DREAM Weekly E-Mail: May 12-18, 2019

​DREAM Weekly Email, Disability and Higher Education in the News: May 12-18, 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):
 
* The UK’s General Medical Council has created new guidance to support disabled students in medical schools and disabled doctors in training: https://www.gponline.com/gmc-sets-plan-end-barriers-doctors-medical-students-disabilities/article/1584459
 
* The Disability Visibility Project 50th podcast featured Hamza Jaka and Britney Wilson, talking about law school with a disability and gatekeeping in the profession that is designed to prevent people with disabilities from becoming lawyers (a transcript is available as a Google doc or PDF): https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2019/05/06/ep-50-disabled-lawyers/
 
* New research from Middlebury College suggests Gen Z students rely heavily on “emotional reasoning” and that their higher levels of anxiety and depression may be related to using feelings as a way to assess whether their campuses are meeting lofty goals of inclusion (or not): http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/05/13/exploring-student-views-inclusivity-campuses-opinion?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=508f9e3a13-WNU_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-508f9e3a13-225808461&mc_cid=508f9e3a13&mc_eid=d5645fe552
 
* In court this week, Felicity Huffman pled guilty to paying $15,000 to inflate her daughter’s score on the SAT, but said her daughter has a legitimate learning disability and could have had extended time on the exam: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-felicity-huffman-college-admissions-comments-court-20190513-story.html
 
* Due to a lack of funds, UC Berkeley is shutting down its “No Limits” program that provided one-on-one personal training for students with any kind of disability: https://www.dailycal.org/2019/05/08/uc-berkeley-to-shut-down-personal-training-program-for-disabled-students/
 
* A year ago, Egypt passed a bill mandating integration of students with disabilities into all university facilities, but students and activists say there are no stats on the numbers of students with disabilities, there is still a lack of accessiblity, and there are no offices to coordinate accommodations: https://madamasr.com/en/2019/05/10/feature/society/what-will-change-once-egypts-new-disability-law-takes-effect/
 
* The U.S. government is stepping up collections on late or delinquent student loans, including withholding Social Security disability payments, even though 1 in 15 borrowers has considered suicide because of their student loan debt: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-12/u-s-stepping-up-enforcement-on-delinquent-student-loans?srnd=politics-vp
 
* A student at Knox College complains about needing to keep emotional support animals in her room, saying that walking in halls or studying with a support animal shouldn’t require permission, and preventing socialization can harm the animals: http://www.theknoxstudent.com/news/2019/05/15/emotional-support-animals-able-socialize/#.XN6xXchKh3g
 
* It’s graduation time!  We’re adding to our list of articles celebrating 2019 graduates with disabilities (no “I-use-a-wheelchair-but-stood-at-graduation” stories here!):

• Clay Harville is the first to graduate from Western Kentucky University’s Kelly Autism Program; his student teaching experience taught him that sharing his disability experiences with kids will help him teach the next generation of autistic college students, too: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/education/2019/05/15/louisville-kentucky-student-clay-harville-first-to-graduate-from-wku-autism-program/1188837001/
• Clayton Rhodes was the first kid with Down syndrome to attend his elementary, middle school, and high school, and now he’s the first student with Down syndrome to graduate from the University of Las Vegas’s Project Focus for students with intellectual disabilities (it is unclear whether the news clip for this story has captions): https://6abc.com/education/student-with-down-syndrome-makes-history--graduates-from-unlv/5301537/
• After multiple sclerosis symptoms forced him to quit his job, Brandon “John” Hines started a degree program at Patrick Henry Community College, which meant he and his daughter were students at the same time, and this week they graduated at the same time, too: https://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/lifestyles/features/father-daughter-duo-will-at-long-last-graduate-from-patrick/article_d780fb43-65f4-53db-9963-fd618c2ea252.html

 
* The University of Iowa is doing a program review in response to student activism about the location of Student Disability Services, and in the meantime they’re working with disabled students to create a “more equitable environment”: https://dailyiowan.com/2019/05/09/shivers-campus-community-committed-to-making-university-of-iowa-better/
 
* There are four new employment resources about/for college students with disabilities:

• In Canada, the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) published “Accessibility and Universal Design in Career Transitions Programming and Services,” which finds that college students who have disabilities need more opportunities to prepare for careers: https://ceric.ca/2019/05/post-secondary-students-with-disabilities-face-gaps-in-career-education-services/
• The NCCSD published two research briefs about employment: “College Students with Disabilities and Employment: Career Development Needs and Models of Support,” and “Career Development for College Students with Mental Health Disabilities:” http://www.nccsdonline.org/research-briefs.html
• The World Institute on Disability published resources and curricula to improve employment and economic empowerment for youth and adults with disabilities: https://wid.org/wid-e3/

 
* For youth with autism transitioning from high school, access to Vocational Rehabilitation services vary wildly by state, with 77% of students in Oklahoma and only 10% of students in Montana getting the services (note: the article focuses on employment, but transition plans can include planning for higher education): https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/05/13/study-huge-gaps-job-autism/26612/
 
* “Nurses on wheels” share their experiences becoming nurses and working in the field (this is the second of a two-part series; the first part focused on doctors with disabilities, and there is a link to that in the article): http://www.newmobility.com/2019/04/nurses-on-wheels/
 
* Charleston Southern University gave an honorary bachelor’s degree to a dad who pushed his daughter’s wheelchair to classes every day for four years, without any questions about why Caroline Walsh didn’t have the right wheelchair; Caroline has been working with the university to make it more accessible (video is captioned but not audio described): https://www.live5news.com/2019/05/08/lowcountry-college-student-father-get-big-surprise-graduation/
 
* It’s the end of the academic year, and many college students are turning to illegal use of ADHD drugs to get through exams, even with risks of addiction (news clip is captioned but not audio described): https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Many-College-Students-Use-ADHD-Drugs-to-Power-Through-Exams-509873161.html
 
* Caitlin Ray tweeted about finding Lime public scooters on wheelchair ramps at the University of Louisville, and how university parking was refusing to move them; it touched off a larger conversation about problems with the scooters across the city: https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/lone-lime-scooters-left-around-city-leaves-people-with-disabilities-frustrated/417-08b9aadb-9e71-4753-ac12-9df7849cabd3
 
* The College Board will add an “adversity index” to student’s SAT scores, but it’s about context of scores, and not about students’ individual experiences with adversity related to loss, ableism, or illness: http://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2019/05/17/college-board-will-add-adversity-score-everyone-taking-sat?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=508f9e3a13-WNU_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-508f9e3a13-225808461&mc_cid=508f9e3a13&mc_eid=d5645fe552
 
* Middlebury College students are sharing concerns about mental health services, including wait times for counseling, specialized care for issues like addiction, and the lack of support groups: https://middleburycampus.com/45300/news/college-struggles-to-meet-surging-demand-for-mental-health-support/
 
* Citing a series of complaints about the dean, Harvard University has refused to renew the dean position of law professor Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr., but the decision was made after students said Sullivan’s role as Harvey Weinstein’s defense attorney was “trauma inducing”: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/05/13/harvard-will-end-deanship-professor-who-defending-harvey-weinstein?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=3fa610f662-DNU_2019_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-3fa610f662-198891893&mc_cid=3fa610f662&mc_eid=a51c972f65
 
* University of Colorado -Colorado Springs student and “bionic bachelorette” Mandy Horvath went viral for her humor and Tinder profile in 2017, and now she’s back on Tinder and “Still ain’t got no legs…still ain’t got a boyfriend” (strong language caution to those who are easily offended): https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-6998943/Woman-26-lost-legs-captures-hearts-cheeky-Tinder-profile.html
 
* A psychologist who diagnoses ADHD and learning disabilities says the college admissions scandal should lead to better ways to diagnose students and administer tests, with research showing it is possible to fake or exaggerate a disability to exploit systems: https://theconversation.com/u-s-college-admissions-scandal-means-more-skepticism-of-genuine-invisible-disabilities-115502
 
* The University of Southern Mississippi will help high school wheelchair uses prepare for college by hosting a Hackability.camp focused on coding and computers: http://news.usm.edu/article/usm-set-host-camp-wheelchair-users-july-7-11
 
* Natasha Abrahart was a Bristol University student in the UK who committed suicide in 2018 on ithe day of a presentation that was causing anxiety and suicidal thinking; the inquest revealed no supports in place to help her, despite attempts by staff to refer her to departments that could help: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/may/13/natasha-abrahart-inquest-no-support-for-vulnerable-student
 
* Doctoral student Sharada Devi V talks about attending academic conferences in India, and how some universities with no physically disabled students are actually more accessible than universities that already have students using wheelchairs: https://newzhook.com/story/22199
 
* Clemson University has set up a wheelchair tennis team, thanks to a university policy that says a “team” just needs two people to get started: https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/sports/college/clemson/2019/05/15/clemson-university-doubles-down-adaptive-sports-wheelchair-games-hit-campus/1132599001/
 
* The Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education has removed two George Washington University disability discrimination complaints from its website, but even the university isn’t sure why they were removed: https://www.gwhatchet.com/2019/05/13/two-disability-discrimination-complaints-no-longer-listed-on-education-department-website/
 
* Sophomore and English major Katelyn Warner at Ball State University, mentored by professor Darolyn Jones, did research on disability representation in children’s books, which led to a website called rethinkingkidlit.com: https://www.earlybirdpaper.com/bringing-disability-representation-to-literature/
 
* Orange Coast College welcomes students with disabilities through its Spirit of Ability student organization and an Adaptive Kinesiology Program that helps students with disabilities or chronic illnesses follow individualized exercise and fitness programs: http://www.coastreportonline.com/features/article_e3ca9ea2-7695-11e9-bd44-e30da538c821.html
 
 
 
 
A Few Other Items of Possible Interest:
 
* ABC has cancelled its comedy ”Speechless,” leaving almost no broadcast shows with disabled actors: https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-mov-disability-representation-in-hollywood-0517-story.html
 
* Violinist Gaelynn Lea has been on an international tour and is now preparing to write a memoir about her music and experiences with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as “brittle bone disease” (video is not captioned or audio described): https://www.sctimes.com/story/entertainment/2019/05/15/gaelynn-lea-musician-violinist-npr-tiny-desk-concert-st-cloud-disability-activism-central-minnesota/1152141001/
 
* Transnational disabled adoptee Mia Ives-Rublee founded and coordinated the Women’s March Disability Caucus, setting up accessibility for over 41,000 people with disabilities, and she has dedicated her life to civil rights activism (video is captioned but not audio described): https://girltalkhq.com/activist-mia-ives-rublee-on-being-a-leader-in-the-movement-for-disability-rights/
 
* Latinx AIDS, LGBTQ and and mental health activist Andy Vélez of New York died on May 14 – he wanted to be remembered “as someone who was able to help”: https://www.gaycitynews.nyc/stories/2019/11/andy-velez-remembrance-2019-05-15-gcn.html
 
* Mental illness runs in families – is it an heirloom, or a a family curse?  https://www.theroot.com/when-mental-illness-is-your-family-heirloom-1834716338
 
* Dr. James Makokis is a Two-Spirit Cree doctor who has transgender patients travel up to eight hours to see him and benefit from his blend of Indigenous and Western medicine (video is captioned but not audio described): https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=622125014922652
 
* How does a person find a new therapist who’s a good fit?  One person with bipolar shares some tips: https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Beginner-Tips-Finding-Therapist-46160796
 
* Ranjan Gogoi, Chief Justice of the India Supreme Court, Ranjan Gogoi, has been found not guilty of sexual harassment; his accuser is hearing impaired and was not allowed a support person as accommodations during the hearing: https://newzhook.com/story/22228
 
* It’s been 73 years since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died, and we are still learning about the incredible efforts needed to keep his disability hidden from the public: https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/technology/businessinsider/article/How-FDR-kept-his-partial-paralysis-a-secret-from-13835596.php
 
* The Belgian Medical Association has created more restrictions on psychiatric patients requesting euthanasia, at the same time the Federal Euthanasia Commission is calling for fewer restrictions on euthanasia for people with dementia: https://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/belgian-tug-of-war-over-euthanasia-for-mental-illness-and-dementia/13055
 
* Medical issues are now the number one cause of bankruptcies in the U.S.: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-the-thing-most-likely-to-cause-you-financial-ruin-but-few-prepare-for-it-2019-05-13
 
* Disabled people in the UK are starting to ask why there’s a nationwide shortage of foster parents, but no recruitment of disabled people to fill the gap: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/15/foster-carer-best-thing-disabled-people-shortage
 
* Ben Spangenberg is a disability activist and gay man who loves sports and politics, and is using his job at RespectAbility to support emerging leaders with disabilities while working to improve national disability employment rates: https://voicesofmontereybay.org/2019/05/16/ready-and-abled/
 
* While it’s really an ad for Apple, they created a short film for Global Accessibility Awareness Day that celebrates the many ways technology can be used every day by people with disabilities (film is captioned, but ironically not audio described; there is also a text transcript): https://www.apple.com/accessibility/
 
* A new TV comedy “Everything’s Going to Be Okay” on Freeform will feature an actress with autism: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/05/17/actress-autism-starring-tv-show/26641/
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For more information about DREAM or AHEAD contact Wendy Harbour (wendy@ahead.org).
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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).