Disability Resources & Educational Services at University of Illinois

04/04/2025

🚀 Ace Your Next Interview with Confidence! 🚀

Feeling the pressure before an interview? Do you know how to walk in with confidence? We’ve got you covered!

✨ DRES Career Services presents: Building a Positive Mindset for Interviewing with Wyatt Beal! ✨

💡 Learn how affirmations & power poses can transform your confidence.
💡 Discover subtle image tweaks to present the BEST version of YOU!

📅 Date: April 17
⏰ Time: 3:00 PM

Don’t miss out on this game-changing session!

🔥 Tag a friend who needs this & join us!



alt text: Graphic promoting the 'Building a Positive Mindset for Interviewing' presentation hosted by DRES Career Services. The graphic includes the DRES Career Service logo, a cartoon of a person Wonder Woman power posing, an affirmation word bubble that says “I am capable,” and details of the time and meeting place.

02/01/2025

📢 UPCOMING APPLICATION DEADLINES? 🚀

Make sure you’re prepared with Big Interview! 🎤💼

Big Interview offers expert tips, industry-specific interview practice, and the ability to record yourself to review and improve your responses. It’s the perfect way to stand out to employers! Best of all—it’s FREE for Illinois students.

📍 Go to https://illinois.biginterview.com/ or scan the QR code in the graphic.

🔹 Ace your interviews. Land your dream job. Let’s get you career-ready!

02/01/2025

🚨 The first DRES Career Services Newsletter of the Spring Semester is here! 🌟 Scan the QR code to unlock career tips, tricks, and events designed to help you thrive. Don’t miss out on the tools to level up your career journey! 💼✨


https://shorturl.at/lnH1w

Check out this design designed by Frees-Williams, Allison.

12/19/2024

Happy Holidays from all of us at DRES!
As we wrap up 2024, we wish everyone a restful and joyful holiday break. Your support means the world to us, and we can’t wait to partner with you again in 2025. Here’s to a bright and successful new year ahead!

11/26/2024

Wishing You a Safe and Relaxing Fall Break!

From November 23 through December 1, we hope all students enjoy a well-deserved break to recharge and spend time with loved ones. Please note that DRES will be closed on November 28 and 29 in observance of the holiday.

Whether you’re traveling, catching up on rest, or celebrating with family and friends, take care of yourselves and have a wonderful week!

We look forward to seeing you back on campus soon! 🍂

11/19/2024

Alert: Prioritize Your Health and Wellness at Work! 🌟

Join us this Wednesday for an empowering session on Health and Wellness in the Workplace! 🧘‍♀️💼

DRES Career Services is thrilled to welcome Jeannette Elliott, DRES Physical Therapist, and Jodi Adams, as they share their expertise on staying healthy, energized, and balanced while navigating your professional journey.

💡 Key Topics:
• Practical strategies for workplace wellness
• Tips for managing stress and promoting mental health
• How to create a sustainable work-life balance

Don’t miss this opportunity to invest in your well-being and learn from the best! ✨

👉 RSVP now at allisonf@illinois.edu

10/18/2024

Are you ready??? We are!!!

It's about that TIME! 🏀

Next Friday we open our season up in Texas with 3 games for our women and 4 for our men!

Want to watch? Check the link in our bio for our Youtube and pages for livestreams of all next weekend's action!

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10/14/2024

🌎National Disability Employment Awareness Month🌍

The global workforce is evolving, with an increasing number of professionals openly self-identifying disabilities during onboarding. According to the 2024 Disability Equality Index Report, 4% of new hires worldwide and 5% in the U.S. are disclosing their disability status—higher than the self-identification rates among existing employees.

While these numbers may seem small, they represent a vital shift towards inclusion. As more individuals feel empowered to share their experiences, it’s essential for companies to adapt their talent acquisition and retention strategies to create truly inclusive workplaces.

09/04/2024

🏀 Paralympic Watch Party Alert! 🏅

Join us this Wednesday, September 4th for another exciting day of Paralympic action at DRES! We’ve got a fantastic lineup of events, and we’d love for you to come and cheer on our incredible athletes.

Schedule:
• 9:00 AM: USA Women’s Basketball team takes on Great Britain in their first elimination round game! 🏀
(Cheer on USA’s Kaitlyn Eaton, Ali Ibanez, and Emily Oberst! GB’s Jade Atkin and Helen Freeman will also be in action.)
• 12:10 PM: Men’s 100m Final – Root for Brian! 🏃‍♂️
• 1:40 PM: Women’s 100m Final – Let’s support Hannah and Tatyana! 🏃‍♀️

Come show your support and be part of the excitement! Let’s rally behind our athletes and celebrate their incredible achievements!

09/04/2024

🎉 Illinois Part-Time Job Fair 🎉

Looking for a way to earn extra money and build your career skills while studying? The Illinois Part-Time Job Fair is the perfect opportunity for students to find paid part-time positions on campus or in the Champaign-Urbana community!

📍 Location: Illini Union
👕 Dress Code: Casual attire is welcome – this is an informal fair!

From 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM, the fair will be open early for students registered with DRES. Come explore opportunities in a comfortable and supportive environment before the general session.

Join us and take the first step towards building your career while completing your academics! 💼✨

09/01/2024

⭐️ Would. Y'all. Just. Look. At. Our. Paralympians. ⭐️

🇫🇷 The 2024 Paralympics are underway in Paris!

📺 For the first time ever, all 22 Paralympic sports will be broadcast live, so I hope y'all kept your Peacock account going. The better their streaming numbers, the better the coverage will be in subsequent years. (NBC, USA Network, and CNBC will also be broadcasting.)

🇺🇸 The U.S. is sending 225 Paralympians with an even M/F split (110 each) plus five guides (who also earn medals).

🎫 141 of them are returning competitors.

🥇 52 are returning gold medalists!

📅 The youngest is 15; the oldest is 52.

🔔 There are two sports that exist in the Paralympics that do not exist in the companion Olympic games: goalball and boccia.

🏉 The balls used in goalball and in blind football are filled with bells to help competitors locate them.

🎾 A modification to the game of wheelchair tennis allows for two bounces instead of one, and that second bounce can be out of bounds so long as the first bounce was in-bounds.

🌽 For my fellow Illinoisans, we have the 2nd-most athletes competing (behind California) with 12 coming from Illinois (plus two more that are connected but not from IL).

🦽 Part of the reason for our high amount of Olympians is the incredible Disability Resources & Educational Services at University of Illinois (DRES) which is the national training center for wheelchair racing (and an incredible place to tour). It is such a big part of para sporting that several athletes competing for other countries are also connected to it.

💨 Those wheelchair racers clock at over 20mph when racing which is blazing.

🏀 Cool to note that University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the birthplace of wheelchair basketball!

👨‍🦽 For my Champaign townies, local hero Brian Siemann will be competing in his 4th Olympics in Para Track & Field. Legend.

✨ I hope everyone has a chance to check out some events and cheer on the competitors from around the world!


w/ Team USA