UMass Boston

The Ross Center for Disability Services

The Ross Center strives to create inclusive academic environments by providing academic accommodations, resources, and training in assistive technology, and information to increase the understanding of disability throughout the university community. Students registered with the Ross Center can be evaluated for a full range of reasonable modifications to ensure access, including assistive technology, extended time on quizzes/tests, interpreters of American Sign Language, reduced distracting testing, recorded textbooks, readers, scribes, early registration for classes, and more. Services are available to online students as well.

The Ross Center is located on the Upper Level of the Campus Center.
Tel: 617.287.7430
Email: Ross.Center@umb.edu

UMass Boston Alert System

The UMass Boston Alert System is a communications service that UMass Boston provides for all students, faculty, and staff. It allows university officials to notify the campus community of emergencies or significant threats to campus safety. You may log into the system to add a cell phone or change your preferred email preferences.

For a temporary three day sign-up to the alert system text the word UMBTempAlerts to 67283. 

Getting to Campus

There are marked disability parking spaces in every public parking lot on campus. If you have questions related to parking on campus contact the Office of Parking and Transportation at 617.287.5041.

In addition, The RIDE, MBTA’s door-to-door, shared-ride paratransit service transports community members to our campus.

Community members can be dropped off at various campus locations for ease of pedestrian travel. Drop off locations include in front of the ISC, the admissions circle, the Clark Athletic Center turnaround, the Beacon Lot, and the rear campus center drop off area. 

Learning Design Services

Learning Design Services partners with faculty, students, staff, and leadership, to design and develop engaging, inclusive learning experiences that employ evidence-based pedagogy and innovative solutions to promote learner success and wellness.

Aira

Aira is a service at UMass Boston which expands access to those in our community who are blind or have low vision, unlocking a more independent experience. Aira is an app which can be added to your smartphone that delivers access to visual information to enhance your everyday efficiency, engagement, and independence. Faculty, staff, and students at UMass Boston can connect to a trained Aira agent who can see through your phone's camera to provide you with information about your environment and help you navigate anywhere on campus. For more information on Aira use on campus visit the Aira IT webpage.

ADA Coordinator

An ADA Coordinator is a designated employee within a public entity responsible for ensuring that the organization complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which means they actively work to prevent discrimination against individuals with disabilities by coordinating efforts to make services and facilities accessible to all, and ensuring processes are in place to handle reasonable accommodation requests and investigate complaints related to disability access issues. The UMass Boston ADA Coordinator can be contacted by emailing Andrea.Haas@umb.edu. 

Job Accommodation Network

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. Working toward practical solutions that benefit both employer and employee, JAN helps people with disabilities enhance their employability, and shows employers how to capitalize on the value and talent that people with disabilities add to the workplace.

New England ADA Center

The New England ADA Center is one of ten regional disability and business technical assistance centers. Since 1991, the ADA National Network has provided information, guidance and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), tailored to meet the needs of business, government and individuals at local, regional and national levels.

National Council on Disability

The National Council on Disability provides a list of resources for persons with disabilities.

Massachusetts Commission for the Blind

The Massachusetts Commission for the Blind provides rehabilitation and social services leading to independence, and economic self-sufficiency through employment, and full community inclusion for the blind.

Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing

The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing (MCDHH) is tasked with raising awareness of the issues of Deaf and hard of hearing people of all ages and backgrounds. MCDHH provides accessible communication, education, and advocacy to consumers and private and public entities so that programs, services, and opportunities are fully accessible to persons who are Deaf and hard of hearing.

Massachusetts Office on Disability

The Massachusetts Office on Disability works to ensure the full and equal participation of all people with disabilities in all aspects of life.

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) provides a framework for creating learning opportunities that accommodate a wide range of students from the outset. Instead of making accommodations for disabilities and other learning differences after the fact, UDL enables faculty to design classes that are inclusive of all learners. CAST, a leading authority on UDL, offers a website called UDL on Campus specifically designed for college and university faculty. This website aims to assist faculty in creating accessible, welcoming, and supportive classrooms where all students can thrive. It shares the scientific principles of UDL and provides practical guidance through written instructions, videos, and examples.

Disability Law Center

Disability Law Center is a private, non-profit public interest law firm providing free Legal assistance and information to people with disabilities throughout Massachusetts.

State and Federal Agencies

The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will investigate complaints of discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, services, credit and education. The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights will investigate complaints related to discrimination against a school, school district, college, university, library, or other educational entity that is covered by a law OCR enforces.

Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
One Ashburton Place
Suite 601
Boston MA 02108
617.994.6000
Email: mcad@mass.gov

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
475 Government Center
Boston, MA 02203
800.669.4000

U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights
Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Bldg
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-1100
Telephone: 800-421-3481
Email: OCR@ed.gov