Workshops for Students with Disabilities

We are excited to host a variety of workshops and support spaces for students registered with Disability Services this semester. 

Watch

▶️ Preview of what you might learn with our learning specialists

To register for workshops

Check your email for the registration links or email Michele McGrath (Learning Specialist) at [email protected] and Daryl Axelrod (Learning Specialist) at [email protected] to register.

Only students currently registered with Disability Services are eligible to register.

If you require disability accommodations to participate in these events, please contact [email protected] at least 3 days prior to the event. Captioning will be provided for all remote workshops on Zoom. 

Single Session-Workshops

Pizza, Planning, Accommodation Set-Up & Tour of DS Exam Spaces 

  • Friday 9/18/2026, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Havemeyer 115 Disability Testing Center 

 

Starting the Semester Off Right

  • Tuesday 9/22/206, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Faculty House, Board Room 1754 (3rd Floor) 

 

How Learning Works and Research-based Strategies for Learning 

  • Tuesday 9/29/2026, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Faculty House, Board Room 1754 (3rd Floor) 
  • Friday 10/2/2026, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Zoom 

 

Reading: Understanding Reading & Reading Strategies 

  • Tuesday 10/6/2026, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Faculty House, Board Room 1754 (3rd Floor) 
  • Friday 10/9/2026, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Zoom 

 

Library Resources & Tour of Butler Library (Collaboration with Library Staff at Butler Library) 

  • Fri. 10/16/2026, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. at Butler Library, Room 203 

 

Finals Prep & Study Skills

  • Tuesday, 12/1/2026, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Faculty House, Board Room 1754 (3rd Floor)   
  • Friday, 12/4/2026, 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Zoom

 

Reading Week: Pizza & Quiet Study Space for Disability-Services Registered Students 

  • Wednesday, 12/16/2026, 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Butler Library, Room 306 

Workshop Descriptions

This is a community building event for students registered with the Disability Services Office. We are hosting this in our testing center, so students have an opportunity to tour this space in a low-stakes environment. At this event, you can meet and mingle with other students registered with our office. Learning Specialists will have resources you can use to plan out your semester. Staff will also be there to answer any questions you may have about the upcoming semester and to guide in setting up accommodations for the semester. Lastly, we will have pizza to enjoy!   

This is a hands-on workshop designed to help you reflect and set goals, organize, manage your time, and set you up to have a productive, enjoyable semester. You will also learn about campus resources available to you that support academic success. Attendees will have time allotted during the workshop to begin using organizational strategies discussed and will have the opportunity to collaborate with others.  

This workshop will integrate the science of learning with research-based learning strategies. We will discuss the background of how learning works and use this to introduce learning strategies and try them out in the session together. Our goal for students is to gain a better understanding of the WHY behind learning to implement the strategies we introduce in a meaningful way and to creatively come up with their own approaches to learning. Lastly, conversations surrounding learning and disability will be integrated throughout the workshop. 

This workshop will introduce students to the complexity of the reading process. Once a foundational knowledge of the reading process is established, we will explore the topic of disability and how it can impact reading. We will then shift focus to research-based reading strategies and will specifically model and try out the lean/recursive reading strategy together in the workshop. Lastly, students will be provided with additional worksheets related to reading strategies, as well as assistive technology recommendations.  

This workshop is hosted in collaboration with Sydni Meyer, Teaching and Undergraduate Services Librarian at Butler Library. During this workshop students will: 

  • Gain knowledge of library resources available to them as a Columbia student 
  • Learn about accessibility initiatives and accessibility-related services that the Columbia Library system offers to all students and to DS-registered students 
  • Go on a tour of Butler Library  
  • Try out new research techniques using the Columbia library resources 

This workshop is designed to help students to build effective study strategies and approach exams with increased confidence. Students will learn about effective memory and studying techniques they can apply to their final exams. They will learn evidence-based test anxiety strategies and try these out during the session. Lastly, students will be provided with resources and planning time to make the most out of their study sessions.  

Reading week takes place in between the last day of classes and the start of final exams. This is a time for Columbia students to study and prepare for their final exams. It is also a very busy time at Columbia's libraries. This semester, we were lucky to be able to reserve a quiet study space on Wed. 12/16 from 1-5 pm in Butler Library Room 306. This space will be just for Disability Services students to use to quietly study. We will also have pizza available for students at the start of this study time.