DREAM Weekly: January 20-February 1, 2019

DREAM Weekly on Disability and Higher Education in the News: January 20-February 1, 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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Double issue this week!
 
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 ([email protected]).
 
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Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):
 
* Students in Yale’s disability student organization, Disability Empowerment for Yale (DEFY) have changed Yale’s language requirements to accept ASL, started a mentoring program, and lobbies for disability studies, but students continue to be isolated and ignored because of their peers’ attitudes: https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2019/01/25/out-of-sight-out-of-mind/
 
* The public comment period was open for Title IX changes proposed by Education Secretary DeVos; a coalition of more than 200 national civil and human rights organizations submitted comments, including remarks about how the rule changes may have a particularly detrimental effect on college students with disabilities: https://civilrights.org/civil-and-human-rights-community-joint-comment-on-title-ix-nprm/
 
* Learn about inclusive higher education for students with intellectual disabilities, through a new YouTube video by Think College (video is captioned but not audio described): https://youtu.be/hSbOlg6h6Oc
 
* Rowan University student Hannah Wolfram will have a regular column in the campus newspaper about life as a student with disability and campus access issues: https://thewhitonline.com/2019/01/features/wolfram-identity-within-rowans-campus/
 
* UK student Ellie Drewry decided to forgo disability services because documentation cost so much money, and even after getting a diagnosis, accessing support was still difficult: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/31/universities-offer-disability-support-but-finding-it-is-another-matter
 
* Ask students what they need for their mental health, and you might be surprised – sometimes it’s a food pantry, transportation, or child care: https://www.chronicle.com/article/Looking-to-Improve-Students-/245516?cid=cc&utm_source=cc&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=708a10aa6b354492b7ca4c5bf9a5cf8c&elq=952f5b56af82449da0cf35e8f1d7c693&elqaid=22036&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=10789
 
* A study by the Modern Language Association found a decline in language offerings overall, but an increase in three languages: biblical Hebrew, Korean, and American Sign Language: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/01/24/research-documents-decline-languages-offered-over-three-year-period?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=906732517e-WNU_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-906732517e-225808461&mc_cid=906732517e&mc_eid=d5645fe552
 
* Engineering professor Jeffrey McCucheon from the University of Connecticut has deleted his Twitter account and issued a public apology after saying anxiety is fake: https://www.thecollegefix.com/professor-issues-apology-after-criticizing-test-anxiety/
 
* Veterinarians and physicians have the highest rates of suicide for any profession, and their educational training may be part of the problem, but a lack of specialized attention to the problem will require collaboration between fields: http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/couch-crisis/psychiatrist-veterinarian-and-emergency-physician-resolve-improve-mental-health
 
* A column in the student newspaper asks why Washington State University has a program for autistic students with intellectual disabilities, while not having programs or supports for degree-seeking students with autism: https://dailyevergreen.com/47085/life/wsu-should-support-students-on-autism-spectrum/
 
* Learn about how people with disabilities have been involved in the history of accessible design, including students at the University of Illinois-Chicago, through an excerpt of Accessible America: A History of Disability and Design, by Bess Williamson from the Art Institute of Chicago: https://ssir.org/book_reviews/entry/design_for_all#
 
* Brandeis held a public round table forum about disability accessibility on campus, and students filled it up to express their frustrations: https://www.thejustice.org/article/2019/01/brandeis-accessibility-forum-fills-up-students-frustrated
 
* U.S. lawmakers are holding hearings about drug prices, and Kathy Sego from Indiana was the first to testify – telling senators about her son with Type 1 diabetes rationing insulin at college to save money: https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2019/jan/30/senators-push-for-drug-execs-to-testify/ (You can read more about the rising cost of insulin at https://www.businessinsider.com/insulin-price-fluctuation-conundrum-type1-diabetes-2019-1)
 
* More campuses are requiring prospective faculty members to submit diversity and inclusion statements, but some academics think it’s an “affront to academic freedom”: https://www.chronicle.com/article/More-Colleges-Are-Asking/245573?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en&elqTrackId=e8058c51a4254848ac37f1d3687c8c75&elq=aa2d4ce91fa94f038d0eb89f4797e878&elqaid=22099&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=10831
 
* A University of Houston professor wrote a letter to grad students about their body odor, but it was full of inaccuracies and blamed odor on ethnic foods and cultural differences: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/01/21/email-students-u-houston-about-body-odor-raises-concerns-about-how-broach-delicate?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=906732517e-WNU_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-906732517e-225808461&mc_cid=906732517e&mc_eid=d5645fe552
 
* Glamour magazine has an article by discussing how pro-eating disorder materials online triggered and promoted eating disorder in one college student, and then how other online forums helped her survive: https://www.glamour.com/story/social-media-fueled-my-eating-disorder
 
* Quadriplegic film professor Jason Dorwart reviews The Upside, a film with a quadriplegic character played by a nondisabled actor: https://www.denverpost.com/2019/02/01/guest-commentary-as-a-quadriplegic-film-professor-ive-been-asked-if-i-find-the-upside-offensive-well-do-i/
 
* Cambridge University released a new report with proposals to improve mental and emotional wellbeing across campus, including changes to the campus climate: https://www.varsity.co.uk/news/16926
 
* Kate Deibel is the inclusion and accessibility librarian at Syracuse University – learn more about her work and how campuses can work together to improve disability access: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/always-use-microphone/
 
* Receiving disability accommodations for mental health conditions can be more difficult than most people realize: http://projects.thepostathens.com/SpecialProjects/seeking-accommodations-mental-health/
 
* A student at Stanford talks about taking a disability studies course and realizing the need for an on-campus disability community: https://www.stanforddaily.com/2019/01/28/speaking-up-for-the-largest-minority/
 
* Some students with disabilities need laptops in class, so when professors ban them, it creates additional stigma for students who use them, says an editorial from the University of Wisconin-Madison: https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2019/01/no-screen-policies-endanger-students-right-to-privacy
 
* In Australia, a new Curtin University course is looking at how social media influence society’s perceptions of disability and how disabled people are using it in positive ways: https://www.communitynews.com.au/canning-times/news/new-curtin-university-course-explores-how-social-media-is-changing-the-face-of-disability/
 
* Syracuse University is launching an Office of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach to expand disability research and outreach on campus: http://dailyorange.com/2019/01/su-launches-wide-ranging-disability-research-center/
 
* An in-depth article profiles University of Nevada at Las Vegas’ head of accessibility resources, Philip Voorhees, and his long-standing commitment to accessible and assistive technology for college students with disabilities: https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/champion-accessibility
 
* John Hopkins University has appointed its Catherine Axe as its first executive director for Student Disability Services, who will support student disability coordinators across campus: https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/01/28/executive-director-disability-services/
 
* A new accessibility task force has formed at Mount Hood Community College to help the Accessible Education Services office identify and prioritize accessibility problems: http://www.advocate-online.net/addressing-accessibility-concerns-at-mt-hood/
 
* Autism Parenting Magazine has honored Whatcom Community College instructor Kimberly Reeves as the Top Personal Narrative Writer of 2018 for her magazine series about raising her autistic 19-year old son, Ryan, who co-authored the book that inspired the magazine series: https://kgmi.com/news/007700-wcc-instructor-honored-for-personal-writings-on-autism/
 
* The University of Mississippi is hosting a ToTAL project to provide an alternative spring break for teens transitioning to employment and college: http://news.usm.edu/article/alternative-spring-break-will-assist-teens-disabilities-planning-future
 
* NYU students talk about what’s working and not working with access on campus: https://nyunews.com/2019/01/28/disabled-students-share-experience-nyu-new-york-campus/
 
* Apple’s “Everyone Can Code” curriculum is used in schools and colleges, and now it is available in Braille: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3336179/apple-ios/apple-s-everyone-can-code-courses-are-now-available-in-braille.html
 

A Few Other Items of Possible Interest:
 
* Chris Higgins made a short film to talk about access, his constant “trial and error” with accessibility as a blind person, and the need for better design (movie is captioned and audio described): https://medium.com/@chrishiggins/announcing-access-a-short-film-about-accessibility-2812ef64a13b
 
* Immigrants are giving up Medicaid and other government health care services for family members with disabilities, out of fear of deportation: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/02/01/with-green-card-asd-services/25979/
 
* “Let it Go!” from “Frozen” is a “disability anthem” for many people, with Elsa learning about differences and powers she doesn’t understand and finding a way to make it part of herself: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/22/686690655/frozen-let-it-go-disabilities-american-anthem
 
* Seven Bridges was only ten-years old when he committed suicide after being bullied for using an ostomy bag, but now people are posting pictures of their ostomy bags online, to fight the stigma and honor Seven: https://diply.com/29618/people-post-ostomy-photos-to-remember-10-year-old-who-took-own-l
 
* Use of Braille is on the decline, with only 10% of blind adults using it, and only 10% of blind children learning it: https://www.thecabin.net/news/20190129/braille-on-decline
 
* Professor Sami Schalk at the University of Wisconsin says the future of science fiction is female, Black, and disabled: https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/space-the-nation-the-future-is-female-and-black-and-disabled
 
* World Holocaust Remembrance Day was in January – the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Musum has more about the Nazi extermination programs for disabled people: https://www.ushmm.org/information/exhibitions/online-exhibitions/special-focus/nazi-persecution-of-the-disabled
 
* As the federal shutdown ends, many people with disabilities are unlikely to get paid, including those in the large federal AbilityOne program: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/01/22/thousands-disabled-federal-contract-workers-sent-home-due-shutdown-managers-say/?utm_term=.daf5d8dac2e0
 
* Oscar-winning actress Taraji P. Henson is working to fight stigma around mental health issues – especially in the African American community: https://chicago.suntimes.com/working/taraji-p-henson-combats-stigma-of-mental-illness-check-on-your-strong-friend/
 
* John Hiatt has autism and was elected to two positions in Maine this past November: Bangor school committee member and Penobscot County treasurer: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/01/25/voters-autism-2-offices/25936/
 
* A group of blind YouTubers is helping the Internet understand accessibility and become more accessible: https://www.wired.com/story/blind-youtube-creators/
 
* The Sundance Film Festival will feature a panel on disability inclusion and made an effort to include films by and about people with disabilities, including a guide to finding films with authentic representations of disability: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/respectability-presents-guide-to-films-at-sundance-featuring-disability-in-authentic-way-300784571.html
 
* A new study from Harvard says that people in the U.S. have less bias against gay people and minorities, but are becoming more biased against obesity, age, and disability: https://www.fatherly.com/health-science/sexism-racism-obesity-bias/
 
* A travel company is offering the first wheelchair-accessible tour of Machu Picchu in Peru: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/machu-picchu-wheelchairs-peru/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=fbCNN&utm_content=2019-01-31T09%3A30%3A07&utm_term=link
 
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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).