DREAM Weekly E-Mail: April 2-8, 2017

​DREAM Weekly Email, Disability and Higher Education in the News: April 2-8, 2017
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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Weekly Email Update on Issues Related to Disability and Higher Education 
Weeks of April 2-8, 2017
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Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):
 
* Duke University students in a “Modernism and Madness” writing course have created an online exhibition of disability activism for Disability Pride Week, including blogs, poetry, stories, videos, a podcast, and even petitions for campus change: https://sites.duke.edu/neurodiversityandinclusion/
 
* As a campus for students with learning disabilities, Beacon College boasts a 70% graduation rate (nearly double the national average for all students), and you can learn more about their approach in this interview with campus president George Hagerty, who happens to be legally blind: http://www.educationdive.com/news/moving-past-students-islands-of-challenge-to-encourage-academic-success/439506/
 
* In theory every college is accessible, but as Valerie Piro learned, visiting a campus with a wheelchair shows the realities of poor access, placing an extra burden on prospective students with disabilities: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2017/04/06/challenges-wheelchair-users-face-when-visiting-colleges-essay
 
* In England, drastic cuts to governmental Personal Independence Payments have been especially harsh for college students, with many needing to drop out of school just to survive: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/apr/04/disabled-students-future-independence-payments-cut-benefits
 
* Remington the dog is the newest member of the University of North Carolina baseball team, serving as a highly trained comfort and emotional support animal to players in rehab, while also doing his part to support the whole team (video is captioned but not audio described): http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2017/3/25/15061552/very-good-dog-unc-tar-heels-north-carolina-baseball-team
 
* NYU’s student newspaper suggests the campus should probably have more than one nutritionist for a student body of 50,000: https://www.nyunews.com/2017/04/03/one-dietician-for-50000-students/
 
* Nickolas Hughes is autistic – in an editorial, he reminds other students on campus that using “that is so autistic” as a slur is hate speech and it hurts: http://thesnapper.millersville.edu/index.php/2017/03/31/disabilities-hate-speech-opinion/
 
* As disability services offices strive to follow socio-political models of disability, the term “disability” is losing favor with service providers and offices, but the term may still be a powerful one for many students and academics with disabilities: https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2017/apr/07/disability-services-transform-students-lives-we-must-protect-them
 
* Protestors in Hungary have taken to the streets to save Central European University, which the government is targeting as a bastion of liberalism that threatens the state (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39493758 and http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39493758); the timing of protests is interesting for students with disabilities, occurring one week after they led a campus-wide movement to enhance accessibility: https://www.ceu.edu/article/2017-03-14/call-participation-student-led-ceu-inclusive-project 
 
* Many campuses and the White House are “lighting it up blue” for April as Autism Awareness Month in collaboration with Autism Speaks, but the campaign is spawning protests and criticism, as well, so here are some highlights:

• The White House Presidential Proclamation suggesting the new administration will seek to cure autism: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2017/04/04/as-white-house-blue-trump-cure/23533/
• Autistic Self-Advocacy Network released a statement condemning the White House proclamation: http://autisticadvocacy.org/2017/04/asan-condemns-white-house-autism-proclamation/
• #AutisticWhileBlack shared stories and educated people about race and neurodiversity: https://twitter.com/hashtag/AutisticWhileBlack?src=hash
• Meanwhile, many campuses were lighting it up blue, including events at Loyola Marymount University (http://www.laloyolan.com/news/raising-awareness-for-those-on-the-autistic-spectrum/article_7abebc32-7dbe-5c3c-b271-cfb23e94bdbc.html) and Lycoming College (http://www.lycoming.edu/news/stories/2017/04/autism-speaks-5k.aspx)
• The UN invited speakers for Autism Awareness Day: http://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/
• And actor William Shatner caught some of the heat for supporting Autism Speaks and blocking autistic activists who tried to educate him: https://theestablishment.co/how-william-shatner-betrayed-autistic-peoples-trust-8f0470019697
• Author Steve Silberman re-released an editorial suggesting Austim Speaks needs to do more listening: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0824-silberman-autism-speaks-20150824-story.html

 
* A free white paper on campus web accessibility is available from 3Play Media, called the “Roadmap to Web Accessibility in Higher Education”: http://info.3playmedia.com/wp-web-accessibility.html
 
* While national rates of HIV are declining, rates among Latinos, males, and those under 25 are continuing to rise, prompting the League of United Latin American Citizens and Mujeres Unidas to do free testing and outreach at Palo Alto College: http://www.mesquite-news.com/lulac-council-tackles-hivaids-plaguing-young-latinos/
 
* A student at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology is suing the #1-ranked engineering school for alleged discrimination based on his ADHD and auditory processing disorder, including being forced to sleep overnight in a classroom without a bed or cot so he could take an exam with extra time: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2017/04/07/rose-hulman-student-lawsuit-alleges-abuse-professors/99745404/
 
* The case of former Rutgers University ethics professor Anna Stubblefield is back in the news, as she appeals her 2016 conviction for sexually assaulting a developmentally disabled male co-author and student research assistant, arguing that witnesses should have been allowed to testify about his communication skills and ability to give consent via facilitated communication:

• More information about the appeal: http://www.nj.com/essex/index.ssf/2017/04/ex-ethics_rutgers_prof_appeals_conviction_in_sex_a.html
• Details about the original case and trial: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/magazine/the-strange-case-of-anna-stubblefield.html?_r=0)
• A disturbing editorial by Professor Peter Singer of Princeton commenting on the case and suggesting people with severe intellectual disabilities cannot actually be raped: https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/04/now-peter-singer-argues-that-it-might-be-okay-to-rape-disabled-people

 
* Are you a law student with a learning disability?  Here are some tips, including suggestions for navigating the LSAT: https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/law-admissions-lowdown/articles/2017-04-03/learn-how-to-navigate-learning-disabilities-in-law-school
 
* In Pennsylvania, Millersville University is helping nearby Shippensburg University replicate MU’s integrated studies program for students with intellectual disabilities: http://www.theslateonline.com/article/2017/04/integrated-studies-program-creates-new-opportunities-for-disabled-students
 
* Imagine all courses having audio and visual content available online for download – that’s exactly what De Montfort University Leicester in the UK is doing, as part of their Universal Design for Learning at DMU initiative, which is now being explore as a model for other UK universities: http://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2017/april/dmu%27s-sector-leading-support-for-students-wins-high-praise.aspx
 
* Even if they are admitted to a university, many students with disabilities in Bangladesh face severe barriers that keep them from attending: http://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/access-denied-1387390
 
* Stigma and negative experiences with special education can lead to college students hiding their learning disabilities or trying to avoid disability services: http://www.greensburgdailynews.com/news/fear-keeps-students-quiet-about-learning-disabilities/article_d4fc7f90-9628-5bbc-9c0c-8708e51764fc.html
 
* A man who was already on probation has pled guilty in the sexual assault of a Housatonic Community College student with physical disabilities: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Man-faces-18-months-for-sexually-assaulting-11055827.php
 
* Australia is debating whether or not to fund universities based on measures like retention, graduation, and employment rates, but some are worried this could lead to campuses weeding out students with disabilities and others who are less likely to do well on performance measures: http://theconversation.com/should-university-funding-be-tied-to-student-performance-75385
 
* Nazareth College formally apologized for a security officer parking in an illegal spot that blocked a wheelchair ramp, preventing a mom from getting her medically fragile daughter home: http://www.whec.com/news/nazareth-safety-college-apologizes-ramp-blocked/4444294/
 
* Entrepreneur Peter Shankman runs the “Faster Than Normal” podcast about the “gifts” of ADHD, and in an interview with FlockU, he urges college students to use those gifts by knowing yourself: http://www.flocku.com/articles/dealing-with-adhd-in-college
 
* Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania used to have student leaders spend the day in wheelchair simulations for disability awareness week, but this year they decided to do an accessibility “scavenger hunt” to explore realities of access on campus: http://www.theslateonline.com/article/2017/04/disability-awareness-club-hosts-scavenger-hunt
 
* Stephan Mark Shore is a professor of special education at Adelphi University and a professional musician who believes people with autism can have “superpower” level abilities if society can be more supportive: http://www.liherald.com/stories/professor-taps-into-autisms-superpower,89844
 
* Boston University student Alicia Schaefer was attacked by another student at an on-campus restaurant, and now Schaefer is suing BU for allegedly failing to protect her (including hiring her attacker as a TA in her course), as well as failing to provide a proper medical leave and disability accommodations resulting from the attack: http://dailyfreepress.com/2017/04/06/alumna-files-lawsuit-university-disability-maltreatment/
 
* Ancilla College in Indiana is launching a comprehensive residential program for students with autism who have graduated from high school: http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/story/35097203/ancilla-to-launch-autism-education-program
 
 
And a few related items of possible interest to college students:
*  A man.  A mission.  A quest of biblical proportions.  It’s a hilarious (and illuminating) five-hour epic trip to get a NYC bagel for Zach Anner and his power chair: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/man-wheelchair-cerebral-palsy-quest-new-york-rainbow-bagel_us_58e3c892e4b03a26a3668896 
 
* Here are some helpful and sometimes amusing “25 Cheat Sheets for Taking Care of Yourself Like a Damn Adult” (although these are highly visible and not consistently accessible, so we’re guessing Buzzfeed assumes visually impaired people are adulting better than the rest of us): https://www.buzzfeed.com/annaborges/look-mom-im-a-functional-human?utm_term=.ovz27w0V0#.ipRQB70J0
 
* WHO’s World Health Day has a theme of “Depression: Let’s Talk,” and features captioned videos and posters to help people learn more about the leading cause of disability around the world: http://www.firstpost.com/india/world-health-day-depression-lets-talk-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-debilitating-disorder-3373296.html
 
* Learn how to create accessible documents in Microsoft Office programs: http://assistivetechnologyblog.com/2017/04/easy-guide-accessible-content-microsoft-office.html
 
* Amy Bleuel founded Project Semicolon and helped prevent suicides around the country, but after fighting depression her whole life she committed suicide, showing that even the strongest people still need support – there are links in the article to messages from those who will carry on her work (and we remind you that the NCCSD and DREAM have a list of crisis resources at http://www.nccsdclearinghouse.org/crisis-resources.html that can be accessed 24/7): http://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/notable-deaths/article/amy-bleuel-1985-2017)
 
* Glimmer is a new dating app designed for people with disabilities: http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/originals/ct-glimmer-dating-app-bsi-20170214-story.html
 
* Lenín Moreno has been elected President of Ecuador, and will be the world’s only head of state who uses a wheelchair: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/opinion/ecuador-elects-worlds-only-head-of-state-in-a-wheelchair.html
 
* For the first time, the National Trends in Disability Employment is reporting 12 consecutive months of good news about employment for people with disabilities, up to a 32.3% employment rate (compared to 76.6% for nondisabled people): http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/ntide-march-2017-jobs-report-americans-with-disabilities-reach-milestone-with-full-year-2208532.htm
 
* Having an eating disorder can be difficult when your autism causes sensory processing and social difficulties, but there are some tips that can help: http://proud2bme.org/content/5-eating-disorder-recovery-tips-autistic-people  
 
* What is fibromyalgia really like?  20 photos show how first appearances don’t always show what’s really happening to people living with the illness: https://themighty.com/2017/03/fibromyalgia-photos/
 
 
 
 
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. 
 
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.