Megan Holmes (she/her)
I am a second-year PhD student in Klemens Hertel’s lab in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the School of Medicine. I received my Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from the University of California Riverside. After graduating I worked as a Research Technician for two years at Caltech before coming to UCI in 2020. The symptoms of my disability manifested during my years as an undergraduate. At the time I was confused about how to tackle this new part of my life and I couldn’t even begin to register it in my mind as a disability. Not understanding that I had a disability really affected me when I started working because I didn’t understand or utilize the rights I had and the accommodations that were available to me as someone with a disability. It wasn’t until after I started my PhD at UCI that I met others with disabilities like my own through treatment programs which allowed me to finally find comfort in my identity as someone with a disability. Now through D-Allied, I hope we can provide a space where others with all types of disabilities can come together to find community and resources and provide support to both individuals who are experienced with their disabilities and individuals who may be just starting their journeys.
Neda Morakabati
I am a second year PhD student in the Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep lab in the department of Neurobiology and Behavior. I grew up in Massachusetts, and received my Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from UMass Amherst. Although I didn’t acknowledge it as a disability until the end of my undergraduate career, my symptoms have challenged me ever since high school. I neglected my needs, thinking it wasn’t bad enough to be deemed a disability, until I started reading about service dogs that were trained for my symptoms, and began giving truth to the limited energy I had. It was through my disabled friends and groups that I met others with service dogs, others with my symptoms, and an overall community of resources and validation that led me to taking care of myself. I realized how much easier life is meant to be once I finally accommodated myself. I recognize how important it is to have that group when you enter the disabled community, or move to a new place with new accommodations processes. My hopes for this group is that it will serve as a resource for those who need help adjusting to new life circumstances, a new administration, and more importantly to normalize disabilities, so the stigma around them does not preclude anyone from asking for the help they need.
Arlo
Woof