DREAM Weekly Email: October 23-29, 2016

DREAM Weekly Email, Disability and Higher Education in the News: October 23-29, 2016

From DREAM: Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring
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Sponsored by the National Center for College Students with Disabilities and the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD)

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Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):

* With Halloween coming, this year many haunted attractions are changing depictions of haunted asylums or mental illness, realizing that it could “fan the flames of discrimination” and prevent people with mental illnesses from seeking help: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2016/10/25/this-halloween-mental-health-advocates-are-taking-a-powerful-stand-against-attractions-depicting-asylums/   
 
* For the last two weeks, 750 workers at Harvard have been on strike, protesting the high cost of health care at the wealthiest university in the country: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/24/opinion/struggling-to-serve-at-the-nations-richest-university.html?_r=0
 
* Inspired by disability studies, student Taylor Long is collecting oral histories of disabled transgender individuals, for inclusion in the Texas Disability Archives at the University of Texas Arlington: http://www.dallasvoice.com/stories-voices-10227936.html
 
* Former Rutgers professor Anna Stubblefield is serving 12 years in prison for sexual abuse of her disabled research assistant and co-author, and now she has been ordered to pay $4 million in attorney fees and damages: http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2016/10/judge_awards_4_million_to_family_of_anna_stubblefi.html
 
* New research from Temple University and Ohio State University suggests colleges and universities need to do a better job creating supportive environments for faculty with disabilities, including those with mental health needs: http://news.temple.edu/news/2016-10-27/salzer-research-faculty-disabilities
 
* The website of Ann Millett-Gallant features samples of art from this well-known artist and scholar at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (no visual descriptions are available): http://www.annmg.com/
 
* Penn State already hosts a free summer academy for blind and visually impaired high school students to prepare them for college, and now they will host a free academy for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, as well: http://news.psu.edu/story/433637/2016/10/24/impact/penn-state-host-state%E2%80%99s-first-deaf-and-hard-hearing-summer-academy
 
* Virginia wide receiver Aiden Howard filed a lawsuit saying he was emotionally and physically bullied and hazed due to his learning disability, but the university issued a public statement saying it complied with the law and internal policies: http://www.streakingthelawn.com/2016/10/21/13363356/virginia-football-aidan-howard-lawsuit-university-statement
 
* Chronically Academic is a new network of academics with disabilities and chronic health conditions, offering resources, support, and mentoring: https://chronicallyacademic.org/index.php/en/
 
* Several campuses have assigned The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks as required reading for freshmen, but one professor asks for a careful critique of racism and sexism in this book about Henrietta Lacks’ stolen stem cells, as well as a critique of its author’s reporting of events: http://itsbrowntown.blogspot.com/2012/08/an-open-letter-to-those-colleges-and.html
 
* One Chinese university is taking a unique approach to soaring HIV rates among college students, putting HIV testing kits in the vending machines: http://www.whatsonweibo.com/chinese-university-vending-machine-sells-hiv-urine-test-kit/
 
* Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, and they are becoming more prevalent on college campuses; an editorial in the Chico State University student newspaper makes a campus-wide plea to address the issue: http://theorion.com/59713/opinion/eating-disorders-in-college-are-on-the-rise/
 
* The University of New Mexico is about to undergo major campus renovations and building projects, but disabled students and the campus Accessibility Resource Center are concerned about plans for access during and after construction: http://www.dailylobo.com/article/2016/10/25-accessibility-woes
 
* NYU has a new disability studies minor focused on activism and education: http://www.nyunews.com/2016/10/24/steinhardt-adds-disability-studies-minor/
 
* Students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa have started a petition for the campus to add American Sign Language courses: https://www.change.org/p/university-of-hawaii-at-manoa-adding-asl-courses-at-university-of-hawaii-at-manoa
 
* Coach Gary Reho told Sacred Heart University in Connecticut that he had been diagnosed with early onset dementia, but could still do his job; the university responded by telling him to go on medical leave or be fired: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/21/he-got-dementia-but-said-he-still-could-work-then-his-university-fired-him.html
 
* Learn about a few “lesser-known accommodations” for college students with physical disabilities: http://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/217965/Lesser-Known-Accommodations-Universities-Offer-Students
 
* Two college roommates, and one of them has a disability – the play “Roomies” premieres in Canada this week: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/play-roomies-hub-city-theatre-disability-1.3819392
 
* University of Ottawa professor Michael Orsini has started a public debate over a new $2 million hospital advertising campaign that depicts patients at war with diseases and disabilities, including autism: http://easternontarionetwork.com/index.php/news/ontario-news/55067-u-of-o-prof-slams-toronto-hospital-ad-campaign-for-using-war-as-metaphor
 
* Renee Kirby, Temple University’s Associate Director of Disability Resources and Services, has been inducted into the national Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame – she says having a disability helps her mentor and understand students with disabilities: http://temple-news.com/lifestyle/disability-mentor-honored-accessibility-work/
 
* Colorado State University has updated its policies on service animals and emotional support animals; policies include restrictions on bringing emotional support animals to university buildings, events, and classes: http://source.colostate.edu/policy-service-emotional-support-animal-use-campus-updated/
 
* In the last three years, University of Maryland paratransit use on campus has risen from 6,000 students to 9,000, but a new grant from the state will allow the campus to purchase more vehicles to meet demand: http://www.dbknews.com/2016/10/27/university-of-maryland-paratransit-buses-disability/
 
* Radical access and radical inclusion in conference spaces – is it possible?  Northeastern University law student Lydia Brown considers the possibilities: http://www.autistichoya.com/2016/10/disability-justice-conference-space-notes-on-radical-access-radical-inclusion.html
 
And a few related items of possible interest to college students:

* As voters head to the polls across the U.S., several issues are coming up:

• People with disabilities are fighting for accessible polling places: http://www.npr.org/2016/10/24/499177544/disabled-voters-fight-for-more-accessible-polling-places?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social
• People with developmental and mental disabilities may be barred from voting, and it’s perfectly legal in some states: https://news.vice.com/story/thousands-of-americans-with-mental-disabilities-may-be-improperly-barred-from-voting

 
* A new 24/7 “NYC Well” mental health hotline debuted in New York City, with support from the Mayor, whose daughter has dealt with addiction and depression; the crisis line offers phone, texting, and chatting options in more than 200 languages, as well as referrals for additional counseling and peer support: http://gothamist.com/2016/10/24/nyc_launches_247_mental_health_hotl.php
 
* “Ghostbusters” character Dr. Jillian Holtzmann (played by Kate McKinnon) is becoming known as a Queer, autistic hero: http://fusion.net/story/350298/ghostbusters-holtzmann-kate-mckinnon-queer-autism/
 
* POTUS, FLOTUS, and ROTUS – meet Leah Katz-Hernandez, the Latina Deaf woman who is the White House’s Receptionist of the United States (video has no captions or audio description; there is ASL throughout the video): http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hispanic-heritage-month-2016/young-latinos-obama-white-house-meet-leah-katz-hernandez-n660211
 
* Two more people of color with mental illness were killed in violent encounters with police in their homes: African American Deborah Danner in New York City (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/opinion/the-death-of-deborah-danner.html) and pregnant Native American woman Renee Davis in Washington State (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/renee-davis-police-shooting_us_580f9747e4b0a03911ef14ec)
 
* Noah McCourt is Black, 22 years old, autistic, and  running for City Council in a mainly white Minnesotan town: http://www.startribune.com/waconia-city-council-race-raises-questions-about-disability-rights/398128141/
 
* Deaf owners and staff at Mozzeria in San Francisco will be happy to serve you a pizza, or take an order from you via their restaurant’s VideoPhone (video is captioned but has no audio description): http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/this-pizzeria-serves-up-pies-all-while-catering-to-the-deaf-767614019704
 
* Kris Nelson writes about her experiences with autism, anxiety and OCD, and how all three relate to executive dysfunction – something most people oppressively assume is laziness: http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/09/symptoms-executive-dysfunction/
 
* Three Queercrip people talk about disability, queerness, ancestry and identity in the aesthetics of their fashion choices: http://www.autostraddle.com/dapper-crip-queercrip-encounters-with-fashion-and-community-355581/
 
* Two teachers with Down syndrome have been in the news – one in Argentina (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3880832/Down-syndrome-teacher-Argentina-Latin-America.html) and another in Gaza (https://electronicintifada.net/content/gaza-teacher-challenges-stigma-down-syndrome/16431)
 
* Representation matters, and Netflix’s Luke Cage is a new image of what a Black disabled superhero can be: http://rampyourvoice.com/2016/10/25/luke-cage-black-disabled-superhero-need/
 
* Do you think the web is getting harder to read?  You may be right, as discussed in this article about how trends in design are making the web harder to read: https://backchannel.com/how-the-web-became-unreadable-a781ddc711b6#.wjel036d2
 
* Singer Solange Knowles thought ADHD was something made up to medicate people, so she had to be diagnosed by two different doctors before she believed it: http://blackdoctor.org/2014/solange-knowles-adhd-2/
 
* Six myths about American Sign Language that might surprise you: https://www.facebook.com/aimediaAUS/videos/10154174105709220/
 
 
This week’s issue of the DREAM weekly e-mail is available at the DREAM website, with archived back issues available, as well (http://www.dreamcollegedisability.org).  For more information about DREAM or AHEAD contact Wendy Harbour ([email protected]).

To subscribe or unsubscribe, please go to http://ahead-listserve.org/mailman/listinfo/dream_ahead-listserve.org.  Wendy Harbour can also handle requests to subscribe or unsubscribe. 
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By the way, please don't presume DREAM, the National Center for College Students with Disabilities, or AHEAD agree with everything in these links we send out - we're just passing along the information so you can form your own opinions.  Thanks.