Mission Statement

ADSUM's main purpose and objective on campus is to improve the social and academic atmosphere at the University of Montana for persons who have a disability regardless of the nature of the disability, race, creed, color, sex or religion. The organization is dedicated to identifying and bringing down architectural, programmatic and attitudinal barriers on campus as well as ensuring civil rights and equal access for students with disabilities in all aspects of life.

Goals

• Work with the University to ensure equal program access for all students. The University of Montana has done much to ensure equal program access for students with disabilities. However, there is still much to be done for the University to complete its own Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Self-evaluation and Transition plan written in 1993. ADSUM believes strongly that students with disabilities must drive this process.
• Give students with disabilities a sense of solidarity. If you have an issue about access on campus – chances are someone else has the same issue. If we all come together to work on issues we can be a powerful force for change!
• Educate students with disabilities about access and how they can be involved in access issues. You know how access, or lack of it, affects you. But do you know how to go about making change? How the University budget works? Who has the power to make the changes needed? What the law allows? What is the University legally required to provide?
• Educate the campus community about disability issues. The campaign will bring in all students, with or without disabilities, who believe in equal access.
• Changing the stereotypes that abound in society about people with disabilities by bringing students with disabilities into the mainstream of campus life and to be a strong and visible presence as university decision-makers. By interacting together on an equal basis, around a common cause, students without disabilities will learn about disability culture and issues.

What adsum does to achieve it's goals

• Meet with the university administration, facility services and other members in the university system to ensure their commitment to access.
• Get ADSUM members on key committees that plan, implement and oversee areas that affect access for students with disabilities.
• Form a student advisory committee to work with DSS on ways to improve services and to ensure faculty awareness on access issues.
• ADSUM works to dispel the stereotypes and misperceptions held about people with disabilities by society at large.
• Identified access issues by listening and learning from all students at the University.