DREAM Weekly Email: November 24-December 7, 2019

​DREAM Weekly Email, Disability and Higher Education in the News: November 24-December 7, 2019
From DREAM: Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring
 
Sponsored by the National Center for College Students with Disabilities and the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD)
 
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Having trouble accessing an article?  Check with your campus library or reach out to us and we’ll try to help! ([email protected])
 
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Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):
 
* Offering a dining hall free of the “Big 8” food allergies, University of North Texas and Michigan State went beyond accommodations and realized there are numerous unexpected benefits for the campuses and students: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/12/03/north-texas-opens-big-8-allergen-free-dining-hall?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=87c2fe40ed-DNU_2019_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-87c2fe40ed-198891893&mc_cid=87c2fe40ed&mc_eid=a51c972f65
 
* NPR investigated student loan forgiveness for people with disabilities, and found numerous problems with the system, affecting hundreds of thousands of borrowers: https://www.npr.org/2019/12/04/776058798/why-student-loan-borrowers-with-disabilities-arent-getting-the-help-they-deserve
 
* In a decision that may affect other higher education institutions, Harvard University and the National Association of the Deaf have reached an agreement (after four years in the courts) that requires the university to begin captioning all online resources, including live-stream events: https://campustechnology.com/articles/2019/12/04/harvard-ramping-up-captioning-efforts-with-nad-settlement.aspx
 
* Digital course materials should improve accessibility, so why are students with disabilities still having so many problems with digital materials? https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/12/02/professors-colleges-and-companies-struggle-make-digital?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=3fa2b1347d-WNU_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-3fa2b1347d-225808461&mc_cid=3fa2b1347d&mc_eid=d5645fe552
 
* Thanks to student activism, American Sign Language courses at Cornell University now meet the world language requirement (click on the small Cornell logo in the video to get a transcript or captions): http://news.cornell.edu/stories/2019/12/sign-times-american-sign-language-thrives-campus
 
* The #CareNotCops student campaign at the University of Chicago is calling for change, in the wake of a student in a mental health crisis being shot by campus police and then charged with numerous felonies: https://www.chronicle.com/article/Last-Year-a-U-of-Chicago/247665?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&cid=at&source=ams&sourceId=4079424
 
* Diagnosed with bipolar I disorder in college, Rwenshaun Miller wondered what it meant to be a Black man with a mental illness and whether treatment could even help him (his TED talk is captioned but not audio described): https://www.wsoctv.com/community/embracing-labels-to-address-mental-illness/1014800579
 
* Ten undergrad and grad students with disabilities talked with UNESCO about the difficulties of getting a college degree, and how inclusion requires a community: https://gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2019/12/03/10-students-with-a-disability-talk-about-the-difficulties-of-accessing-inclusive-education-in-the-usa/
 
* The arrest of a Peninsula College student in Washington state is forcing activists and law enforcement officials to ask whether educating police about Down syndrome and disability would have prevented the arrest in the first place: https://www.sequimgazette.com/news/barrett-arrest-could-have-positive-outcome/
 
* Graduate students at Harvard University are on strike for issues including health care: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/education/2019/12/03/harvard-grad-students-strike/
 
* Two deans offer suggestions for getting faculty members more involved in supporting students’ mental health and recognizing when students are struggling: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/12/02/professors-should-be-more-involved-helping-students-mental-health-challenges?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=3fa2b1347d-WNU_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-3fa2b1347d-225808461&mc_cid=3fa2b1347d&mc_eid=d5645fe552
 
* The American Geophysical Union (AGU) suggests making fieldwork more flexible, making historical buildings accessible, creating more inclusive job descriptions, and other changes to add more people with disability to the field of geology: https://eos.org/opinions/creating-spaces-for-geoscientists-with-disabilities-to-thrive
 
* Sarah Lawrence student Ava Rigelhaupt gives some tips for studying abroad if you’re “on the autism spectrum”: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tips-studying-living-abroad-youre-231049754.html
 
* Good Samaritan laws and institutional policies don’t always align, creating potential problems for people trying to report medical emergencies or drug overdoses on campuses: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/12/06/medical-amnesty-policies-encourage-students-call-911?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=3fa2b1347d-WNU_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-3fa2b1347d-225808461&mc_cid=3fa2b1347d&mc_eid=d5645fe552
 
* Ballet companies originally wouldn’t allow Jordan Gorward to dance because of her Spinal Muscular Atrophy, but at only fifteen years old, the dual enrollment student at Lansing Community College is now participating in her in 15th ballet – the Nutcracker (news clip is captioned but not audio described): https://www.wlns.com/news/local-news/15-year-old-performs-in-the-nutcracker-despite-physical-disability/
 
* As visits to campus counseling centers climbed 30-40% over the past six years, campuses are learning how to balance in-person and online care options: https://www.educationdive.com/news/why-colleges-are-looking-online-for-mental-health-care/568294/
 
* With a pending disability discrimination case against Rice University, the student newspaper took a look at challenges of students with disabilities on campus, and the work the Student Disability Council is doing to make things better: https://www.ricethresher.org/article/2019/12/invisible-burdens-students-talk-accessibility-challenges
 
* A new “Evidence and Gap Map” from Britain’s Department for International Development shows the lack of research about disability-related interventions that work in low- and middle-income countries, including access to education at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels: https://www.scidev.net/global/data/feature/countries-let-off-the-hook-by-lack-of-disabilities-data.html?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=ec32ed80ec89307911c91dfd669058b30cdd1bdd-1575742163-0-Ab1bW1kfvHEpti8Wb9nkNmrB0-__-PNaaUW31cI_bOgwI6RJue57FmO9hNqye_NIz3MsHBY96x9oWm-TnGLUZ_XfcBdQUK_zK-3G7U2v4LC_hI5DnWbBJtcAP4L36Yqq0MiB7O-UoLweTubw2Q32Llr4aDCBwv5wKW3p30zkNVB8fWbcuFrFTEwOSI40AT-yaTMFcNUVBlnRU2pd82T1h9tRoO3UxWPzr6Ni7FzbwPYADLm4BaV4D4l9FvOwq7cGujDBl0wzohkYYMnBC_dCT5FGhUikJy3XI4nj8h3SsFl4BAcVY8HstPG8icxKdRVPyuUJVm_vMlJXXUfe2upqvXfF85EEn9jZPx1poL4KHcLfml36Rdz8A51Sf2p0OcCURg
 
* The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement published its first annual report, which includes information about TRIO services for students with disabilities, and its newly formed office for employees with disabilities: https://madison.com/ct/news/local/education/university/uw-releases-first-annual-diversity-and-inclusion-report-highlights-/article_b821629b-9b09-5242-b863-a1445ace70b8.html (the report is available at https://diversity.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/DDEEA-Annual-Report-2019.pdf)
 
* The Not Crazy Podcast interviewed Jackie Zimmerman about her two chronic health conditions that developed in college, and what happened when she focused on her physical health at the expense of her mental well-being: https://psychcentral.com/blog/podcast-chronic-illness-and-depression/#anchor
 
* The University of Connecticut’s student newspaper is creating a new column for “students of color, women, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTQIA+ community” to anonymously share their experiences: https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/11/uconn-student-newspaper-launches-new-column-for-underrepresented-and-marginalized-groups/
 
* Three women at the University of Georgia talk about their different paths to diagnosis, treatment, and recovery with eating disorders: http://gradynewsource.uga.edu/seeing-food-as-the-enemy-a-look-into-lives-of-those-who-have-struggled-with-eating-disorders/
 
* Read an interview with Dr. Jyothsna Phanija, professor of English at the University of Delhi, who is a blind activist and poet working on gender, madness and caste in India: https://feminisminindia.com/2019/12/03/jyothsna-phanija-caste-disability-and-gender-meet/
 
* Disability rights advocate Marilyn Saviola is dead at age 74 – her journey to activism started in college: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/01/health/marilyn-saviola-dead.html
 
* A mom writes an open letter “to the teachers who question accommodations for students with invisible illnesses,” like her daughter’s: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/teachers-accommodations-students-invisible-illnesses-214930116.html
 
* A Deaf student calls out Duke University for not offering ASL courses: https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/12/duke-university-college-accesibility-disability-justice-rights-equity-deaf-duke-do-you-hear-me-accessibility-for-the-deaf
 
* Dar al Iftaa issues religious guidance for Egyptian Muslims, including a new #No_to suicide campaign after the deaths of several teens and college students: https://www.egyptindependent.com/dar-al-iftaa-launches-campaign-against-suicide/
 
* The University of Memphis will be offering a new undergraduate degree in American Sign Language – the only one in West Tennessee: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2019/12/05/sign-language-asl-interest-prompts-new-degree-program-u-m/2608520001/
 
* A UK Muslim psychiatrist with a mental illness gave an academic talk in the U.S. and experienced how psychiatrists can perpetuate stigma: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/article/portrait-wounded-psychiatrist
 
* Harper College held an adaptive sports day, including keynote speaker Roseann Sdoia, who was injured in the Boston Marathon Bombing: https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20191203/adaptive-sports-day-message-at-harper-college-you-dont-have-to-stop-playing
 
* Tanya Titchkosky’s keynote “Strange Weather – A Disability Studies Forecast” from the International Conference on Education, Cultural, and Disability Studies is available online (the video is captioned but not audio described): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8phZ9tpFms&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR35S-039jDVw9xeAC4Py-UAl6_7zszv_scNuMydQBgx7mkcLmtWMEZNpj4
 
* The “X-Path” program is helping Xavier University students with autism, by providing academic support, housing, and a support system: https://xaviernewswire.com/2019/12/04/x-path-helps-students-find-community-at-xavier/
 
* MENA FN looks at the lack of opportunities for students with disabilities who want to attend Indonesian universities, and how Australia may be able to help model a way forward: https://menafn.com/1099363311/The-long-road-for-disability-inclusive-education-in-Indonesias-universities
 
* An article in The Federalist criticizes the House version of the Higher Education Act, while equating students of color and students with disabilities as “students who are not ready for college-level work”: https://thefederalist.com/2019/12/03/democrats-higher-ed-plan-is-garbage-but-republicans-arent-even-competing-with-it/
 
* The groundbreaking Born this Way featuring adults with Down syndrome is coming to a close (https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/12/06/down-syndrome-reality-show-set-to-wrap/27536/) – the show has been an outspoken supporter of inclusive higher education for people with intellectual disabilities (https://www.aetv.com/shows/born-this-way/articles/college-students-not-limited-by-down-syndrome?newexp=true)
 
 
 
A Few Other Items of Possible Interest:
 
* Thousands of people with disabilities took part in 21 cities across Chile, asking for constitutional recognition of people with disabilities, universal access to health care, and 10 other key demands: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/visible-chileans-disabilities-unite-rights-191203233517155.html
 
* The Milwaukee Bucks are now including a sign language interpreter in livestreamed postgame news conferences: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/29/sports/milwaukee-bucks-sign-language.html
 
* TikTok marked users with disabilities as “vulnerable” to prevent cyberbullying, but made them and their content nearly invisible in the process: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tiktok-reportedly-discriminated-against-people-204511091.html
 
* Parvathy Gopakumar is tired of potential dates defining her by her disability (and sympathy for it): https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/im-tired-being-defined-disability-201420826.html
 
* The New York Times did an in-depth report, following Paralympian Marieke Vervoot and her family over three years as they struggled with Vervoot’s decision to die through euthanasia in Belgium: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/05/sports/euthanasia-athlete.html
 
* A male French-Canadian flight attendant has been falsely known as “Patient Zero” in bringing HIV to North America, but in commemoration of World AIDS Day, researchers are trying to clear his name and fight HIV stigma: https://news.fiu.edu/2019/new-aids-documentary-aims-to-clear-the-name-of-so-called-patient-zero
 
* BJ Miller became an amputee during college, but having a mother with a disability and joining the disability rights movement made him an activist and led to a career in palliative care at the Center for Dying and Living: https://wamu.org/story/19/12/03/after-a-freak-accident-a-doctor-finds-insight-into-living-life-and-facing-death/
 
* Feminism in India has published a list of six books by Indian women with disabilities: https://feminisminindia.com/2019/12/03/6-books-indian-women-with-disabilities-unequal-society/
 
* Medical gaslighting by doctors and insurance companies can lead to very serious consequences: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/11/24/1901529/-KosAbility-Medical-gaslighting-when-the-doctor-prescribes-self-doubt?fbclid=IwAR0UxfWeC0edTBvR4RSCpVJvpMKs9mGl2ARm59CFOMmqFwbTUBl21kBQANU
 
* Siri is struggling to understand some people with Down syndrome, so Google is asking for help collecting voice samples to reprogram  its algorithms: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/12/03/google-seeks-help-from-people-with-down-syndrome/27512/
 
* Mesa, Arizona, is the first Autism Certified City in the U.S.: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/12/05/city-nations-first-to-be-autism-certified/27526/
 
* Malaysia has published its first handbook on mental health: https://themalaysianreserve.com/2019/12/04/malaysias-1st-mental-health-handbook-launched/
 
 
 
 
For more information about DREAM or AHEAD contact Wendy Harbour ([email protected]).
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By the way, please don't presume DREAM, the National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD), AHEAD, or the U.S. Department of Education agree with or support everything in these links we send out - we're just passing along the information so you can form your own opinions.  Thanks.
 
DREAM and the NCCSD are funded by a grant to AHEAD from the U.S. Department of Education (P116D150005).