The number of students registered with the Office of Disability Resources at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is increasing, and that’s a good thing. It means more students are gaining access to the support services they need—everything from ASL interpretation to exam accommodations.

Kalie Jeremiason, a disability support coordinator with Disability Resources, meets with students one-on-one in “momentum sessions,” academic coaching sessions offered to students registered with the office. In those sessions, she said, “there were a lot of students asking if that time could be used for body doubling,” a productivity technique where students work on their tasks in close proximity to each other to help with accountability and motivation. That need is also reflective of an increase in students registered with Disability Resources with a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In response, Jeremiason and her colleague Alissa Postal introduced the “Momentum Group,” a drop-in study session that allows students to be each other’s body doubles.

For Taylor Turgeon, a Cultural Entrepreneurship student, the new group “has made all the difference.” Before Momentum Group, Turgeon said she would try to set up study time with friends or visit more frequently with her academic advisor, but as someone who lives with ADHD, those efforts were challenging.

“With the body doubling group, it has been awesome because I can just set that time aside in my schedule and then show up,” she said. “The outside of my life is a lot less stressful knowing that I have stuff I can get done here.”

For Jeremiason, seeing students taking advantage of this new group and other resources is promising, and the reason she enjoys the work.

“UMD is taking steps to work toward a more inclusive environment,” she said. “It really is an honor to be part of such a great team.”

Momentum Group meets from 10 a.m. to Noon on Thursdays in Griggs Center and is open to all students. You don’t need to be registered with Disability Resources to participate. For students seeking additional support with executive functioning, UMD’s Health Services hosts the “Get It Done Group,” a peer-to-peer counseling group where students can learn from each other and a Health Services counselor.

“I think I’m most proud of my ability to persevere and constantly seek help when I need it.”
-Taylor Turgeon, Cultural Entrepreneurship, B.A.