DREAM Weekly News: Jan 10, 2017-Jan 20, 2018

​Weekly Update on Issues Related to Disability and Higher Education 

Weeks of January 10, 2017-January 20, 2018

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):
 
* The University of Alabama has opened a new $10 million facility for adapted athletics: http://www.kentucky.com/sports/article194640804.html
 
* Northeastern University law student Lydia X. Z. Brown was honored with the 2018 Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award for their work with multiply-marginalized disabled people: https://www.aapd.com/aapd-paul-g-hearne-leadership-awards/
 
* Paul Quinn College, an HBCU, has never offered mental health services, but they’ve teamed up with UT Southwestern Medical Center to address that gap, with plans to expand the program, including group therapy options and holistic services like yoga: http://healthcare.dmagazine.com/2018/01/15/ut-southwestern-paul-quinn-college-partner-on-mental-health-services-for-students/
 
* A parent reflects on her daughter’s decision to attend Landmark where she “fits in,” and new research showing the benefits of disabled people having disabled friends: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/de-stressing-disability/201801/the-importance-disabled-friends-the-disabled
 
* Arizona State University will now offer a disability studies major (interview is audio only with no transcript): https://kjzz.org/content/591503/asu-will-offer-disabilities-studies-major
 
* The National Deaf Center has published state-by-state reports on postsecondary outcomes or Deaf people: https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/resource/state-reports-postsecondary-achievement-deaf-people
 
* A proposed PROSPER bill in the House of Representatives would eliminate initiatives that haven’t been funded already, including programs for disabled students and student veterans: https://www.bna.com/higher-education-bill-n73014474048/
 
* The field of anthropology is rife with ableism – three scholars with disabilities write what they wish they knew before they entered the field: https://anthrodendum.org/2018/01/10/what-i-wish-i-knew-about-anthropology-and-disability-notes-toward-a-more-enabling-anthropology/comment-page-1/
 
* Pursuing his dream of being a hair stylist, Mitch Chalmers of Bath College in the UK crowd-funded to buy a wheelchair that would let him stand or sit as needed while working with clients (video is captioned but not audio described): http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-somerset-42732272/hairdresser-following-dream-with-stand-up-wheelchair
 
* Problems with K-12 discipline problems can keep students of color or students with disabilities from attending college, but the Department of Education is considering rescinding guidance to address problems with school discipline: https://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2018/01/05/how_discipline_policies_can_hold_students_back_from_college.html
 
* Disability studies student Allison Wallis writes about the false emergency alert in Hawaii about an incoming missile, and what she did as a parent, wife, and person with a disability: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2018/01/13/being-a-mother-in-hawaii-during-38-minutes-of-nuclear-threat-terror/?utm_term=.5017f2e4443f
 
* Northern Illinois University has a new policy for “producing, developing, maintaining, and using technology, with newly hired Katy Whitelaw serving as its first Information Technology Accessibility Officer: https://www.niutoday.info/2018/01/17/campus-technology-must-accessible-people-disabilities/
 
* 13-year old sports fan Preston Harris has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, but just signed a letter of intent to join the Mont Alto college basketball team, attending games and events as an official member of the team even if he can’t play with them: http://www.publicopiniononline.com/story/sports/2018/01/12/13-year-old-harris-signs-letter-intent-penn-state-mont-alto-through-team-impact/1028296001/
 
* Yale University professor of psychiatry Bandy Lee has been meeting privately with members of Congress about President Trump, calling his mental state “dangerous”: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/bandy-lee/550193/
 
* Transition planning for special education students is not preparing them for college, with low expectations and educators not thinking that far ahead: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/01/09/are-schools-doing-enough/24563/
 
* The new federal tax law leaves some wondering how ABLE accounts will be affected: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/01/09/tax-law-able-future-worries/24560/
 
* Texas Christian University has a new Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies major that includes studies of race and ethnicity intersect with disability: http://keranews.org/post/tcu-aims-draw-students-color-build-cultural-competence-new-program
 
* Students with physical disabilities are participating in a new Fitness Access McGill project at McGill University, with personal training and access to exercise equipment, but the project is already sparking broader questions about accessibility and fitness facilities on campus: http://www.mcgilltribune.com/news/osd-athletics-pilot-project-promotes-inclusivity-in-the-gym-11618/
 
* Ithaca College President Shirley Collado was convicted of sexual abusing a female patient in 2001 while Collado was working as a psychologist in Washington, DC, and the board and search committee were all aware of it when they hired her: https://theithacan.org/news/ithaca-college-president-shirley-collado-has-2001-sexual-abuse-conviction/
 
* Ohio University looked at campus-wide inclusion and diversity efforts, and found problems with access to buildings, online learning systems, and website access: http://www.thepostathens.com/article/2018/01/diversity-and-inclusion-report-ohio-university
 
* Sarah Williams assumed her psychiatric service dog would be allowed on campus while going through training, but Heidelberg University said no: http://www.advertiser-tribune.com/news/local-news/2018/01/berg-freshman-petitions-to-allow-service-dog-in-training-on-campus/
 
* In Canada, a University of Guelph professor is on paid leave after speaking rudely to a disabled student with anxiety, but one student stood and chastised the professor, and then students in the 600-person lecture hall walked out: http://www.newsweek.com/university-students-walk-out-lecture-after-professor-mocked-classmate-anxiety-783718
 
* Americorps is a popular option for college grads to work off student loans through volunteering, but the head of Americorps, Carl Higbie, has resigned after interviews surfaced of racist, sexist, anti-Muslim, and anti-LGBT comments, as well as remarks about PTSD showing a “weak mind”: http://www.newsweek.com/trump-appointee-carl-higbie-resigns-after-racist-sexist-anti-muslim-and-anti-785160
 
* The University of Florida is using a three-year grant to develop and implement innovative retrofits for local homes of people with disabilities, making them more accessible and affordable through virtual reality: http://www.alligator.org/news/article_85f42fe6-fa68-11e7-bee7-2fff64877c24.html
 
* ABLE accounts let people with disabilities have up to $100,000 that can be used for college and can’t be counted toward income with federal programs, so why are they slow to catch on? http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=842632
 
* Shaquem Griffin won the AAC’s defensive player of the year award last year, but University of Central Florida fans are often surprised to learn that he only has one hand: http://journalstar.com/opinion/letters/letter-peach-bowl-lesson-on-disability/article_86817fd4-5da4-56e4-b736-e33fc374b42f.html
 
* Southeastern Community College has never had a student with a service animal, but they pro-actively wrote a policy to address the issue, in an effort to be as “welcoming as possible:” http://www.wect.com/story/37248332/community-college-changes-service-animal-policy
 
* Students with physical and cognitive disabilities at the Tri-C community colleges in Ohio are now being offered segregated off-campus rental apartment units specifically designed for students with disabilities, developed by the colleges, the Cleveland Clinic and a local company that runs group homes (video has no captions or audio description): https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/medina-county-nonprofit-unveils-housing-for-disabled-college-students
 
* New studies out of Boston University say repetitive hits to the head can cause CTE, not just concussions, having serious implications for athletes of all ages: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2018/01/18/boston-university-study-repetitive-hits-head-not-concussions-cte/1043489001/
 
* The University of Wyoming’s Disability Support Services cut $300,000 and three positions due to budget crunches, despite already having staff vacancies and an increasing number of students registering for services: http://trib.com/news/local/education/uw-officials-hopeful-in-face-of-post-budget-cut-roadblocks/article_dc2609f0-602d-5867-8974-7a2cd4a2deb5.html
 
* College can be a “ticket out of poverty,” but for Black and Hispanic people who don’t have adequate supports and resources, upward mobility during college can correlate to long-term mental and physical health problems: http://www.heraldsun.com/news/local/counties/durham-county/article193250194.html
 
* A column in the Indiana Student Daily critiques Netflix movie “To The Bone” and its portrayal of anorexia for its stereotypes and portrayal of anorexia as “cool” instead of showing realities of eating disorders: http://www.idsnews.com/article/2018/01/column-anderson-anorexia-011718
 
* Syracuse University will be conducting comprehensive evaluation of disability services and access to communication and information technology, with involvement of people with disabilities as part of the process: http://dailyorange.com/2018/01/4-takeaways-kent-syveruds-address-campus-community/
 
* It’s the five-year anniversary for the Chronic Illness Group at Loyola Marymount University, and members are celebrating “learning how to live a full and thriving life:” http://www.laloyolan.com/news/chronic-illness-group-celebrates-ten-years-of-support-for-students/article_b542f079-ddb1-598a-aa07-a326eaa52562.html
 
* Staci Christensen has an intellectual disability and wants to go to college, but nine years ago Utah put her in an institution and hasn’t let her leave, so she’s suing the state: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/01/15/intellectually-disabled-utah-woman-yearns-for-freedom-from-her-institutionalized-lifestyle/
 
* Writing about difficult intersections of eugenics, disability rights, reproductive rights, and the pro-life movement (https://www.thenation.com/article/republicans-are-using-fear-of-eugenics-to-attack-reproductive-rights/)  put University of Minnesota professor David Perry under fire, with conservative newspapers re-branding his article as if Perry wants to kill disabled babies (Perry himself has a son with Down syndrome): http://www.lifenews.com/2018/01/04/university-professor-promotes-killing-disabled-babies-time-to-support-eugenic-abortion/
 
* Missouri University construction is adding inconvenience and frustration for students with physical disabilities: http://www.standard.net/Government/2018/01/16/Construction-adds-complexity-for-people-with-a-physical-disability-at-MU
 
* The Washington Post profiled five people with disabilities who receive government assistance but are trying to work, including Sarah Schwegel, a graduate student at Saint Louis University, and Min Jung, an instructor at Temple University:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2018/01/10/for-some-receiving-disability-benefits-the-desire-to-work-will-never-cease/?utm_term=.3c1aa25ce323
 
* A father and daughter teamed up to write a new book for resident advisors about mental health issues in college students: https://www.thewoodstockindependent.com/2018/01/mental-health-handbook-co-authored-by-father-daughter-team/
 
* Columbia College student Ian Alexander is ranked #12 in the American Video Game League – he has one hand and draws inspiration and advice from his father who has CP: http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/21984834/columbia-college-cougars-top-laner-ian-mistystumpey-alexander-let-disability-stop-him
 
* College is becoming an expectation or more and more students with autism, like Paris King, who graduated from Roosevelt University last month: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/01/15/college-dreams-reach-spectrum/24586/
 
* People with disabilities in India may be called “divyang” (divine body) while facing a nightmare of stigma and discrimination, including a lack of access to college: http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-living-with-disability-and-dissonance-in-a-hostile-country-2574186
 
* The California Dept. of Justice found in favor of a white student, who says she was discriminated against by a Native American lecturer at San Diego State University after she supported the university’s Aztec mascot and wore it to class; charges of disability discrimination were dismissed for insufficient evidence: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/05/native-american-professor-tormented-white-student-over-aztec-mascot-state-agency-rules.html
 
* A judge awarded Julie Keehner $250,000 for gender, age, and disability discrimination she experienced as the vice president of student development at West Virginia Wesleyan College: https://therecorddelta.com/article/keehner-hopes-for-positive-change-at-wesleyan
 
 
And a few related items of possible interest to college students:
 
* Stephen Colbert found the tables turned when disability activist Carly Fleischmann interviewed him for The Late Show as part of her effort to become the first nonverbal late-night TV host (video is captioned but not audio described): http://www.cbs.com/shows/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert/video/9DF786A2-781B-8C6F-A34A-ED6A17930BC5/carly-fleischmann-gives-late-night-tv-a-try/
 
* “Ableism and Racism are Not the Same Thing” and no, you can’t just quote Martin Luther King, Jr. and assume that it applies to disability, says Rachel Kallem Whitman on World Bipolar Day: https://medium.com/invisible-illness/happy-world-bipolar-day-18d350227c17
 
* Gay? “No problem.”  Disabled?  “Hmm…you don’t look disabled…”  Jessica Kellgren-Fozard shares her frustrations with ableism: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jan/13/people-accept-that-im-gay-but-not-that-im-disabled
 
* Former Republican Senator Bob Dole, who has a disability he acquired during WWII and was an advocate for passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/17/bob-dole-receives-congressional-gold-medal-what-to-know-about-former-kansas-senator.html
 
* The U.S. Department of Justice has rescinded 25 documents offering guidance for implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act, including a 2016 letter urging businesses to not segregate people with disabilities: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/01/04/justice-scraps-ada-guidance/24546/
 
* The UK has appointed a Minister for Loneliness, noting that isolation and loneliness can be life-threatening and are a public health concern: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/17/world/europe/uk-britain-loneliness.html
 
* The movie Unrest continues to receive accolades, with one reviewer noting that people with chronic fatigue syndrome are shown finding community – a way to pick up where the doctors and modern medicine left off: https://psmag.com/social-justice/how-disabled-people-care-for-each-other-when-doctors-cant
 
* Portrayals of disability in TV shows are better than ever, but still have far to go: https://www.buzzfeed.com/lauradorwart/tv-depictions-of-disability-have-come-a-long-way?utm_term=.roVYoqDBO#.ucDWR37vm
 
* Puerto Rico is facing a massive mental health crisis after the hurricanes: https://repeatingislands.com/2018/01/07/puerto-ricos-mental-health-crisis/
 
* In the days after Hurricane Harvey in Houston, only Prozac and Zoloft were available to evacuees, regardless of which medications people with mental illnesses had been taking previously, and days went by before they had access to other medications: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/medical/article/Some-Harvey-evacuees-went-days-without-crucial-12478944.php
 
* The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in NYC is showcasing accessible design in its “Access + Ability” exhibit: https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/01/11/smithsonian-accessible-design/24575/
 
* Where are the women with disabilities in new movements for women’s rights?  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/07/vogue-new-suffragettes-women-disabilities
 
* 100 years ago, Randolph Bourne wrote a progressive essay about disability that shocked a society where even Helen Keller was supporting eugenics, and it still resonates today for his ancestor who has disabilities (the article contains a link to Bourne’s original text): https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2018/jan/09/randolph-bournes-1911-essay-on-disability-shocked-society-but-whats-changed-since
 
* National Public Radio did a series on sexual abuse of people with intellectual disabilities and how people are working to address the horrific statistics: https://www.npr.org/series/575502633/abused-and-betrayed
 
* Deaf performer Nyle DiMarco has a starring role in the new Sundance TV Series “This Close”: http://instinctmagazine.com/post/nyle-dimarco-gets-starring-role-new-tv-series-called-close
 
* President Trump had his first annual physical as President, and with publication of the recent book Fire and Fury, people wondered if mental health or cognitive problems would show up, but the Chicago Tribune points out that 18 of 37 presidents met criteria for a psychiatric disorder, making that practically irrelevant to the question of competency: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-donald-trump-mental-health-20180110-story.html
 
* If you live in Indiana, check out the new Indiana Disability History website, with oral histories and digital materials about disability rights in the state: http://www.aucd.org/template/news.cfm?news_id=13266&parent=16&parent_title=Home&url=/template/index.cfm?
 
* Obesity is not a disability under federal law, but a new case in California may change that if people can prove the obesity has a physiological cause: https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/Pages/cal-court-report-Obesity-May-Be-a-Disability-Under-California-Law.aspx
 
* At London Stansted Airport, Nathalie Allport-Grantham was using a wheelchair to get to the gate, when an employee told her to stop faking it and demanded she pay £50 if she wanted someone to carry her bags, chastising her for packing her bags too heavy: https://themighty.com/2018/01/disability-help-refused-stansted-airport/
 
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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).

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, 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.