Weekly Update on Disability and Higher Education in the News: December 3-9, 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) ------------------------------- Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order): * Rising demand for disability services led the University of Colorado Boulder to follow a strict “compliance” approach, but now the campus is viewing disability as part of institutional diversity, and changing their view of those rising numbers and the reasons behind them: https://www.aacu.org/diversitydemocracy/2017/fall/aragon * With service animals and emotional support animals already on campus, Beloit College’s op-ed ponders welcoming pets and following the example of Eckerd College, which has a full-time “Pet Life Staff” person to welcome pets and create pet-friendly spaces: http://beloitcollegeroundtable.com/2017/12/04/should-pets-be-allowed-on-beloit-college-campus/ * Concordia College’s Student Government Association has formed a Disabilities Accommodations Council to address campus physical accessibility, disability awareness, and better representation for students with disabilities: http://theconcordian.org/2017/12/07/new-sga-disability-accommodations-council-hopes-to-improve-accessibility * Blind Wichita State University student Emily Schlenker loved organic chemistry; after facing a lack of access to course materials, faculty pushback and protests about academic freedom, and resistance from publishers, she filed a discrimination complaint against the university and won: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-12-08-how-a-blind-student-who-felt-locked-out-of-stem-classes-challenged-and-changed-her-university * Athletes with ADHD and learning disabilities tend to have more concussions, says new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association: https://www.popsci.com/learning-disability-higher-risk-concussion * In an interview, Academic Ableism author and University of Waterloo professor Jay Dolmage discusses how campuses establish disability in medical terms, how “reasonable” accommodations have little to do with reason, and more: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/12/07/author-discusses-his-new-book-disability-and-higher-education * She’s a doctor who uses a wheelchair, and in this New York Times article, Cheri Blauwet discusses her experiences and asks why medical schools aren’t training more physicians with disabilities: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/opinion/doctor-wheelchair-disability.html?_r=0 * Indigenous people are being recruited for a new four-year scholarship program at the University of New England’s Australia campus, where students will earn a graduate certificate in business, with a focus on disability policy and working with Indigenous people who have disabilities: https://prwire.com.au/pr/74425/supporting-indigenous-leadership-in-the-disability-sector * Diabetes technology has evolved dramatically over the decades, say professor Amy Trauger and current student Riley Jenkins at the University of Georgia, as they share their experiences with Type 1 diabetes: https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/student-professor-talk-life-with-type-one-diabetes/article_26441f76-d97e-11e7-9707-3395c5db612d.html * Crisis assessments at Missouri State University have increased by over 2,000% and the number of students seeking counseling has increased 50%, as the campus sees record enrollment numbers and actively encourages students to ask for help if they need it: http://www.the-standard.org/news/campus-counseling-center-sees-dramatic-increase/article_e564202a-d971-11e7-ad47-cf7f4a037678.html * Time to learn from the disability community and think seriously about teaching a generation of cyborgs, says professor David Perry in response to a New York Times article on banning laptops in classrooms: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/12/laptops-in-the-classroom/547607/?elqTrackId=adbfcea8d03041e18c4cfac4b5079fb8&elq=5cbb289f2cae4f0eb6209ac1033c7b46&elqaid=17028&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=7383 * When college students start showing signs of mental health struggles, friends can show support but are usually reluctant to consult with professionals about what to do or how to really help, says an article in the Cabrini University student newspaper (heads up that the article has very graphic art work about suicide and self-harm): http://www.theloquitur.com/diffusion-of-responsibility-is-hurting-us/ * The Office for Civil Rights completed its investigation against Simmons College and required them to create a policy for extensions on papers and projects, after a professor refused to give a student an extension she needed for disability reasons while the student was in the process of learning about disability services and registering for services: https://simmonsvoice.com/2017/12/06/simmons-college-recieves-letter-from-the-department-of-education/ * An anonymous professor and researcher says she discloses all her other identities to colleagues, but is afraid to talk about her chronic illness, even though she knows that’s ableism: https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2017/dec/08/if-i-tell-my-university-about-my-disability-will-i-be-seen-as-a-weak-link * Small cameras with an Aira device help a network of online agents describe campus, airports, and other community areas so American River College’s blind staff member Tiffany Manosh can find her way around: https://www.arcurrent.com/scene/2017/12/06/bringing-wireless-eyes-to-the-blind/ * Trinity University students are marching for disability rights and Ireland’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD): http://trinitynews.ie/trinity-students-to-march-for-disability-rights/ * “Bachelorette” star Peter Kraus has started talking about his experiences with having an eating disorder, and how enrolling in a dietetics degree program at Madison Area Technical College helped him get through it: https://www.today.com/health/bachelorette-star-peter-kraus-reveals-past-struggle-eating-disorder-t119735 * How can graduate students incorporate Universal Design for Learning into their work? Neelofer Qadir describes how she got started: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/gradhacker/tuning-your-pedagogical-practices-building-universal-teaching-environment * The College Steps program at Johnson State College in Vermont provides high school transition students with disabilities and enrolled college students with social, academic, and vocational supports in partnership with local businesses: http://www.stowetoday.com/news_and_citizen/news/local_news/people-with-disabilities-reach-for-independence/article_b305f67e-db5d-11e7-8c11-7b0cc0c60c6b.html (a description of the program is at http://www.jsc.edu/academics/education/college-steps-program) * “John Doe” filed a lawsuit against LSAT administrators for not providing disability accommodations, but the Law School Admissions Council says the man presented fake evidence of Doe’s ADHD: https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/511285853-law-school-exam-administrator-says-applicant-brought-sham-suit-based-on-bogus-disability-documents * A new “Planning for the Future Checklist” app from Pennsylvania helps youth with disabilities plan for their futures, including college: https://uwswpa.org/download-pa-planning-for-the-future-checklist/ * Colleen O’Donnell has been sharing all the steps in her recovery from an eating disorder on Instagram, while finishing her degree at Stonehill College in Massachusetts: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5137951/Personal-trainer-suffered-eating-disorder.html * American River College is mourning the death of Thomas Roberts, who attended the community college continuously for almost 30 years, while working in the Disabled Students Program and forming a support group for students like himself who had traumatic brain injuries: https://www.arcurrent.com/news/2017/12/05/31402/ * Colleges and businesses need to encourage neurodiversity, says Landmark College president Peter Eden: http://hechingerreport.org/opinion-want-help-college-students-special-needs-succeed-first-stop-saying-disadvantage/ * Yeshiva University student Kee Frishman praises the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities in YU’s new Makor program as part of a move to a more inclusive society: https://yucommentator.org/2017/12/on-inclusion-and-its-future/ * Disability stereotyping and prejudice are topics of research for Hiram College professor Michelle Nario-Redmond: http://www.hiram.edu/hiram-news/hiram-psychology-professor-provokes-disability-prejudice-awareness/ * Tameika Morris has cerebral palsy and has been a staff member of Southeast Missouri State University for 15 years – learn more about her and her struggles and successes around campus at http://www.southeastarrow.com/story/2466543.html * Ithaca College’s bookstore is crowded with things for sale and campus merchandise, but sophomore Kaitlyn Scott notes that it is not very accessible for people with disabilities who want to show a little school spirit: https://theithacan.org/opinion/commentary-bookstore-isnt-as-accessible-as-it-should-be/ * Nigeria’s Bethesda Home for the Blind celebrated 23 students accepted into universities, at festivities with honored guests including the First Lady of Lagos State: https://newtelegraphonline.com/2017/12/displaying-abilities-disabilities/ * University of Missouri employees may pool unused vacation hours for colleagues needing extra time for medical reasons or “catastrophic events,” among other benefits approved this month: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/curators-approve-new-time-off-benefit-changes-for-university-of/article_534cfc2b-db7d-5ed3-a207-3c78dfc99a9d.html * Her university and the National Health Services in the UK all assured Averil Hart’s parents that her anorexia and eating would be closely monitored, but she died after being assigned to psychologists and doctors who had little experience with eating disorders; her parents recently won a lawsuit noting “numerous failings” in the system: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/08/death-anorexic-teenager-left-starve-university-flat-avoidable/ And a few related items of possible interest to college students: * “Aint no shame in mental health,” says Blackish star Jennifer Lewis, who talks candidly about her own experiences with bipolar disorder and her advice to anyone struggling with mental health issues: https://www.facebook.com/theRoot/videos/10159562230970231/ * Over 14,000 ABLE accounts have been opened, but millions more may be able to benefit from them: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2017/12/05/able-accounts-growing/24492/ * People in the state of Minnesota can now text 911 instead of calling: http://www.startribune.com/text-to-911-is-minnesota-s-new-emergency-texting-service/462075943/?ref=nl&om_rid=1596052937&om_mid=64344521 * Comedian Rosie Jones discusses cerebral palsy for World Cerebral Palsy Day, using her humor to answer a few types of questions she gets on a regular basis (video has subtitles but no audio description): https://www.facebook.com/StylistMagazine/videos/10157344612164572/ * A new app from Ireland can help newly-diagnosed people with epilepsy figure out how to talk about it with other people: http://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=26015 * Grover Evans passed away in Arkansas; he was a Paralympian in swimming, former Governor-appointed Director of Disability Determination for Social Security in Arkansas, the first African American to be elected to Jonesboro City Council, and a disability activist who helped pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. He had an undergraduate degree from Arkansas State University and a doctorate from LaSalle University: http://www.kait8.com/story/36992916/former-city-councilmandisability-advocateand-paralympian-passes-away *The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond suggested the country’s levels of productivity are low because more people with disabilities are in the labor force, leading to outrage by disability activists and members of Parliament: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/philip-hammond-uk-productivity-rates-low-because-more-disabled-people-are-in-work_uk_5a281714e4b044d16726b7bd?mmo&utm_hp_ref=uk-homepage * Disability activist Sarah Blahovec talks about her depression, Crohn’s disease, and Dan Harmon from Rick and Morty sharing his depression, as well: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dan-harmon-says-to-not-hold-in-your-depression-sharing_us_5a276b9ce4b0cd6fb5ee8b57 * Disabled journalist and WCNY radio host John Hockenberry left WNYC, but sexual harassment, bullying accusations, and other allegations continue to surface about him (audio-only file accompanies text): http://www.wnyc.org/story/harassment-and-bullying-allegations-rock-wnyc-after-departure-celebrated-host/ * Between 1948 and 1996, thousands of disabled people were involuntarily sterilized under Japan’s Eugenic Protection Law, and one woman is now suing: https://www.rt.com/news/412039-japan-eugenics-sterilization-lawsuit/ * 23 disabled voters did not have their votes counted in Sedgwick County, Kansas, after a new law changed how they accept ballot signatures; the law was drafted by the head of President Donald Trump’s election fraud commission (video has captions but no audio description): http://www.newsweek.com/disabled-americans-lost-voting-rights-under-trump-election-fraud-commissioners-720492 * We’ve all used them, but humble index cards have a volatile history, with their entire purpose to label, classify, and organize knowledge, ever since they were invented by “worm-eaten” burned-out Swedish botanist with “bad teeth,” Carl Linnaeus: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/12/how-the-index-card-catalogued-the-world/547271/?elqTrackId=61b790ab04384711a4dbd9a6f760a91e&elq=bc835d2250ef45af865dece9d76aa952&elqaid=17054&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=7393 * December marked 20 consecutive months of improvement for people with disabilities and the job market: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/kf-nn2120817.php * The ADA does not allow service dog users to require proof of a disability, documentation of training, or a demonstration of the dog’s work, but as businesses experience frequent fake service dog users, they have difficulty proving it: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2017/12/05/is-service-dog-fake-law-cant-ask/24488/ * Russia is struggling to deal with an HIV/AIDS epidemic that burgeoned after fake news and misinformation, including stories that the virus was not real or had been created by American pharmaceutical companies: https://www.thedailybeast.com/fake-news-helped-spread-hivaids-in-russia-has-it-stopped * “Uncommon Sense,” a play about autism that incorporates sensory experiences for the audience, premiered in New York City and will tour in 2018: https://spectrumnews.org/opinion/reviews/uncommon-sense-exquisitely-explores-autisms-sensory-experiences/ * She never got support with her sex life after acquiring a disability, but sex educator Robin Wilson-Beattie is now helping teach people with disabilities, and spreading the word that people with disabilities do indeed want to have sex: https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/ywnm7v/robin-wilson-beattie-sex-educator-bdsm-disabilities * Police officer Omar Delgado was a first responder at the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, and now he’s losing his job because of the PTSD he developed that night (video has captions but no audio description): http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/health/pulse-shooting-ptsd-officer/index.html * People with disabilities can join a U.S.-based Accessibility User Research Collective that helps Microsoft make its technology more accessible: https://accessibilityuserresearchcollective.org/ * If you are hard-of-hearing, check out these five apps designed to help people with hearing loss have better experiences with everything from tinnitus to TV viewing: http://ksaudiology.com/5-apps-that-can-help-with-hearing-loss/ ------------------------------- 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. Comments are closed.
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