Bobcat RISE

Mark Paz has been a wonderful Bobcat RISE partner instructor! Congratulations!

Please join us in congratulating Mr. Mark A. Paz II on receiving the 2026 Presidential Award for Excellence in Service! (Assistant Professor/Senior Lecturer/Lecturer rank)

This prestigious award recognizes faculty members who demonstrate outstanding dedication and impact through their service. As a Lecturer, Mark’s commitment to our students, department, and university community truly exemplifies excellence.

We are proud to celebrate this well-deserved honor. Congratulations, Mark! 🎉

It's where we hear from current Bobcat RISE Students about their internship experiences. Today we have, Bobcat RISE sophomore, Caitlyn Cobb!
https://youtube.com/shorts/300BW_2mePQ?feature=share

https://www.facebook.com/share/18m5Yz877P/

Hot off the presses- something to look into! Drivers licenses with new disability identifier to help make law enforcement encounter safer.

New driver’s license symbol aids people with communication differences The voluntary license designation, along with training for police officers, is aimed at making law enforcement interactions safer for people with autism, hearing loss or other disabilities.

We are so excited to have Ava join Bobcat RISE Class of 2030 as a Cohort 4 member!

We are so excited to have Milo join Bobcat RISE Class of 2030 as a Cohort 4 member!

Raising Texas Voices is a statewide research study where people with disabilities can share what is important to them.
https://disability.research.baylor.edu/focus-areas/families/raising-texas-voices

It's where we hear from current Bobcat RISE Students about their internship experiences. Today we have, Bobcat RISE sophomore, Alex Little!
https://youtu.be/wjfW4maQaDo

Time to March!

ADAPT Texas press release

How would you like to wait 36 years or 53 years to get a checkup or x-ray?
Do you think the government should be able to terminate your life if you become “defective” from injury/illness?
What if your hospital insisted on speaking to you in a language other than your spoken one?
Texas Attorney General Paxton is promoting these kinds of problems for people with disabilities with his lawsuit Texas v. Kennedy (formerly Texas v. Becerra).
He says the Health and Human Services rules for Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are unconstitutional. Medical facilities and social services have been given a 53-year pass on doing what everyone else had to do years ago. Places that get federal financial dollars should provide access and not discriminate.

Make no mistake, this is just the beginning of a campaign to strip people with disabilities of their hard-won rights to equal treatment, being equally valued and having access to society.
Tell Paxton to withdraw from this lawsuit. Don’t let him take us back to the bad old days.
People with Disabilities fought for integration for decades. We won our integration mandate through the 1999 Olmstead Decision, when the U.S. Supreme Court stated that people with disabilities have the right to live in the most integrated setting.
This is why we must demand that General Paxton take Texas off the lawsuit, Texas v. Kennedy.
Please Join Us on Tuesday, May 19th.
If you want to March: Meet to the left of the Price Daniel Sr. State Office Bldg.,
209 W. 14th Street. Just behind the LEAD ON! drop off location
Date and Time: Tuesday, May 19th at Noon
Please bring a sign about 504 and what it means to you

Press Conference: 1PM at 300 W. 15th Street, Austin, TX 78701

Call or write Paxton: 800-252-8011 or PO Box 12548 Austin, TX 78711-2548
If you have any questions, you can contact: Cathy Cranston at [email protected] or
Ron Cranston at [email protected]

Image description:
A repurposed photograph of a patch with dark blue, beige, and dark red horizontal stripes. There's a white star at the top and a white outline of the state of Texas at the bottom. The text over the graphic reads, "Don't Mess With 504 Call Paxton 512-463-2100"

We are so excited to have Danny join Bobcat RISE Class of 2030 as a Cohort 4 member!