted to raising awareness about Chronic pain and Multiple Sclerosis. This organization aims to gather motivated and passionate individuals who would be willing to donate their time for the above cause. As a group, we aim to create awareness in the DFW area. We would also reach out to low socioeconomic communities in the DFW area and provide assistance based on our capabilities. Our reason for targeting low socioeconomic communities is that most of them work jobs that cause physical stress leading to underlying injuries which would cause pain. This organization will serve UT Dallas and its students by giving them opportunities to interact with people and help make a difference in their life.

Our organization consists of a group of young minds who want to bring the change and make the society a beautiful place for everyone with their innovative ideas in the technology domain.

The purpose of UTD Service-dogs In Training (SIT), a chapter of Collegiate Canine Companions for Independence (C3I), is to help Canine Companions for Independence in caring for puppies. Canine Companions recently opened a training campus in Irving, Texas. They breed and train assistance dogs that they give to people with disabilities at no cost to the recipient. Our job as Puppy Raisers or Puppy Sitters is to provide a place to live as they grow up, to socialize them to other dogs and humans, and to help in the training process. It takes some dedication, but it is a rewarding part of the process. UTD SIT will also have general volunteers to assist Canine Companions for Independence with their need for volunteers at fundraisers, awareness and outreach, and various other tasks asked of their normal volunteer.