This Week's News in Disability and Higher Education: September 11-17, 2016

Update on Issues Related to Disability and Higher Education 
Week of September 11-17, 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 (NCCSD)
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** WELCOME BACK!  THIS IS OUR FIRST E-MAIL OF THE YEAR – WE’LL BE CATCHING UP ON SUMMER NEWS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS **
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Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):
* Dean John Ellison of the University of Chicago wrote a letter to incoming freshmen warning them that the campus would not tolerate trigger warnings or attempts to create safe spaces; the students fired back with a litany of complaints about tolerance and diversity, including the lack of support for disability access – information about the letter and backlash is at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/08/29/u-chicago-letter-new-students-safe-spaces-sets-intense-debate and you can read the protest letter from Chicago Student Action at http://enewspf.com/2016/08/26/student-group-statement-u-chicago-letter-issued-dean-ellison-class-2020/

* Eddie Ndopu is “unapologetically brilliant, black, queer, and disabled,” and now he’s also the first African with a disability to be accepted by Oxford University: http://www.destinyman.com/2016/09/07/meet-eddie-ndopu-first-african-disability-get-oxford-university/

* UCLA freshman and Olympic champion Simone Biles announced she has ADHD and it’s “nothing to be ashamed of” after Russian hackers released her medical records as part of protest against the World Anti-Doping Agency: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/simone-biles-adhd-medical-hack_us_57d85a7ee4b09d7a68803f5f

* With waits of 4-6 weeks for intake appointments, low funding levels, and a lack of counselors, Utah State University’s Student Association officially declared a mental health crisis on campus, hoping this pushes state legislators to boost funding: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865661839/USU-student-government-declares-mental-health-crisis.html?pg=all

* Ryann Brown showed up with her wheelchair at Malcolm X College in Chicago, only to find she couldn’t access classrooms, computer labs, and bathrooms.  The college’s solution?  Send an aide to help her instead of making things accessible: http://abc7chicago.com/education/student-frustrated-by-wheelchair-accessibility-at-malcolm-x-college/1508628/

* Brown University is stepping up its diversity and inclusion plan, which includes going beyond accommodations for students with disabilities and hiring more faculty with disabilities (go directly to the report for details about disability): http://diverseeducation.com/article/86452/

* With a series of events starting September 27, Gallaudet University will hold its inauguration of Roberta (“Bobbi”) Cordano as its eleventh president – the first Deaf woman to hold the role, and an out lesbian: http://www.gallaudet.edu/inauguration.html

* The University of Alabama’s wheelchair basketball teams have won four national championships and recruit from around the world – here’s why they succeed: http://wheel-life.org/the-university-of-alabamas-championship-wheelchair-basketball-program/

* While mental health services for students are getting more attention, services for faculty are lacking and many professors are dealing with problems in complete isolation (article is only available to Chronicle subscribers, but should be available through your campus library): http://www.chronicle.com/article/Stigma-StressFear-/237353

* A hilarious video shows a day in the life of a college sign language interpreter, who explains to a clueless professor about how it will be a “beautiful experience for all” when the deaf student rides in on a centaur: https://www.facebook.com/aimediaAUS/videos/10153900086089220/

* The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans held the first-ever summit on African American students with disabilities, to support greater success K-12 and postsecondary education: http://sites.ed.gov/whieeaa/

* Autistic Northeastern University law student Lydia X.Z. Brown is using their activism to fight violence affecting people with disabilities: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/how-austistic-activist-lydia-x-z-brown-fighting-violence-affecting-n626266

* Disability history scholars celebrated a new University of Texas at Arlington consortium that will develop an online portal for disability history resources: http://www.uta.edu/news/releases/2016/04/Library-NEHgrant-disabilityhistory.php

* Canadian-Iranian anthropologist and Concordia University (Montreal) professor Homa Hoodfar has been jailed in Tehran on unknown charges related to her work on Muslim women voting, but her myasthenia gravis has worsened and she is currently hospitalized; Amnesty International and the Canadian government is working for her release: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/30/canada-iran-professor-homa-hoodfar-hospitalized-detained  

* Victoria Simpson got through high school without any accommodations for learning disabilities and sought counseling when she struggled academically at Sienna College – it wasn’t until she found disability services that she started to do well: http://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-features/article/Learning-to-get-help-at-college-9184485.php

* Over the summer, Syracuse University invested $4.1 million in accessibility updates, including heated ramps and accessible bathrooms: http://news.syr.edu/over-the-summer-syracuse-university-makes-substantial-investments-in-accessibility-improvements-classroom-enhancements-24905/

* Kinesiology professor Lauren Morimoto won the Excellence in Teaching Award at Sonoma State University, and as a faculty member with a physical disability, she is now working to teach the campus about its physical inaccessibility: http://www.sonomastatestar.com/features/2016/9/6/maneuvering-campus-proves-difficult-for-disabled

* Look around campus this fall for representatives from the Workforce Recruitment Program, actively seeking students and recent grads with disabilities for federal jobs: http://news.webster.edu/webster-life/2016/workforce-recruitment-program-disabilities-employers.html

* She taught at the College of Charleston and at Vanderbilt, was a well-known disability scholar activist, and wrote her final column one month before she died, but Alison Piepmeier lost her struggle with brain cancer in August: http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/journalist-brain-cancer-penned-final-column-month-dies/story?id=41359665

* The National Eating Disorders Association is concerned about an increase in what it calls “drunkorexia” – college students skipping meals to drink more: http://nj1015.com/drunkorexia-at-nj-colleges-disturbing-trend-worries-experts/

* Despite no real accommodations for his physical disabilities, student Christian Nsanzabaganwa is studying to become a doctor at the University of Rwanda: http://allafrica.com/stories/201609080701.html

* Syracuse University English and disability studies professor Steve Kuusisto wrote a series of “letters to a young cripple” on his blog this summer – college students can start at letter #1 here: https://stephenkuusisto.com/2016/07/19/from-letters-to-a-young-cripple/

* Thanks to its new “Bridges to the Doctorate” program, RIT/NTID in New York have been creating an increasing number of deaf Ph.D. candidates in STEM fields: http://www.ntid.rit.edu/news/ritntid-celebrates-growing-number-phd-candidates

*  Duquesne University in Pennsylvania is working with local inclusive schools to provide a complete K-16 inclusive education pipeline for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities: http://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2016/09/09/Special-needs-students-at-St-Anthony-School-Programs-succeed-at-Duquesne-University/stories/201609020004

* Great College Deals ranked the top 20 best deals for colleges with disability studies programs – the top three were Syracuse University, the University of Delaware, and Hofstra University: http://www.greatcollegedeals.net/rankings/best-deals-colleges-disability-studies/

* Frances Esposito, an adjunct at Suffolk County Community College, is suing the campus for disability discrimination due to a back injury and the college’s refusal to provide accommodations like a chair or scheduling classes in a building near disability parking: http://www.newsday.com/long-island/education/professor-sues-sccc-claiming-discrimination-retaliation-1.12250417

* The University of Sydney in Australia has started a “uni 2 beyond” program of inclusive education on campus that also provides paid internships in local businesses: http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2016/09/06/unique-program-opens-doors-for-people-with-intellectual-disabili.html

* Julie Nance was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and now she works with diabetic students and dining services at the College of William and Mary: http://flathatnews.com/2016/09/12/for-campus-dietitian-julie-nance-after-diabetes-everything-changed/

* Emotional support animals are appearing on campus in greater numbers, and although they are protected by the Air Carrier Access Act and the Fair Housing Act, researchers and disability services offices struggle to create policies and to understand the legal and ethical issues involved.  You can read more about the issue at these two articles: http://www.themaneater.com/stories/2016/9/6/mu-researchers-bring-awareness-emotional-support-a/  and http://www.thepostathens.com/article/2016/09/support-animals-dorms-apartments

* Mizuki Hsu and Diane Wiener of Syracuse University write about Mizuki’s time as a fellow on campus and her work as a disability rights in Japan: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-r-wiener-phd-lmsw/japanese-disability-right_b_11526186.html

* Students with autism can find higher education unwelcoming, but it’s the campuses – not the students:
·       An Inside Higher Ed article reviews the issue: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/09/13/making-college-work-students-autism-essay
·       An article in the Hartford Courant looks at Ben Liske, an autistic freshman at Trinity College, the unique nature of accommodations, and how colleges are still reluctant to accept students with disabilities: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/09/13/autism-not-barrier-college/22731/
·       Nondisabled students at the University of Oklahoma have tried reaching out to students with autism through an Autism Speaks chapter, but local autistic activists say the organization’s purpose is at odd with what autistic students want or need (which may explain why the group is having trouble recruiting and reaching autistic members): http://www.oudaily.com/news/resources-lacking-for-ou-students-with-autism-despite-outreach-efforts/article_b89f80ea-75e8-11e6-afc1-d7b9fe1d1ddd.html

* Mike Natter writes about how his Type 1 diabetes and how it affects him as a future doctor training at Thomas Jefferson University, and why he created a Captain Langerhans comic for kids with diabetes: http://www.philly.com/philly/health/diabetes/20160911_What_type_1_diabetes_taught_this_doctor-to-be_about_medicine__family_and_life.html

* Goddard College faculty member Kenny Fries reflected about whether his cane and shoes are “technical enhancements” after an editor wants to crop his photograph to focus on them: http://thewriterintheworld.com/whats-wrong-with-this-photograph/

* Visually impaired professor Briance Mascarenhas filed a disability discrimination suit against Rutgers University, alleging that he was denied a promotion due to his progressive disability: http://www.law360.com/articles/835622/rutgers-prof-says-he-lost-promotion-due-to-his-disability

* Mental illness should not be a “natural” part of the college experience, says Oklahoma Daily student Destiny Guerrero, who encourages peers to get help and learn from her struggles: http://www.oudaily.com/opinion/mental-illness-seems-prominent-in-higher-academia-shouldn-t-be/article_1281e0f4-6bc5-11e6-bbf5-5713da9eb47e.html

* A new organization at King’s College in the UK is working with diabetic young people who have eating disorders, including diabulemia, where students forego insulin to lose weight: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/37155459/diabulimia-diabetes-and-eating-disorder-service-launching-in-uk

* While a student at Yale and a grad student at Columbia, poet Max Ritvo wrote about his ongoing experiences with cancer; he passed away in August at age 25: http://www.npr.org/2016/08/27/491664516/max-ritvo-poet-who-chronicled-his-battle-with-cancer-dies-at-25?sc=ipad&f=1001  (you can read more some of his poetry at http://maxritvo.com/poetry/) 

* The University of Delaware is allowing students with intellectual and developmental disabilities to move into the dorms this year, experiencing all the good-byes, freedom, and excitement of every other UD freshman: http://www.newarkpostonline.com/news/article_9b8b98b7-0ad8-56e6-8e88-629baffa7350.html

* A Time article discusses why college and the transition to college is a difficult time mentally and emotionally, with links to a new report for students and parents from NAMI and the Jed Foundation – the article is at http://time.com/4473575/college-mental-health-guidebook/?iid=sr-link9 and the report is at http://nami.org/collegeguide

* Rebekah Zeigler is suing Wheeling Jesuit University after a physics professor refused to accommodate her learning disability and intimidated her physically and verbally:  http://wvrecord.com/stories/511002288-woman-says-wheeling-jesuit-professor-wouldn-t-accommodate-her-learning-disability

* Because York University professor Felipe Montoya had a son with Down syndrome, Canadian immigration refused to grant permanent residency; that decision has been overturned after a very public campaign, and Dr. Montoya is back at York teaching again: http://www.excal.on.ca/york-professor-montoya-returns-to-canada/

* China has announced a plan to build a university dedicated solely to training disability rehabilitation specialists: http://www.ecns.cn/2016/09-01/224838.shtml

* With the government making huge cuts to support disability services, Australian National University’s Students Association is fighting back with a petition and social media campaign: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/anu-students-association-fights-cuts-to-disability-support-20160830-gr4ryf.html

* The Yale Daily News covers how athletic departments in the Ivy Leagues are trying to make contact sports safer without changing the excitement of the game: http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2016/09/09/brained/



And a few related items of possible interest to college students:

* A selection of Paralympic stories:
·       Rolling Stone ponders why playing sports is a “radical act” for people with disabilities: http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/paralympics-games-sports-as-a-radical-act-w439261
·       The political and financial chaos in Brazil was a problem for the Olympics, and it turned out to be a problem for the Paralympics, as well: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/08/26/brazils-finances-paralympics/22675/
·       Athletes from 50 poorer nations could not go to the Games because Paralympic funds had been spent on the Olympics and other issues in Rio: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/18/paralympics-step-backwards-rio-athletes
·       For the first time in history, the Olympics and Paralympics had audio description: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c43cf39598e440cdbf9cebd570eef28d/how-do-blind-watch-olympics-nbc-helps-them-hear-it
·       Brazilian Paralympian Terezinha Guilhermina ran with Olympic champion Ursain Bolt as her guide: https://www.paralympic.org/news/usain-bolt-runs-guide-blind-paralympic-champion-guilhermina-rio
·       The NCAA would not allow Mikey Brannigan to compete at the college level because he couldn’t pass the SAT, but he’s running for a gold medal in Rio: https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/09/mikey-brannigan-wasnt-allowed-to-compete-in-colleg.html
·       Tatyana McFadden hoped to win a record seven gold medals in Rio, but unfortunately fell short in the 100 meters event: http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/elsewhere/basketball/us-wheelchair-racer-s-bid-for-golds-falls-short/article_3a5acb9a-6e53-5602-b496-85c8cf489271.html
·       Celeste Orr suggests we all stop making the Paralympics into inspiration porn: http://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/columnists/orr-dont-make-the-paralympics-into-inspiration-porn
·       Wheelchair basketball, downhill and giant slalow skiing, and sprint kayaking – these don’t have much in common, but Alana Nichols is going for gold in all of them: http://www.thisisinsider.com/paralympian-three-gold-medals-three-different-sports-2016-9
·       Debates emerge over the classification system for disability and how they are used in the Paralympics: http://www.bbc.com/sport/disability-sport/37286362
·       Robyn Love didn’t know wheelchair sports existed until they came to England, and now she’s a Paralympic wheelchair basketball player: http://www.bbc.com/sport/get-inspired/37235317
·       For Sophia Warner, the Paralympics “was like being set free:” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pioneers-for-change/sport-disability-and-bein_b_11775462.html
·       An in-depth article on the Canadian team: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/paralympics/rio-paralympics-1.3750228

* The New York Times is doing a series on disability:
·       Rosemarie Garland-Thomson talks about the many ways of becoming (and defining) disabled and the need for access and pride: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/21/opinion/sunday/becoming-disabled.html?&_r=0
·       Emily Rapp Black is an athlete.  She’s disabled.  She’s not a Paralympian.  Her essay ponders disabled bodies and the fact that disabled athletes are more common than most people even realize: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/31/opinion/my-paralympic-blues.html?_r=0
·       With ichthyosis creating scales all over her body, Anne Kaier reflects on “Finding Refuge with the Skin I’m In:” http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/24/opinion/finding-refuge-with-the-skin-im-in.html?_r=0   
·       Sheila Black writes about not having genetic testing during her pregnancies, knowing there was a possibility of her children having dwarfism: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/07/opinion/passing-my-disability-on-to-my-children.html?_r=0

* CNN profiled Deaf professional dancer Antoine Hunter, who directs the Urban Jazz Dance Company and organizes the Bay Area Deaf International Dance Festival (video is captioned but not audio described): http://www.greatbigstory.com/stories/sign-dancing-communicating-in-a-silent-way/?xrs=CNNAPP

* With a lack of diversity on TV, there’s also a lack of diversity in who has mental and emotional illnesses, so do women of color ever portray people with mental illness on TV? http://fusion.net/story/345066/television-black-women-mental-illness/

* Over the summer, 19 people with disabilities were killed in a knife attack in Japan – the worst mass murder there since WWII: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36890655.  Controversy rages in Japan over police refusals to name the victims who died: http://www.inquisitr.com/3493183/names-of-disabled-victims-in-knife-attack-in-japan-being-kept-a-secret-police-draw-criticism/

* In August, the Department of Justice clarified that several conditions are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, including cancer, ADHD, and diabetes: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/08/16/regulations-broaden-covered-ada/22632/

* This summer, the Democratic National Convention won praise for its inclusion of people with disabilities, including inclusion on the speakers’ podium: https://thinkprogress.org/the-dnc-is-empowering-millions-of-people-normally-treated-as-invisible-1622e5058167#.4vihwg48a

* Andrea Shettle has created a list of resources for people with Auditory Processing Disorder: https://ramblingjustice.wordpress.com/capd_resources/

* A new “Psyberguide” is online to help people find and choose one of over 5000 apps for mental health conditions: http://www.treatmentadvocacycenter.org/fixing-the-system/features-and-news/69-no-state/2853-psyberguide-your-go-to-guide-to-mental-health-apps

* Just moved to a new state for college?  Find out if your local 911 services accept text messages by checking a new registry: https://www.fcc.gov/general/psap-text-911-readiness-and-certification-form

* Although the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca ended yesterday, a disability doesn’t have to exclude Muslims from participating, as demonstrated by these tips for managing diabetes during Haj: http://www.thenational.ae/blogs/healthy-living/how-to-manage-your-diabetes-during-haj

* A Florida outbreak of Zika has set up disability rights and reproductive rights as conflicting ideas, but this doesn’t have to be the case: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-perry-picciuto-disability-rights-abortion-zika-20160829-snap-story.html

* A new study from USC looked at last year’s 100 top-grossing Hollywood films and found that just 2.4% of characters had a disability, and most of these roles were minimal: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2016/09/08/top-films-seldom-disabilities/22716/

* The Job Accommodations Network (JAN) has published a new guide called “Disability Disclosure and Employment,” including suggestions for talking about disability in the application process: https://askjan.org/topics/discl.htm

​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, NCCSD, 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.