DREAM Weekly Email: November 27-December 3, 2016

​DREAM Weekly Update, Disability and Higher Education in the News: November 27-December 3, 2016
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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Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):
 
* Taking the SAT just got a little easier for many students with disabilities, since the College Board announced that any student with testing accommodations in their special education IEPs will automatically be approved for the same accommodations on the SAT, PSAT and AP exams: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/12/02/finally-college-board-makes-it-easier-for-students-with-disabilities-to-get-sat-accommodations/?utm_term=.cd35c2cb07fe
 
* Nearly 10,000 women in science fields around the world have signed a post-election open letter pledging to reject anti-science sentiment and discrimination against “minority groups, women, LGBTQIA, immigrants, and people with disabilities”: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38094016 
 
* The University of Iowa is number one in rankings of website accessibility, topping a list of 140 campuses compiled by Jon Gunderson of the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana: https://now.uiowa.edu/2016/11/ui-tops-in-university-website-accessibility
 
* Students withdrawing due to a lack of accommodations, students being encouraged to withdraw from programs, over-accommodations to the point where people were at risk…the Office of the Ombudsperson at the University of Toronto issues its annual report, which details “disturbing” problems for students with mental health needs, and recommendations for change: http://thevarsity.ca/2016/12/01/u-of-t-ombudsperson-reports-mental-health-accommodations-concerns/
 
* Rhodes Scholar announcements came out, and two students with disabilities were selected for the prestigious honor and two years at Oxford University in England:

• Jory Fleming from the University of South Carolina has autism and a chronic illness, and will study geography and marine science, accompanied by his service dog, Daisy: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/11/29/rhodes-scholar-service-dogs-help/23058/
• Pasquale Toscano from Washington and Lee University has physical disabilities and will study literature and disability studies: http://www.roanoke.com/news/education/higher_education/w-l-student-named-rhodes-scholar-aspires-to-link-literature/article_d14ab783-bc04-5cec-9c4c-5087fc76cdb0.html

 
* President-elect Trump has appointed Betsy DeVos as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, but her views on higher education are a question mark:

• Here’s the take from Inside Higher Ed: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/11/28/betsy-devos-trumps-choice-education-secretary-has-unclear-higher-ed-priorities
• And here The Chronicle of Higher Education weighs in, noting that DeVos probably will not be able to eliminate the Department of Higher Education as Trump promised, but the Office of Civil Rights may be cut back: http://www.chronicle.com/article/Colleges-Realities-May/238517?cid=db&elqTrackId=ce2fd21baf834cd6871d1ab1d1e5b11f&elq=74e9b37d86604e91a11b6b01e2a3e975&elqaid=11608&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=4586
• The Washington Post believes DeVos may change the Office of Civil Rights, but focus will likely be on limiting actions for sexual assault and transgender rights: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/trump-could-reverse-obamas-actions-on-college-sex-assault-transgender-rights/2016/11/21/44e0e9b4-ab4e-11e6-8b45-f8e493f06fcd_story.html?utm_term=.83e8c4048360&wpisrc=nl_sb_smartbrief

 
* You’ll see Robert Panera signing the ASL sign for “Respect” if you use the new postage stamp honoring him as the first Deaf faculty member at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID): http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2016/11/25/robert-panera-s-pioneer-n-deaf-eduction-will-be-on-stamp/94418266/
 
* The National Council on Disability appointed three new members nominated by President Obama, and two are disabled women working on disability in higher education, including Rabia Belt (professor at Stanford University) and Wendy Harbour (director of the National Center for College Students with Disabilities) [full disclosure – Wendy writes this newsletter]: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-council-on-disability-welcomes-new-presidential-appointees-300368193.html
 
* Universities in the UK are beginning to work with managers to address disabilities among staff, not just focusing on disabled students and faculty: https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2016/nov/21/universities-wise-up-to-the-needs-of-staff-with-disabilities
 
* “CNN Heroes of 2016” includes Jeison Aristizábal in the country of Columbia, a law student with cerebral palsy who started a nonprofit for young people with disabilities: http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/26/world/cnn-heroes-top-ten-2016/index.html
 
* Cornell University students reflect on the ways ableism and exclusion manifest on campus, calling for a disability resource center and disability studies: http://cornellsun.com/2016/11/30/overlooked-and-unaddressed-students-recount-fighting-ableism-on-campus/
 
* The Báa nnilah project at Montana State University will use cultural strengths and traditions to work with the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation on strategies for managing chronic illness: http://www.montana.edu/news/16534/msu-and-crow-nation-partner-to-address-chronic-illness-using-cultural-strengths
 
* Edwin Dalmaijer shares his story of having testicular cancer during his PhD studies: http://www.pygaze.org/2016/09/cancer-during-your-phd-sucks/
 
* ADHD diagnosis can be complicated if you’re a woman or a person of color, notes Ontario university student Evelyna Ekoko-Kay, who shares her difficulty just getting an ADHD assessment and diagnosis: https://thelinknewspaper.ca/article/anything-and-everything-but-adhd
 
* Athletes with disabilities at San Diego State University will soon be able to participate in a comprehensive new adaptive sports program, including kinesiology student and Paralympian Ahkeel Whitehead: http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/news_story.aspx?sid=76463
 
* Social work graduate student “Emily R.” from the University of Connecticut won a scholarship for students with epilepsy, but has faced such stigma and discrimination that she was afraid to disclose her last name to the public: http://dailycampus.com/stories/2016/11/28/uconn-student-wins-epilepsy-scholarship-through-telling-her-unique-story
 
* Becky Dann did a series of topless photos of herself as a woman with scoliosis, using her senior project to explore what it means to be beautiful or sexy as a person with a disability: http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/29/this-woman-posed-topless-in-a-wheelchair-to-explore-the-way-we-view-disability-6289125/
 
* Jake Borrett reflects on college with Crohn’s disease and dyspraxia, and the importance of disability services: http://tridentmedia.org/the-honest-student/
 
* Responding to accusations that colleges were “coddling” students following Trump’s election, Clay Routledge, a professor of psychology at North Dakota State University takes a look at what referrals to counseling and other reactions may have actually implied: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/more-mortal/201611/are-colleges-really-overreacting
 
* After a Youngstown State University student died in 2012 from an eating disorder she had hidden from others, a group of professors decided to research strategies to prevent other students from facing the same situation (video is not captioned or audio described): http://wkbn.com/2016/11/24/ysu-students-death-prompts-in-depth-study-of-eating-disorders/
 
* Autistic students at West Virginia’s Concord University will have increased support services available on campus, thanks to a partnership with Marshall University’s Autism Training Center [the article incorrectly states this is the first program of its kind in the U.S., which it is not]:  http://wvmetronews.com/2016/11/28/on-campus-autism-support-for-students-expanding-to-concord-university/
 
* In addition to teaching English at the University of Pennsylvania, professor Christina Fisanick-Greer also tells her personal story with eating disorders and shares resources for others, using the Internet, social media, and publications: http://www.observer-reporter.com/20161120/college_professor_x2018optimistic_food_addictx2019_helps_others_struggling_with_weight_
 
* “Murderball” (aka wheelchair rugby) is known for its competitive play, and Clackamas Community College student Tim Vixay is relishing the challenges of balancing student life with playing for the National Veteran Wheelchair Games: http://www.theclackamasprint.net/sports/from-marine-to-murderball/
 
* After three students were suspected of committing suicide, the University of Bristol was accused of covering up the story, but they have recently launched a review to improve mental health services for all students: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3970036/University-Bristol-reviews-mental-health-services-suspected-suicide-three-year-students.html
 
* Syracuse University student Justin Bachman is traveling the country doing “Living Loud” presentations about his Tourette Syndrome, teaching middle school and high school students about tolerance and acceptance: http://news.syr.edu/newhouse-student-shares-theme-of-living-loud-being-proud-of-differences-76641/
 
* “A Perry Mason moment” was the term used by a District Court judge after an Iowa State University official admitted in court that disability accommodations could have been provided for staff member Luann Huss, who was suing for disability discrimination (spoiler – she won the suit): http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2016/11/22/perry-mason-isu-iowa-state-luann-huss-jeffrey-farrell-mold-disability-discrimination/94276770/
                                                                              
* An essay in Scientific American discusses trends in preventing suicides on campuses in the U.S., including innovative and controversial approaches to the problem: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/stopping-suicides-on-campus/#
 
* India’s university for disabled students will be awarded “Central University” status [this is somewhat similar to accreditation in the U.S.): http://www.dnaindia.com/academy/report-india-s-only-university-for-disabled-students-soon-to-get-central-university-status-2275666
 
* After a career spanning three decades, Drake University athletic trainer Scott Kerr was fired for urinating in the locker rooms, but students have started a petition to reinstate him, because he has a disability that affects his bladder and fluid intake: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/columnists/daniel-finney/2016/11/29/drake-trainer-fired-urinating-bad-all-involved/94530916/
 
* Staff and faculty report that during a meeting last week at the UK’s Plymouth University, they were told “disabled students are “unprofitable” and were encouraged not to accept them, although the UK university flatly denies the allegations: http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/plymouth-university-denies-discriminating-against-disabled-students/story-29946051-detail/story.html
 
* “Inspiration porn” manifests in numerous ways, as explained by University of Alabama disability studies professor Nirmala Erevelles and law student Frances Isbell: http://www.cw.ua.edu/article/2016/12/inspiration-porn-a-look-at-the-objectification-of-the-disabled-community
 
* Chinese Deaf researcher and educator Xuan Zheng will be spending one year teaching Chinese Sign Language at the bilingual and bicultural Metro Deaf School in Minnesota, through a grant at St. Cloud State University: http://www.startribune.com/metro-deaf-school-to-make-history-with-chinese-sign-language/403290496/
 
 
And a few related items of possible interest to college students:

* While not without controversy, the House of Representatives approved the 21st Century Cures Act for biomedical research and speedier FDA approvals, which will be up for a vote in the Senate next week; it includes provisions from the proposed “Murphy Bill” that makes mental health care a national priority: http://khn.org/news/legislation-to-improve-mental-health-care-for-millions-faces-congressional-vote/
 
* The National Council on Independent Living released a video and toolkit entitled “We Can’t Breathe: The Deaf and Disabled Margin of Police Brutality,” designed for educational trainings in disability organizations (video is captioned but not audio described): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M1TwT0pDgs
 
* The BBC “100 Women of 2016” list (at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-38012048)  includes:

• Carolina de Oliveira from Syria, an actor who became a mental health activist after receiving a diagnosis as bipolar
• Dalia Sabri of Jordan, a visually impaired woman who has set up an orchestra for blind children
• Isabella Springmuhl Tejada of Guatemala, the first London Fashion Week designer with Down syndrome
• Iskra Lawrence of the UK, who tours US universities to talk about body positivism and her career as a plus-size model
• Simone Biles, the “greatest gymnast of all times,” who has been open about her ADHD
• Viktoria Modesta of Latvia, who is a “bionic pop artist” wearing prosthetics to match her performances
• Winnie Harlow of Canada, the first top international model to have vitiligo

 
* If you long to use and interface with technology you may be a tryborg, but you’ll never be a true cyborg like those of us who have technology for our disability: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/opinion/the-dawn-of-the-tryborg.html?_r=0
 
* Two stars have been struggling publicly with mental and emotional health issues this past week: Kanye West (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kanye-wests-hospital-stay-rappers-troubled-recent-weeks-w453465) and Selena Gomez (http://www.teenvogue.com/story/selena-gomez-opens-up-about-her-time-off)
 
* A new online series BINGE is a dark comedy about a 20-something baker with bulimia, and it’s designed to make people uncomfortable (video has bad captioning and no audio description): https://www.bustle.com/articles/197471-binge-a-new-series-about-bulimia-wants-you-to-feel-uncomfortable
 
* Extensive welfare reforms and changes to benefits have “disproportionately affected” people with disabilities, according to a new report by the UN Committee on the Rights of Disabled Persons: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37899305
 
* Hit the local skatepark with your wheelchair, says Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, who specializes in doing wheelchair flips in the air (video has captions but no audio description): http://www.greatbigstory.com/stories/wheels-up-in-the-air/?xrs=CNNAPP
 
* If you’re planning an upcoming event, check out the “Guide to Accessible Meetings, Events, and Conferences” from the Mid-Atlantic ADA Center: http://www.adahospitality.org/accessible-meetings-events-conferences-guide/book
 
* Sarah Blahovec shares some strategies for intersectional disability activism: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/five-lessons-ive-learned-about-intersectional-disability_us_58335443e4b08c963e34434e
 
* The website disability.gov will no longer be available as of December 16 – for federal disability employment resources, bookmark the Office of Disability Employment Policy (http://www.dol.gov/odep) and the Campaign for Disability Employment (https://www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org). 
 
* After becoming blind during his internship, Dr. Francis Salerno became the first blind person to be a board-certified internist; he died Thursday at age 70 after a long and distinguished career: http://www.mcall.com/health/mc-salerno-first-blind-internist-20161129-story.html
 
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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 (wendy@ahead.org).

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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.