DREAM Weekly: March 17-23, 2019

​DREAM Weekly on Disability and Higher Education in the News: March 17-23, 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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Just a reminder: the DREAM Weekly Email just has highlights from the news – to access the full version:

• Read the attached Word document (with active links)
• Visit our visual and graphic-based version of the news at http://www.nccsdonline.org/news.html
• Read the news online with searchable archives at https://www.dreamcollegedisability.org/this-weeks-news-in-disability-and-higher-education

 
Having trouble accessing an article?  Check with your campus library or reach out to us (NCCSD@ahead.org).
 
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Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):
 
* More and more research is showing that inclusive higher education programs give students with intellectual disabilities better jobs and a better quality of life after graduation: https://www.today.com/parents/college-students-down-syndrome-find-jobs-independence-t150399
 
* The American Economic Association’s climate survey showed 14% of disabled economists reporting trouble finding research assistantships during college, and 17% reporting trouble getting access to quality advisors: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/03/19/survey-economics-association-members-finds-48-percent-women-have-been-discriminated?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=dc04b8c51d-DNU_2019_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-dc04b8c51d-198891893&mc_cid=dc04b8c51d&mc_eid=a51c972f65
 
* As part of a series on every family having a secret recipe and a secret, a local DC TV station filmed the Wassermann family having a dinner conversation about their son coming out and becoming HIV+ during college (film is captioned but not audio described): https://www.wusa9.com/article/features/from-coming-out-to-being-hiv-positive-parents-son-come-to-understanding/65-c7e0458d-8d25-44a1-82ce-b38894b3b32b
 
* Katherine Irwin will be the first student at the University of Alaska Anchorage to give a commencement speech in American Sign Language: https://clarksburgcaller.com/im-the-same-as-you-i-just-cant-hear-meet-uaas-student-graduation-speaker/36831/
 
* Internationally renown economist and Princeton University professor Alan Krueger died this past weekend, and his suicide is prompting discussions about mental illness among professors in academia – including the ones who have achieved success and fame: https://www.chronicle.com/article/A-Prominent-Economist-s/245932
 
* A blind international student at Dundee University in the UK was told to leave the country with his wife and four children after the university said he was not making satisfactory progress in his PhD program (https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/dundee/844602/blind-international-student-at-dundee-university-told-to-leave-uk-amid-row-over-discrimination-and-lack-of-support/), and the university issued a public statement in response, insisting the student had received every possible form of support (https://www.dundee.ac.uk/governance/news/2019/statement-regarding-termination-of-phd-studies-case.php)
 
* Delhi University has upgraded all walking its paths to be wheelchair accessible, with tactile cues for visually impaired people, and many nondisabled students are finding the new pathways to be a “delightful experience:” https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/with-barrier-free-footpaths-du-is-a-pedestrian-s-dream/story-RaJ5Ey0JME1pr7dir6SobO.html
 
* The Mighty listed 20 inclusive higher education programs for students with intellectual disabilities that are “really outstanding” (listed in alphabetical order, with some videos that are captioned but not audio described): https://themighty.com/2019/03/college-university-disability-inclusion-programs/
 
* Syracuse University student Priya Penner is challenging the campus to look at the inaccessibility of off-campus housing, with accessible options being limited and more expensive: http://dailyorange.com/2019/03/student-raises-concerns-over-accessibility-university-hill/
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* William Paterson University will start New Jersey’s first bachelor’s program in disability studies: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/wayne/2019/03/21/william-paterson-u-to-launch-njs-first-program-in-disability-studies/3222537002/
 
* More commentary about the college admissions scandal and its impact on people with disabilities:

• ACT and SAT disability accommodation rules have actually been stricter in recent years, despite what people may think after the recent college admissions scandal: https://qctimes.com/news/local/education/despite-college-admissions-scandal-act-accommodations-process-had-gotten-stricter/article_99df168c-dd3c-5ca1-af54-b97119c0db5b.html
• Ruth Colker talks about prioritizing speed on standardized tests like the SAT and how it discriminates against poor or disabled students, while simultaneously prioritizing fast thinking over slower, deeper thinking: https://psmag.com/education/what-the-college-admissions-scandal-tells-us-about-disability-and-standardized-tests
• A student with anxiety notes that getting test accommodations can be especially difficult for students with mental illness or chronic illnesses: https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-recent-college-admissions-scandal-095502021.html

 
* A note from academics who are hard of hearing: “Use a microphone for conference presentations!” https://www.chronicle.com/article/A-Note-From-Your/245916
 
* The University of Minnesota is proposing a ban on emotional support animals in all campus classrooms, labs, and offices: https://www.thecollegefix.com/u-minnesota-proposes-banning-emotional-support-animals-from-classrooms-offices/
 
* A new report by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) made recommendations for the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act’s financial aid provisions, including several recommendations related to college students with disabilities: http://www.highereducationcommitteeof50.org/uploads/HEC50_Final_Report.pdf
 
* The Ohio Civil Rights Commissions ruled against the University of Toledo, finding that they did commit disability discrimination by firing an employee with chronic migraines only days after he requested disability accommodations: https://www.toledoblade.com/local/education/2019/03/08/ohio-civil-rights-commission-rules-against-ut-disability-discrimination-case-james-matthew-krull/stories/20190307154
 
* Trump has issued a plan to end the AIDS epidemic, but that can be complex in places like Mississippi, where even handing out materials on a college campus can be prohibited: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/health/trump-hiv-aids-blacks.html
 
* Princeton University philosophy professor Peter Singer is going to speak at Dalhousie University in Canada, and as with many of his other appearances, disability activists are already protesting Singer’s “hate speech” about people with disabilities: https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/news/local/controversial-philosophers-halifax-appearance-raises-ire-293121/
 
* A group of visually impaired and blind university students in Mumbai, India, have created VCparty6, to educate people and organizations about blindness: https://www.mid-day.com/articles/if-you-carry-a-white-cane-you-are-a-beggar/20595167
 
* Boston University’s annual “Deaf Deaf World” event was historically associated with some audist practices, so students changed the name to “Deaf Space” (video is captioned for non-signers): https://www.facebook.com/BUDeafStudies/videos/828257477514028/
 
* University of Vermont student Sefakor Komabu-Pomeyie is getting her doctorate to expand her disability activism and inclusive education work in her home country of Ghana: https://www.uvm.edu/uvmnews/news/access-all-abilities
 
* A Harvard student’s family filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, alleging that placing a depressed student on mandatory leave for a year is disability discrimination; this is the sixth open OCR investigation of disability discrimination at the university: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/3/19/doe-complaint-ada-harvard/
 
* The University of Virginia’s Lawn is a centerpiece of campus, and “living on the Lawn” is an honor, but the rooms along the Lawn are not accessible, and now some students are working to change that: http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2019/03/burke-the-university-should-provide-an-ada-accessible-lawn-room
 
* A new scholarship at Pacific Coast University will provide financial assistance to disabled workers who would like to work in re-enter the workforce by training for disability management fields, and ultimately help businesses be more accessible and inclusive: https://www.albernivalleynews.com/news/new-scholarship-at-pacific-coast-university-boosts-disability-retraining/
 
* California’s new Proposition 63 would tax wealthy state residents to fund public mental health programs, and the Governor’s new budget proposes $5.3 million for UC mental health services – part of a comprehensive wave of state-wide change to address college students’ mental health needs: https://edsource.org/2019/california-colleges-expand-mental-health-services-to-meet-rising-needs/610151
 
* The University of Iowa’s Obermann Center Humanities Symposium will focus on disability studies this year, wiha a title of “Misfitting: Disability Broadly Considered:” https://littlevillagemag.com/misfitting-disability-broadly-considered-obermann-center-symposium/
 
* Metropolitan State University Denver has created “ISSAC,” a program to support MSU students with autism, including development of social, academic, and executive functioning skills: https://www.mymetmedia.com/the-metropolitan/issac-gives-students-with-autism-needed-access/
 
* Various landmarks and campuses around Scotland are “lighting up in purple” to raise epilepsy awareness and to raise money for epilepsy-related causes: https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/rss-discovery-and-discovery-point-to-light-up-purple-to-raise-epilepsy-awareness/
 
* The Seattle Times editorial board encouraged state lawmakers to pass Initiative 1000, which would allow state and local governments to use affirmative action in public colleges for veterans, women, people with disabilities, and people of color: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/pass-i-1000-to-restore-affirmative-action/
 
* Trinity University in Texas will launch a support group for students with chronic health conditions: https://www.trinitonian.com/sas-creates-support-group-for-students-with-chronic-health-conditions/
 
* Filmmaker Raghunath S has made Autsie, a short film about an autistic college student who is bullied by other students while he prepares for a drum competition: https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/autsie-is-a-short-film-on-autism/article26578223.ece
 
* University of Iowa student Eric Ortiz is using his personal experience with diabetes to pursue a degree in public health: https://wcfcourier.com/news/local/from-patient-to-participant-columbus-grad-ui-student-helping-with/article_1fd29686-4539-58f7-8a60-eacfddef3be1.html
 
* The News-Gazette in East Illinois published an article about the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, but a savvy reader noticed the article wasn’t in the sports section: http://www.news-gazette.com/opinion/letters-the-editor/2019-03-21/letter-the-editor-story-should-have-been-sports.html
 
* Rowan University held it’s third annual all-day transition conference for prospective students with disabilities: https://today.rowan.edu/home/news/2019/03/19/college-prep-transition-conference-guides-incoming-students-disabilities
 
* In 1850, a Harvard biology professor took pictures of naked slaves without their consent, to use as evidence for the intellectual and physical superiority of white people; now a descendant of those slaves is suing the university for the way the photos have been used: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/03/21/lawsuit-against-harvard-focuses-actions-19th-century-biologist?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=1ede1425f1-DNU_2019_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-1ede1425f1-198891893&mc_cid=1ede1425f1&mc_eid=a51c972f65
 
* Authors of a new research study suggests trigger warnings are not good for students, even though the study did not include any students with mental illness and triggers did not include anything related to sexual violence: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/03/21/new-study-says-trigger-warnings-are-useless-does-mean-they-should-be-abandoned?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=1ede1425f1-DNU_2019_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-1ede1425f1-198891893&mc_cid=1ede1425f1&mc_eid=a51c972f65
 
 
 
A Few Other Items of Possible Interest:
 
* Twitter’s #AbledsAreWeird, created by activist Imani Barbarin, is giving disabled people a chance to share all the ableist behavior of nondisabled people: https://www.romper.com/p/twitters-abledsareweird-shines-a-light-on-the-things-said-to-people-with-disabilities-16962363
 
* Why do some autistic people hate the puzzle piece symbol for autism?  Learn more about its history: https://intheloopaboutneurodiversity.wordpress.com/2019/03/20/the-ableist-history-of-the-puzzle-piece-symbol-for-autism/
 
* Fidget spinners are out, and fidget fashion is in, with clothes and jewelry designed to work as fidgets: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/fashion/adhd-fidget-fashion-.html
 
* It is possible for disabled people to experience death and grief, but still have pride in who they are: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/21/opinion/disability-death-coping.html
 
* Professional photographer Andy Hutchinson talks about his autism affects his work, and becoming a professional photographer when most people didn’t know autism existed: https://petapixel.com/2019/03/19/confessions-of-an-autistic-photographer/
 
* An adapted soccer league in Mexico City is giving visually impaired people a chance to play and compete: https://globalpressjournal.com/americas/mexico/imagining-colorful-lines-mexican-football-player-visual-impairment-finds-new-future-sport/
 
* George Conway tweeted that President Donald Trump’s mental status is deteriorating, prompting his wife and White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, to publicly disagree: https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/18/politics/george-conway-kellyanne-trump/index.html
 
* Creator of “surf rock” Dick Dale died last week after ongoing health struggles from rectal cancer, which prevented his retirement because touring was the only way to pay medical bills: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/18/i-have-perform-save-my-life-medical-bills-kept-rock-legend-dick-dale-touring-till-end/?utm_term=.a8283434122b
 

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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).