DREAM Weekly Email: May 1-7, 2016

​DREAM Weekly Email, Disability and Higher Education in the News: May 1-7, 2016
From DREAM: Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring
Sponsored by the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD) and the National Center for College Students with Disabilities
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Weekly Email Update on Issues Related to Disability and Higher Education 
Week of May 1-7, 2016
** MAY YOUR COFFEE BE STRONG, YOUR TESTS BE EASY, AND YOUR PAPERS BE SHORT – GOOD LUCK WITH FINALS WEEK, EVERYONE!  NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE WILL BE OUR LAST BEFORE SUMMER BREAK **
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Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):
 
* Pulling all-nighters this week?  Try to put down the books and get some sleep to improve your mental health (cuteness warning – cute sleepy duck gif in article that may make you tired): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eryn-cooper/sleep-improved-mental-health_b_9805034.html
 
* Two years after investigations opened into disability discrimination at Boston College, the campus has been cited (with a deadline of June 16 to respond); two new complaints have been filed, as well, as students continue to work on disability issues: http://bcheights.com/news/2016/bc-cited-state-agency-disability-discrimination/
 
*  Dr. Karin Murasko is a professor and chair of neurosurgery in the University of Michigan system, and she says that being a woman created more barriers than having spina bifida (video is not captioned or audio described): http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/27/health/turning-points-dr-karin-muraszko/index.html
 
* College students and young people are using Instagram to build community and to share photos of their struggles with eating disorders and their recoveries (note there is no alt text or description of photos in the article):  http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/beauty/face-body/how-women-with-eating-disorders-are-using-instagram-to-help-them-recover/news-story/bb4f0c3a76a7304e73a5a7cc393dfb19
 
* Millennials are not fragile, wimpy unstable students – they’re strong, honest, smart students using tactics of previous generations to get what they and their friends need, say feminist disability studies scholar Emily Lind Johnston and her colleagues at Minnesota State University Moorehead: https://msumadvocate.com/2016/05/02/millennial-mentality-putting-claims-in-context/
 
* Disabled and positive.  Disabled and empowered.  Disabled and sexy.  These are a few of the statements in photos posted online by Seattle University’s Coalition for Students with Disabilities, who organized a week-long campaign called “Disabled and Proud, Ally and Proud” to change the way the word “disabled” could be perceived: http://www.seattlespectator.com/2016/05/04/photo-campaign-reclaims-the-world-disability/
 
* The majority of cases for the federal Office of Civil Rights are dealing with disability, with a report highlighting cases involving “John Doe” University, Shaw University, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of Phoenix: http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/ocr/report-to-president-and-secretary-of-education-2015.pdf
 
* Amelia McLoughlan is spreading information to students about disability and being an ally (including how to avoid being an “arsehole”), in her role as founder of the Students with Disabilities Association at Durham University in Britain: http://www.palatinate.org.uk/amelia-mcloughlan-the-chick-in-the-wheelchair/
 
* Colleges are struggling to keep up with the demand for mental health services, but some are saying that’s a good thing – proof that outreach efforts are working: http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/the-pulse/93329-colleges-struggle-to-meet-demand-for-mental-health-services
 
* Katherine Seelman helped create the Pitt’s Students for Disability Advocacy Group at the University of Pittsburgh, but her work extends far beyond campus, including her work as a member of the National Council on Disability: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2015/05/04/The-ADA-at-25-Disability-issues-find-champion-at-Pitt/stories/201505040006
 
* A new report from the NTAR Leadership Center at Rutgers highlights research on the needs of older students with disabilities attending community colleges, noting this group of students is less likely to have identified disabilities: https://www.dol.gov/odep/pdf/communitycollegesolderstudents.pdf
 
* The Syracuse University student newspaper profiled Micah-Fialka-Feldman, teaching assistant, disability activist, and graduate of SU’s InclusiveU program: http://dailyorange.com/2016/04/micah-fialka-feldman/
 
* Adjunct professor Cynthia Clark is suing the University of Texas – Austin for disability discrimination; she says they refused to hire her to teach after she took a leave to treat her life-threatening liver disease: http://www.theshorthorn.com/news/former-history-lecturer-sues-university-for-up-to-m/article_18133b90-10bb-11e6-9763-dbe49f929498.html
 
* If autistic students are so smart, why do so few of them go to college or graduate from college?  One program at CUNY is trying to figure out solutions: http://hechingerreport.org/students-autism-spectrum-often-smart-peers-go-college/
 
* A college education can open doors, but sometimes students with mental illness need to be their own key to that door, writes doctoral student Rachel Kallem Whitman: https://medium.com/@RKallemWhitman/caught-in-the-doorway-mental-illness-academia-and-me-2d518bb67f6e#.xmlj878qy
                              
* The National Black Disability Coalition has published an interview with activist and Harvard medical school researcher Alexis Toliver, who talks about life as a Black autistic woman and Black Lives Matter: http://blackdisability.org/content/black-gifted-disabled-interview-series-alexis-toliver
 
* Sarah Levy, senior at Montclair State University, has five tips for prospective college students with a mental illness, including how to pick the campus that’s right for you: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/montclair-diplomats/collegesurvival-for-stude_b_9830096.html
 
* Doctoral student Rachel Barr filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights, alleging disability discrimination at Princeton University, but has now started a hunger strike that will continue until Princeton can “take actions” and commit to students and civil rights: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/princeton-disability-hunger-strike_us_572a2518e4b016f378944cea
 
* Kwame Alexander is a junior at Savannah State University and the campus newspaper profiled him as the only paraplegic student on campus, who is annoyed when people call him “the boy in the wheelchair:” http://www.tigersroar.com/features/article_cf090f0a-121e-11e6-a73d-bf3e1c9ea3e7.html
 
* The Office of Civil Rights is investigating Wesleyan University for its handling of a male student’s sexual harassment complaint, as well as possible gender and disability discrimination while he took a medical leave: http://wesleyanargus.com/2016/04/29/u-s-department-of-education-opens-university-investigation/
 
* The University of Cincinnati (http://www.kgw.com/news/nation-now/class-of-students-with-disabilities-graduate-from-university-of-cincinnati/163000234) and Winthrop University in South Carolina (http://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/andrew-dys/article75878842.html ) are proud of their first classes of students with developmental disabilities graduating through new inclusive higher education program (video for Winthrop not inclusively captioned or audio described)
 
* While new ABLE accounts are designed to help families shelter money for medical and educational expenses, a Money Magazine article notes that the biggest breaks will go to wealthy families who can save the most: http://time.com/money/4318129/disabled-able-accounts-nebraska/?xid=homepage  
 
* Pablo Pineda was the first person with Down syndrome to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Europe – the Latin Times did a profile of him at http://www.latintimes.com/meet-pablo-pineda-10-things-know-about-first-person-down-syndrome-graduate-college-376752
 
* Nyle DiMarco attended the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, and he brought the president of Gallaudet University and an interpreter with him (please note that the article is incorrect - it is actually illegal for the dinner to not provide accommodations for this public event): https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/reliable-source/wp/2016/04/28/nyle-dimarco-to-bring-gallaudet-president-and-asl-interpreter-to-whcd/
 
* In the UK, Petroc College student Jimmy Ford had ADHD, experienced decades of abuse at school, and was recently removed from the foster care system – and now he has been arrested after bringing a knife to school and creating a list of victims he planned to stab: http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Bullied-student-jailed-taking-knife-stabbing-list/story-29199677-detail/story.html
 
* Mary Castellucci left the veterinary program at Harcum College in Pennsylvania, alleging violations of the ADA; a federal judge has dismissed her suit’s claims of emotional distress and violation of due process: http://pennrecord.com/stories/510722747-emotional-distress-and-due-process-claims-dismissed-from-woman-s-ada-suit-against-harcum-college
 
And a few related items of possible interest to college students:
 
* May 4 was Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day – to learn more and remember people with disabilities killed during the Holocaust, visit the online exhibit at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://www.ushmm.org/research/research-in-collections/search-the-collections/bibliography/people-with-disabilities
 
* Latino model Jillian Mercado, who has muscular dystrophy, worked with Beyoncé and is in a new ad for Target (which you can see at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abvyffUdaNM), and now she’s looking at what’s next in her career: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/04/28/jillian-mercado-made-it-as-a-model-with-a-disability-heres-what-she-wants-next/
 
* The United Nations has warned that Malawi’s albino citizens are at risk of extinction, with people hunting them because their body parts are believed to be good luck (warning: disturbing text and images; video not captioned or audio described): http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/30/africa/malawi-albinos-face-extinction/index.html
 
* Democratic governor Maggie Hassan (NH) is running for US Senate, and her first campaign ad features her adult son with cerebral palsy – is this terrific or more inspiration porn? (a link to the captioned ad is in the article): https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/05/06/cerebral-palsy-campaign-ad/22278/
 
* In many state capitols, there were protests for greater Deaf rights on May 4, as part of the national Deaf Grassroots Movement – you can learn about DGM here (video has captioning for non-signers, and no audio, but a transcript is available): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma9pK3_S1i8
 
* When you’re autistic and looking for a job, Vocational Rehabilitation can help, but the job itself is likely to be part-time and have low pay: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/05/03/voc-rehab-low-paying-autism/22264/
 
* Tough love with your fat friend may worsen that person’s health: https://medium.com/healthcare-in-america/on-tough-love-and-your-fat-friend-s-health-bec20b13af78#.szdv58a42
 
* Disability activist Dr. Scott Rains, particularly known for promoting accessible travel for people with disabilities, has passed away from a brain tumor (the obituary contains a link to his travel blog): http://facesofspinabifida.com/articles/dr-scott-rains-has-passed-away
 
* Accessible DC area venues, including clubs and bars, are listed on the website “Is This Venue Accessible?” and now there are plans to turn it into an app: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2016/05/02/is-this-venue-accessible-website-to-launch-app/
 
* Australia has appointed a new full-time Disability Discrimination Commissioner – Alastair McEwin: http://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2016/05/government-appoints-full-time-disability-commissioner/
 
* Would you like to know seven famous people with cerebral palsy?  Here’s a little list for you (although we also encourage you to learn about Maysoon Zayid and Lawrence Carter-Long – just Google ‘em): http://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living-pictures/seven-famous-people-with-cerebral-palsy.aspx#02
 
* Due to her history of mental health “issues” and substance abuse, Britney Spears continues to be in a conservatorship relationship with her father controlling her personal and professional affairs: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3573961/Britney-Spears-pays-father-Jamie-Spears-130-000-year-conservator-strict-arrangement-indefinitely.html
 
 
 
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, AHEAD, or the National Center for College Students with Disabilities agree with everything in these links we send out - we're just passing along the information so you can form your own opinions.  Thanks.