DREAM Weekly November 1-7, 2015

​DREAM Weekly Email, Disability and Higher Education in the News: November 1-7, 2015
From DREAM: Disability Rights, Education, Activism, and Mentoring
Sponsored by the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD)
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Weekly Email Update on Issues Related to Disability and Higher Education 
Week of November 1-7, 2015
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 Disability and higher education in the news (in no particular order):
 
* The Students for Disability Justice group at the University of Chicago chalked up campus buildings that are not accessible, in protest of university policies: http://chicagomaroon.com/2015/10/30/students-protest-university-disability-policies/
 
* Research from two for-profit online universities says students with disabilities may be enrolling in online courses to avoid stigma and have more flexibility and time in managing their disabilities – but it’s not always a positive experience: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/students-with-disabilities-enrol-online-to-avoid-stigmatisation
 
* McGill University is using universal design as a framework for improving access on campus, including following guidelines in a “Standards for Barrier-Free Campus” document: http://mcgilltribune.com/student-living/a-universal-approach-to-accessibility-on-mcgill-campus-08764345/
 
* The University of Michigan Press has endorsed accessible book publishing guidelines published by disability studies scholars in higher education: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/11/03/u-michigan-press-endorses-accessible-book-publishing-guidelines
 
* Disability studies, Deaf studies, and now mad studies?  Mad studies professors describe the field, including the professors talking about their own experiences with madness: http://www.universityaffairs.ca/features/feature-article/mad-studies/
 
* The National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day campaign is reaching out to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and creating Student Ambassadors to teach peers about HIV and AIDS: http://thewestsidegazette.com/national-black-hivaids-awareness-day-plans-hbcu-initiative-to-engage-students-in-awareness-efforts/
 
* Last week in Boston, there was a conference on disability and inclusion in the Jewish community, and this article features one autistic rabbinic student in attendance: http://www.jta.org/2015/11/03/news-opinion/united-states/what-jews-with-disabilities-can-teach-the-rest-of-us
 
* Every wondered how the Independent Living Movement started?  Here’s a first-person account of how the government, community members, and Ed Roberts came together to start up the first Independent Living Center, and how it continues to affect higher education and the country: http://cccadvocate.com/3037/opinion/highlighting-disabled-activisms-incubator/
 
* “I am a good teacher because I’m autistic” – one PhD student explains how autism enhances his teaching assistant duties: https://thethirdglance.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/but-you-cant-be-autistic-youre-such-a-good-teacher/
 
* After Anna Stubblefield was found guilty of sexually assaulting the co-author of papers they had published in Disablity Studies Quarterly, the journal is carefully reviewing Stubblefield’s work: http://dailynous.com/2015/11/04/disability-studies-quarterly-is-reviewing-stubblefields-articles/
 
* In the wake of the Umpqua Community College shooting, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) have issued a joint statement calling for more research on school safety, campus climate, and reducing the risk of violence – also notable is that the statement does NOT say anything about mental illness like similar statements we’ve been seeing: http://www.aera.net/Newsroom/JointStatementbyAERAandASHEontheShootingatUmpquaCommunityCollege/tabid/16085/Default.aspx
 
* Can having a learning disability actually help students with their college admissions applications?  Yes, says one admissions officer who sees it as a diversity issue: http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-college-solution/2011/06/14/learning-disabilities-can-offer-college-admission-edge
 
* A study showed almost 6% of students at the College of William and Mary had eating disorders, but the college is lacking resources to help them: http://flathatnews.com/2015/11/03/eating-disorders-counseling-center-resources/
 
* After a college student in New Mexico with epilepsy experienced profound changes from working with a service dog, he founded “Paws for Epilepsy” to train more dogs to work with epileptics: http://krqe.com/2015/10/30/college-student-founds-program-pairing-service-dogs-with-epileptic/
 
* The government in India has asked one campus to stop requiring disabled applicants to include a picture of their disability in order to get seats allotted for disabled students: http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/iits-asked-to-stop-using-disability-photos-in-applications/story-ooKM1jGog3BJ8ZFNPvJ9oK.html
 
* Calling them “Smart Drugs,” a panel at George Washington University debated whether all college students could benefit from “cognitive enhancement” drugs that are currently used for conditions like ADHD: http://diverseeducation.com/article/78742/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=aa41269f6c034f07b032de1507bb5cc5&elqCampaignId=771&elqaid=88&elqat=1&elqTrackId=a81a6690bf7d4a70bc400594f4276cb9
* The University of Cincinnati has opened its law school course in disability law, making it available to undergraduate students: http://www.newsrecord.org/news/college-of-law-opens-classes-for-undergrads/article_c68c4f6e-8361-11e5-8a82-735dde7607aa.html
 
* Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, launches Connections Academy, a specialized program for students with autism pursuing a bachelor’s degree: http://www.thonline.com/news/tri-state/article_4251be30-833b-11e5-bf1c-1354d988b36f.html
 
And a few related items of possible interest to college students:
* Looking forward to the new Star Wars movie?  Think Princess Leia is a badass? Find out just how much of a badass she really is – and her long-term commitment to talking about her own experiences with bipolar disorder and addiction: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/carrie-fisher-mental-health-princess-leia_562795dbe4b0bce347031e34
 
* Researchers sent out fictitious letters to employers, and ended up seeing just how bad discrimination is for applicants with disabilities: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/02/upshot/fake-cover-letters-expose-discrimination-against-disabled.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Moth-Visible&module=inside-nyt-region&region=inside-nyt-region&WT.nav=inside-nyt-region&_r=0
 
* The Disability Discrimination Act is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year in the UK, and one museum is stepping up to document the fight for disabled people’s civil rights: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/nov/04/disabled-people-fight-equal-rights-exhibition-manchester
 
* Hey history buffs!  Imagine Washington DC in the Civil War – the South is advancing, all the troops and nondisabled men are stationed further south, but there’s an Invalid Corps of wounded soldiers (including African Americans) ready to defend the capitol and Lincoln: http://invalidcorpsfilm.nrbrown.com/about/
 
* 25 years after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed, it’s time to focus on employment, say former Senator Tom Harkin and the head of the Ruderman Family Foundation: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/10/30/twenty-five-years-since-americans-with-disabilities-act-focus-must-employment/kn8hEHYw3epOozrUWwpgkJ/story.html?s_campaign=email_BG_TodaysHeadline&s_campaign=
 
* The book “Neurotribes” about autism won the Samuel Johnson prize for science books, and in a candid interview, the author talks about writing the book and how being gay helped him be more empathic toward people who are autistic: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/03/steve-silberman-neurotribes-autism-samuel-johnson-prize-2015-interview
 
* One Florida Starbucks is offering American Sign Language for people using the drive-thru, and there’s a video online to show you how it works (note that the video has no captions or audio description): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/deaf-starbucks-drive-thru_563affabe4b0411d306fb268
 
* Ever thought, “I wonder if there’s a movie about that aspect of disability?” Wonder no more – disability studies scholar Beth Haller has put together a list of media and disability resources, including films: https://mediadisability.wordpress.com/films-tv-documentaries/
 
* A nurse in the UK who has Crohn’s disease has created a new line of lingerie for people with stoma bags: http://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2015/10/disability-gets-sexy-thanks-to-nurse.html
 
* “Crippled by debt?” “Blind to the truth?” What’s wrong with some disability metaphors?  This blog explains it to you: http://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/on-ableist-language/
 
* One Washington University researcher thinks being color blind can be a good thing instead of something to cure (video has no captions or audio description): https://www.facebook.com/wustl/videos/10153858864351178/
 
* For those of you who love baseball cards, there’s a new series of cards coming out that will feature players with disabilities: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2015/10/21/topps-to-feature-cards-of-players-who-overcame-disabilities-pride--perseverance/74314206/
 
* Tempted to say “awwwww…” when you see an inspiring story about disability? It’s probably inspiration porn about everyday things that happen to be done by people with disabilities: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/editorials/2015/11/02/1-doing-everyday-things-doesnt-make-anyone-special.html
 
For more information about DREAM or AHEAD contact Wendy Harbour (wendy@ahead.org) or check out our website at http://www.dreamcollegediability.org.  

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By the way, please don't presume DREAM 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.