'I feel like it is a place that offers hope for parents, like myself, that kids can have a future,' said Temple, the mother of an autistic 10-year-old son. More than 12,500 students with disabilities have benefited from BMAC’s services, empowering them to build lives of purpose on the path of their choosing, one of the priorities of CSULB’s No Barriers comprehensive fundraising campaign.ĭonor Sumer Temple said the BMAC offers more than just services for students, faculty and parents of students with disabilities. Providing a barrier-free university experience is at the heart of the Bob Murphy Access Center (BMAC). Mary Nguyen, director of the Bob Murphy Access Center, said she hopes that introducing Elbee and the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower will be “a positive way for our students to share with others that they may have an invisible disability and create the space for having conversations about how they can be best supported.”įor example, a student might let their faculty and peers know that they have an invisible disability and thrive best when they can audio record so that they can replay and review their class discussions in their own environment and at their own pace, she added. Some ways to show inclusivity can be hearing what the individual may need in the moment, such as embracing their different abilities and providing them with a safe space to have more time.ĭuring Disability Pride Month, and into the first few weeks of the semester, the University Bookstore will be adding the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower to Elbee merchandise for faculty, staff and students who wish to represent invisible disabilities or to stand in solidarity as an Ability Ally.

In conjunction with this Disabilities Pride Month in July, The Beach is unveiling Elbee with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower that will let faculty, staff and students know that the individual could have a disability and would benefit from understanding, inclusivity and support. Elbee displays a sunflower, the adopted symbol for hidden disabilities.

Invisible disabilities stigma