Virtual Bingo Night

The Alumni Disability Alliance will be hosting its second virtual event on July 15th, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. CDT. This event is open to everyone and will be a night of storytelling, fun, and community building. There will be prizes!

We hope to see you there!

Discord: Launching an Online Community

The Alumni Disability Alliance is proud to announce the creation of the ADA Discord. Here, members can have casual conversations, discuss current events, pets, favorite fidgets, and more! This is still a new space and therefore ever evolving!

Click here to join the ADA Discord!

Senior Spotlight:

In this edition of the ADA newsletter, we are thrilled to spotlight a few of our graduating seniors, who graciously shared reflections on their time at Grinnell. We wish them the absolute best as they step into the post-graduate world, and we are excited to officially welcome them into our alumni community!

Reunion 2026 Recap!

For the 146th Alumni Reunion from May 28-31 Grinnell College hosted 1,456 Grinnellians. For the Alumni Disability Alliance the signature event of the weekend was the open house in the Disability Cultural Center located in Steiner Hall. Furthermore, new this year was the accessibility table both at Block Party and the All Reunion dinner allowed alumni to order at the table and have a runner go and get their food in order to avoid the long lines.

Please enjoy the photo collage from the weekend. Photos courtesy of the Grinnell College Office of Development and Alumni Relations and the Grinnell College Office of Communications.

July is Disability Pride!

For Disability Pride in July 2026 we are launching a social media campaign showcasing the diversity of the disability alumni community and bringing awareness to it. This means that we are looking for alumni to spotlight! If you are interested in being spotlighted please contact Sarah Smith-Benanti at smithben@grinnell.edu.

Science Spotlight:

Our Science Spotlight features emerging research and innovations that contribute to a broader understanding of disability, neurodiversity, chronic illness, and human health.

This month’s highlight explores a recent paper that examines ADHD through the lens of circadian rhythm disruption, looking at how differences in the body’s internal clock and sleep patterns may play an important role in ADHD. The body’s circadian rhythm helps regulate sleep, alertness, energy levels, and hormones throughout the day. In many people with ADHD, this internal clock may run later than usual, causing melatonin (the hormone that helps signal sleep) to be released later at night. As a result, energy, motivation, and focus may peak later in the evening, which can leave people feeling most alert at times when they are expected to be winding down for sleep.

The paper also discusses the potential of chronotherapy, an approach that aligns interventions with the body’s naturally occurring circadian rhythms, as a way to support symptom management and daily functioning. The paper discusses several strategies that may help reinforce healthier and more consistent sleep patterns, including the use of bright light lamps in the morning, limiting light exposure at night, and maintaining a more consistent sleep schedule. It also highlights the importance of timing, noting that small doses of melatonin taken earlier in the evening may help gradually shift the body’s internal clock earlier. Rather than making drastic schedule changes, the paper suggests that slowly adjusting sleep and wake times in small increments will help create more sustainable long term changes.

ADHD as a circadian rhythm disorder: evidence and implications for chronotherapy

Sports Spotlight:

The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games were held in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities in Minnesota! From June 20-26, more than 3,000 athletes from all 50 states competed in 16 different sports. Special Olympics athletes made a big splash in events like swimming, basketball, bowling, bocce, and track & field. This year cornhole and pickleball made their official USA Games debut. The addition of these sports reflects a growing focus on inclusive sport design, creating opportunities for athletes with different support needs, mobility levels, and athletic backgrounds to compete side by side.

Adaptive Technology in the Winter Paralympics: Innovation on Ice and Snow

Iowan Kevin McKee won his 4th gold medal this month in the paralympics