DREAM Weekly Email: October 13-26, 2019

​DREAM Weekly Email, Disability and Higher Education in the News: October 13-26, 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)
• 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 and we’ll try to help! ([email protected])
 
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THIS EDITION IS GOING OUT TODAY INSTEAD OF LAST FRIDAY – SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE!

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Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):
 
* Turkish activist Robert Cem Osborn has Down syndrome and has spoken at the United Nations about the need for inclusive higher education; his petition to make Turkish universities more inclusive has support from more than 92,000 people: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/students-with-mental-disabilities-campaign-for-access-to-higher-education-147530
 
* Pennsylvania’s largest community college has eliminated all mental health counseling, and there are concerns about it being the beginning of a trend: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/10/18/mental-health-low-priority-community-colleges?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=06d8628209-DNU_2019_COPY_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-06d8628209-225808461&mc_cid=06d8628209&mc_eid=d5645fe552
 
* College can cost an extra $6,000-$7000 per year if you have a disability, says Financial Advisor magazine: https://www.fa-mag.com/news/special-needs-students-may-need-an-extra--25-000--for-college-52165.html
 
* The University of Victoria in Canada has created videos of professors and alumni talking about their mental health struggles in college: https://www.kamloopsmatters.com/local-news/videos-help-university-students-tackle-mental-health-problems-1757300; the videos are at https://www.uvic.ca/humanities/student-resources/bounce/index.php (videos are captioned but not audio described)
 
* Cosmopolitan and Vice featured articles about the weeks-long wait times for college mental health counseling, even when students are in crisis:

• Cosmopolitan: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/a29211906/college-mental-health-clinic-long-wait-times/
• Vice: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/evjqwz/college-mental-health-center-wait-times

 
* UC Berkeley’s recreational sports program has shut down its “No Limits” personal training program for students with disabilities, due to a lack of funding: https://www.dailycal.org/2019/10/22/shutdown-of-recreational-sports-facilitys-no-limits-program-leaves-disabled-students-with-new-limits/
 
* Short videos share experiences of faculty, staff, students, and community members in UCLA’s interdisciplinary Dancing Disability Lab (videos are captioned and have audio description): https://dance.land/ucla-dancing-disability-lab/
 
* A dean with ALS notes that having faculty with ALS is a “collective experience” for campuses, creating opportunities to work collectively on services, supports, and a cure: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/10/17/academic-battling-als-provides-insights-and-recommendations-others-higher-ed?utm_source=Inside+Higher+Ed&utm_campaign=ba9bc03e12-DiversityMatters_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1fcbc04421-ba9bc03e12-198891893&mc_cid=ba9bc03e12&mc_eid=a51c972f65
 
* Visually impaired and blind students at Louisiana State University are speaking out about problems with accommodations, disability services policies, and being told to go elsewhere if they had difficulties: https://www.lsureveille.com/news/lsu-visually-impaired-students-speak-out-about-need-for-better/article_9d3803cc-ef89-11e9-9d36-bb20714c0a76.html
 
* Starla Garcia is training as an Olympic runner, after a battle throughout college with an eating disorder and struggles to understand her Latina identity: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/renew-houston/fitness/article/runner-overcomes-eating-disorder-olympic-trials-14521426.php
 
* ROTC programs are now providing classes on resiliency, mental health, and “mental readiness” for military leadership positions: http://theracquet.org/7013/news/editing-uwl-rotc-talks-leadership-and-mental-health/
 
* West Virginia University is opening The Country Roads Program, an inclusive program for college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that includes residential housing: https://www.mybuckhannon.com/new-wvu-program-aims-to-serve-people-with-intellectual-and-developmental-disabilities/
 
* More than 10% of the elevators at California State University – Los Angeles were not operational last week, leading to numerous problems for students with disabilities: https://csulauniversitytimes.com/unavailable-elevators-cause-issues-for-cal-state-la-students/
 
* Beau Corrales talks about playing University of North Carolina football with Type I diabetes: https://247sports.com/college/north-carolina/Article/Beau-Corrales-UNC-Tar-Heels-Excelling-Wide-Receiver-While-Battling-Diabetes--137083051/
 
* Amador County in California is providing scholarships to people who have personal connection to mental illness, for a certificate or associate degree in human services: http://www.capradio.org/articles/2019/10/21/amador-county-builds-community-college-pipeline-for-mental-health-workers/
 
* Two campuses released campus climate survey results, and both the University of Michigan and the University of Oregon found that women, LGBTQI students, and students with disabilities are experiencing the most sexual harassment and violence: https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2019/10/university-of-michigan-releases-extensive-report-on-campus-sexual-assault-climate.html and https://www.registerguard.com/news/20191015/campus-climate-survey-uo-sees-decline-in-sexual-assaults-but-more-incidents-against-vulnerable-students
 
* Administrators told Appalachian State University student Rebecca Long that there was no evidence students wanted her proposed disability cultural center, so she’s doing an “Able-achian” survey project to learn more about students’ needs and their stories: https://theappalachianonline.com/2019/10/12/creative-project-pushes-for-more-disability-resources-at-app-state/
 
* Maria Alves has won a disability discrimination case against Boston University, which refused to give the former administrative assistant a medical leave for postpartum depression: https://www.enterprisenews.com/news/20191013/brockton-mom-with-postpartrum-depression-wins-lawsuit-after-losing-bu-job
 
* Kathleen O’Gorman from Illinois Wesleyan University led a team of neutral observers visiting found detention centers for migrant children, but her neutrality was challenged when she saw her disabled daughter reflected in some of the children: https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/20191016-the-witness?utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en&cid=cr&source=ams&sourceId=4079424
 
* 22-year old college student Gregory Rodriguez vaped THC to ease his anxiety, but it almost cost him his life: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/15/health/vaping-thc-illness.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
 
* In Grand Rapids, Michigan, university engineering students are joining up with community members to build Halloween costumes for kids who use wheelchairs (news clip is captioned but not audio described): https://www.wzzm13.com/article/life/one-good-thing/one-good-thing-building-wheelchair-costumes-kids-mary-free-bed/69-0674611f-32bf-429a-80f3-ccac2fbda098
 
* The University of Iowa is celebrating Disability Awareness Month with its 11th annual Disability Summit, which draws in people from across the state to learn about disability: https://dailyiowan.com/2019/10/15/ui-recognizes-disability-awareness-month-with-new-traditions/
 
* Macalester College students are struggling with transition, services, and accommodations, but are working with Disability Services, advocating through student government, and using a survey to get more feedback from students with disabilities: https://themacweekly.com/76736/news/students-struggle-to-access-accommodations/
 
* Kalin Bennett plays Kent State basketball and is doing great, even though he and his coach have to assure people he’s “not a charity case” as the first autistic Division I athlete: https://www.cleveland.com/sports/2019/10/kalin-bennett-kent-states-6-11-freshman-basketball-player-with-autism-embraces-new-school-and-challenges.html
 
* Students at George Washington University talk about accommodations, academics, and social lives with chronic illnesses, including dealing with hospitalizations and professors’ no-technology rules: https://www.gwhatchet.com/2019/10/14/chronic-illnesses-pose-setbacks-in-social-life-and-academics-students-say/
 
* When students have an eating disorder, it can be difficult to find supports on and off campus, like at the University of Alabama: https://cw.ua.edu/55919/news/choices-can-be-limited-for-students-with-eating-disorders/
 
* Emory professor Jennifer Sarrett researched people with disabilities in the criminal justice system and learned more about the violence and inequities they’ve experienced: https://www.ajc.com/news/opinion/opinion-teaching-about-disabilities-biases-can-save-lives/NgV1Ag7bonU6uZoCNiaiXP/
 
* The College Autism Network  has published a list of U.S. college-based programs for autistic students: https://collegeautismnetwork.org/advocacy/institutional-initiatives/
 
* Some college students use Medicaid waivers to pay for college services, but the system can be so confusing that families hire “support planners” to help them figure out paperwork and funding: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/10/22/a-medicaid-waiver-confusing-families-guides/27339/
 
* The only public university in Oman has opened a unit for students with disabilities, including a computer lab and library: https://timesofoman.com/article/2100656/Oman/Special-unit-for-disabled-students-inaugurated-at-Sultan-Qaboos-University
 
* The Life360 app is helping parents track their college-aged children, but in some cases it’s causing students significant anxiety and becoming abusive: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/10/22/dont-leave-campus-parents-are-now-using-tracking-apps-watch-their-kids-college/
 
* Learn how one Hawai’ian school district worked with numerous partners to share “college, career, and community opportunities” with middle school and high school students with disabilities: https://www.edutopia.org/article/sharing-college-and-career-options-families
 
* A Delaware community college student shares what she learned in college as a student on the autism spectrum – it’s as much about the life experience as getting a degree: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/really-learned-college-someone-autism-083027730.html
 
* California State University in Los Angeles hosted its 10th annual Cane Quest, an orientation and mobility contest for blind and visually impaired youth that also introduces them to college: https://www.theeastsiderla.com/neighborhoods/el_sereno/blind-youth-get-a-lesson-in-mobility-and-higher-education/article_83452802-f428-11e9-8645-03affad9a92a.html
 
* As an exchange student, Kelly Dawson had to confront realities of disability she’d never experienced, and navigating inaccessible spaces left her thinking of hand sanitizer as an act of defiance: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/10/22/20895124/cerebral-palsy-disability-public-accessibility
 
* The documentary Intelligent Lives has had its national television premiere, featuring three people with intellectual disabilities working for inclusion in college and their careers: https://www.nycaribnews.com/articles/america-reframed-spotlights-diverse-americans-working-to-change-misconceptions-on-intellectual-disability/
 
* Western Kentucky University broke ground on LifeWorks, a new two-year segregated residential program teaching work, social, and independent living skills to adults with autism: https://www.bgdailynews.com/news/wku-breaks-ground-on-new-residential-program-for-adults-with/article_570f1b69-ebcc-5b4a-8f23-7898f7aa7bfd.html
 
* Estelle Belko had seizures at work and had to take a medical leave, and was fired; the former University of Pittsburgh staff member is suing, alleging discrimination and retaliation for seeking accommodations: https://pittnews.com/article/151711/news/former-employee-sues-pitt-over-violating-federal-state-law-in-termination/
 
* Recipients of the National AIDS Memorial’s prestigious Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship have been announced: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/national-aids-memorial-awards-50-161706730.html
 
* Harper College set up a public display showing 3000 years of disability history: https://patch.com/illinois/palatine/harper-disability-history-display-traces-3-000-years-history
 
* A student at Baruch College wonders why American Sign Language isn’t part of the foreign languages program: https://theticker.org/ticker/2019/10/21/baruch-should-invest-in-sign-language-curriculum
 
* The University of Hartford isn’t saying why athletic director Mary Ellen Gillespie resigned, but the announcement comes only days after a former student sued the school, saying she developed an eating disorder after her volleyball coach bullied and harassed her: https://www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-sp-uhart-ad-steps-down-20191019-20191019-iic3d2ett5eqljwuirdteswdt4-story.html
 
* A University of Texas at Austin student with multiple disabilities talks about deciding whether or not to use accommodations, and how inaccessible the campus and its policies can be: http://dailytexanonline.com/2019/10/20/ut-students-with-disabilities-deserve-priority-inclusion
 
* At Temple University, Disability Resources and the Career Center are working together to help connect students and employers: https://temple-news.com/students-with-disabilities-navigate-the-workplace/
 
* Chronic illness can make college more challenging, but colleges can work with students who don’t have health insurance or enough money for medications: http://www.studentprintz.com/chronic-health-conditions-create-challenges-for-students/
 
* A Dartmouth student developed an eating disorder, and she wonders where things went wrong and if it could have been prevented: https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2019/10/towle-eating-disorders
 
 
A Few Other Items of Possible Interest:
 
* Northern California PG&E has shut off power to prevent wildfires, but customers with disabilities and medical conditions are struggling to find backup power sources to stay alive: https://www.govtech.com/em/safety/-Ill-and-Disabled-Overwhelmed-by-PGE-Power-Shut-Offs-in-California.html
 
* Spikes on wheelchairs, #JustAskDontGrab, and other ways people with disabilities deal with unwanted help, advice, and touching from complete strangers: https://www.bbc.com/news/disability-49584591
 
* Climate change anxiety support groups are starting around the U.S., and two professional groups are creating climate training for medical schools and lists of eco-aware therapists: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-eco-anxiety/rising-seas-stress-levels-spawn-climate-anxiety-support-groups-idUSKBN1X21P2
 
* In Indonesia, a new fiqh allows people to use wheelchairs in mosques for the first time, while also helping mosques become inclusive for a range of disabilities: https://asiafoundation.org/2019/10/23/wheelchairs-in-the-mosque/
 
* South Korean veteran Ha Jae-hun started rowing to deal with the trauma of losing his legs to a landmine, but now he’s heading to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo: https://people.com/sports/soldier-lost-legs-landmine-aims-for-paralympics/
 
* There’s a national shortage of Braille instructors, and now less than 10% of blind people in the U.S. are able to read it (video is captioned but not audio described): https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/national-shortage-braille-teachers-situation-dire-66013086
 
* Artist Carl Childs tries to make his art as accessible as possible, including braille, QR codes, and tactile components: https://www.gastongazette.com/entertainmentlife/20191021/artist-incorporates-tactile-elements-into-show
 
* Activist Ady Barken’s ALS has given him a platform to interview Democratic presidential candidates about their positions on Medicare for All policies (video is captioned but not audio described): https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/24/politics/ady-barkan-als-2020-interviews/index.html
 
* “CBS This Morning” hosted a “Stop the Stigma” discussion in front of a live studio audience, with guests including Lady Gaga’s mother talking about the singer’s anxiety and depression (video clips are not captioned or audio described): https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2019-10-23/lady-gaga-mother-depression-cbs-this-morning
 
* The BBC found that eating disorder clinics in the UK are not generally treating people over 65 who have eating disorders: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-50087460
 
* 12  Deaf women are using the new Child Victims Act to file suit against the New York School for the Deaf, claiming they were abused by a dorm housemaster while attending the school: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/nyregion/new-york-school-deaf-sexual-abuse.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
 
* Many women with ADHD go undiagnosed for years, affected by stereotypes about ADHD, behavior, and gender: https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/mental-health/sexist-stereotypes-adhd/
 
* Johnny Collett, the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special education and Rehabilitative services, has resigned: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2019/10/17/trump-special-ed-chief-calling-it-quits/27318/
 
* Indian activists were flying to a United Nations conference when Delhi airport staff stopped them, saying one could not fly unaccompanied, and the other had to remove her pants for a security check: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/disability-rights-activists-humiliated-at-city-airport/articleshow/71679290.cms
 
* Paralympian medalist Marieke Vervoort died at age 40 of euthanasia in her home country of Belgium (video has captions but no audio descriptions): https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/23/sport/marieke-vervoort-paralympian-dies-euthanasia-belgium-spt-intl/index.html
 
* The U.S. Cameroonian community is mourning the shooting death in DC of home health care worker Lekelefac Fonge and Devon Miller, his autistic friend: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/why-would-someone-shoot-him-the-killing-of-a-caregiver-and-the-autistic-man-he-cared-for-has-left-people-mourning-far-beyond-dc/2019/10/18/578329aa-f1e7-11e9-8693-f487e46784aa_story.html
 
 
 
 
 
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).