Large sunny garden filled with sculptures in downtown Chicago
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Resources

LGBTQIA+ Resources

SAIC is committed to supporting  our LGBTQIA+ community members. In addition to our ongoing programs that foster a culture of belonging, the school provides all-gender bathrooms and residence halls, and a host of other gender-affirming resources. See below to learn more about the campus and community resources as well as ways to connect and get involved. Please reach out to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion if you have LGBTQIA+ programming and partnership ideas.         

  • Community members may, at any time, change their displayed name and pronouns through SAIC Self Service.

    • Go to saic.edu/students
    • Click "Self Service" under Quicklinks menu, on the left side of the page
    • Log in with your SAIC username and password
    • Select the "Profile" tab
    • Under "Personal Details," select "Preferred Name" 
    • Edit your Preferred Name to reflect your preference         
    • Confirm your change by clicking "Save"      

    Changes to preferred name in Peoplesoft Self Service will automatically be reflected in the following areas: ARTICard, scanning into buildings, class roster, residence hall housing database, Engage event management site, graduation-related materials, course evaluations, media center checkouts, and library checkouts.

  • All-gender restrooms are safe for transgender, gender non-conforming, and genderqueer people, as well as people of all gender identities and expressions. All-gender restrooms are included in each residence hall and in all academic buildings.

    SAIC Residence Halls are gender inclusive, ensuring arrangements are welcoming for all members of our community. Housing applicants may choose to be identified and assigned to roommates by either their sex or gender identity.

  • The Student Health Insurance Plan made available to SAIC students includes gender affirming/transgender coverage. These benefits include medical, psychological, and other counseling; surgery; and hormone therapy. More information regarding the Student Health Insurance Plan designed for students and their dependents can be found at saic.myahpcare.com. Questions regarding benefits may be directed to the insurance plan administrator. 

Religious and Spiritual Diversity Resources

SAIC is committed to honoring religious and spiritual diversity by respecting and affirming the many faith traditions practiced by the school’s global community of artists, designers, scholars, and practitioners. In addition to our programs and events that foster a culture of belonging, the school provides a quiet space for prayer, mediation, contemplation, and stillness. See below for information on facilities, campus and community resources. Please reach out to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion if you have programming and partnership ideas.

  • Feel free to consult this calendar for a list of major holidays that members of our diverse campus community celebrate or observe. Not all global holidays or religious observances are listed, but many of them are included.

  • SAIC's meditation room is located on the lower floor of the MacLean Building. It is a dedicated quiet space on campus for spiritual and religious practices to be used for reflection, meditation, quiet contemplation, or prayer. Designed by an SAIC alum, the room is intended to meet your needs of peace, stillness, and equanimity. You do not need to make any reservations to use the space as it is expected to be shared with others at any time. Please be respectful of others' practices while in the room. 

  • SAIC and our food service vendor, HandCut, work to accommodate food traditions for religious observances. HandCut supplies food decals, which help to identify foods that support a person’s dietary needs. HandCut’s general manager is also available to meet to discuss dietary needs. Please email Student Life for an appointment. 

  • The school is dedicated to reasonably accommodating employees' religious beliefs or practices. Some examples of common religious accommodations include: flexible scheduling, voluntary shift substitutions or switching of shifts, leave for religious observances, wearing of religious garments or head coverings. Please contact Employee Relations to discuss your religious accommodation request at employee_relations@artic.edu.

  • SAIC Professor David Raskin established this group in spring 2024 to support and connect with SAIC’s diverse Jewish community. Please contact saic-jewish@artic.edu for more information on 2024–25 academic year’s events and gatherings.  

  • Chicago is home to many religious and spiritual organizations, institutions, and contemplative spaces. The DEI office is available to assist students, faculty, and staff in finding and locating additional resources and communities. Here are just a few of the many sites of worship and contemplation around Chicago.

    • Apostolic Faith Church
    • Augustana Lutheran Church
    • Bahá’í House of Worship
    • Buddhist Temple of Chicago
    • Chicago Loop Synagogue
    • Downtown Islamic Center
    • First Church of Deliverance 
    • Garden of the Phoenix, Jackson Park
    • Garfield Park Conservatory
    • Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral
    • Judy Istock Butterfly Haven
    • KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation
    • Khalil Center 
    • LingShen Ching Tze Buddhist Temple
    • New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church
    • Second Presbyterian Church
    • St. Benedict the African Catholic Church
    • Zen Life and Meditation Center

Accessibility Resources

SAIC values and affirms our students, faculty, and staff living with disabilities and strives to make the campus environment welcoming, accessible, and inclusive. Many departments across the school partner to provide resources, support, and accommodations for people living with disabilities and for people who are working to make their events, materials, artistic practices, and environments more accessible to all at SAIC. 

  • Service and emotional support animals are permitted in all SAIC buildings. A service animal is an animal that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Students that intend to bring a service animal to campus are highly encouraged to notify the Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) at 312.499.4278. Emotional support animals (ESA) are animals that are necessary to afford people with disabilities with an equal opportunity to use and enjoy on-campus housing. ESAs are only permitted in an individual's assigned residential room and outdoor spaces, if appropriate, under the proper handling. Please note that emotional support animals are not permitted in other campus buildings. 

  • SAIC’s Wellness Center provides empathic and compassionate support and care dedicated to ensuring that every SAIC student’s experience is a successful one. The Center includes counseling services, health services, and the Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC).

  • The DLRC cultivates opportunities for students to articulate their strengths, empowers them to advocate for their own learning needs, and identifies and responds to the dynamic nature of student needs and learning environments.  

    Available resources include: assistive tech, health and wellness,
    note taking, research tools, screen readers, presentation support, speech-to-text/dictation, study aids, support for faculty and department syllabus statements, text-to-speech/literacy software, time management/planning, vision and writing support. 

  • SAIC works to provide reasonable accommodations that will allow a person with a disability to perform the essential functions of the job and enjoy equal employment opportunities. The school also works to provide workplace accessibility support to staff and faculty such as flexible work; through ergonomic adjustments; through supportive meeting technology requests including, but not limited to, closed captioning or Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART); or through other support resources such as barrier free work spaces, lighting and sound adjustments, and sensory space needs. Here are additional resources for creating an inclusive and accessible workplace to support employees living with disabilities.

  • SAIC will celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3 and throughout the month of December. This day/month will include programming and events coordinated by the Heritage Awareness Programs and Initiatives (HAPI) committee and the Flaxman Library’s Pop Up series, which promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities and to raise awareness for the need to create accessible and inclusive practices, spaces, institutions and societies. 

Diverse Chicago Resources

Welcome to Chicago! Chicago is the third largest city in the US and is home to more than 2.7 million people residing in 77 neighborhoods. The Peoria Tribe, the Potawatomi, the Myaamia (Miami), and the Kiikapoi (Kickapoo) are the original and current keepers and protectors of the unceded land and air that SAIC currently occupies. The city’s storied history and its world-renowned art and cultural institutions make Chicago an exciting global city to learn, work, and explore.

We encourage those new to SAIC to visit Chicago’s historic landmarks, stunning architecture, world-renowned museums, and its nationally acclaimed park system. Exploration promotes learning, engagement with our local communities, connection with Chicago-based artists, designers, and scholars, and social responsibility. See below for a sampling of Chicago’s vast array of museums and cultural institutions.

    • Chinese American Museum of Chicago
    • DuSable Museum of African American History
    • Haitian American Museum of Chicago
    • Heritage Museum of Asian Art
    • South Asia Institute
    • Chicago Women’s History Center
    • Project Onward
    • National Museum of Mexican Art
    • National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture 
    • South Side Community Art Center
    • Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art
    • Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
    • American Indian Center
    • Gerber/Hart Library and Archives