January 2006
The articles published in the ALERT represent the
opinions of the authors and are not an endorsement by the Association
or necessarily representative of the views of the Association.
— From the President
— From the Editor
— Professional Development Calendar
— Support for AHEAD Scholarship
— Greetings from San Diego
— NCAA Subcommittee
— Universal Design in Higher Education
— NEA Grant for Universal Design
— AWAY: A World
Awaits You
— NCDE Campus
Collaboration Campaign
— Canadian Scholarship Announced
From the President
AHEAD President Jim Kessler highlights ongoing AHEAD initiatives and upcoming events.
Goodbye Fall 2005 – what a semester! I don’t know, particularly in the
educational community of the southern U.S. region, if we have ever had such a displacement of
individuals because of a natural disaster. I do not mean to minimize the impact of
hurricanes on others in the South, but there was something incredible about the response
to this catastrophe. AHEAD set up an information website called SOS (Serve Our Students)
thanks to the hard work of several members, and the great work of the many institutions
that took in students. Louisiana State University really assumed the leadership in
“accepting” over 3000 students, because it needed to be done.
One of the significant member services that we provided in the fall was
the online publication of “Best Practices: Disability Documentation for Higher Education”
that provides assistance to college personnel for determining the need for reasonable
accommodations (please remember that these are not “guidelines” for documentation). If
you have not reviewed this document, please take time and review it at
http://www.ahead.org/resources/index.htm
This information is an important reminder of our professional practices in higher education,
especially in response to the “new” standards for documentation that we see under IDEA.
E-Text – AHEAD, under the leadership of Ron Stewart
(Oregon State University and Technical Specialist for AHEAD), continues to take the lead in
establishing working communications with consumer groups, other professional organizations
and the American Association of Publishers (AAP) about the issue of electronic text for
students, proprietary rights and the interests of authors and publishers. It is a
discussion that began at the Miami AHEAD Conference and will continue to take some time,
but we firmly believe that there is going to be a solution in which all participants will
benefit.
The first State of the Association will be presented to the membership toward
the end of January. A significant majority of the data will come from our Executive Director, Stephan Hamlin-Smith
(hopefully he will allow me some thoughts and writing space – just kidding).
Spring 2006 (only about 16 weeks until commencement
ceremonies, but who is counting!) - This is an active time
for AHEAD and the members. There are several
professional development opportunities occurring over the next
few months:
January – April: Four “AHEAD to You” audioconferences
February: Two simultaneous workshops in Las Vegas (one on TRIO
programs, the other on Assistive Technology), and one regional
workshop in Houston on legal
issues and psychological disabilities.
April: Our final regional workshop for
the year on legal issues and psychological disabilities in Las Vegas.
There is something that is going to benefit every member and their colleagues
on campus (invite them!). Check out the details at: http://www.ahead.org/training/index.htm
Some time toward the end of January you should look to receive information about:
- The Professional Development Program (concerning certification) that
was initiated by the Board last year and is in the initial stages
of development. It
is the most ambitious project the Association has undertaken in its history
and will actively involve the membership. - The five Board Councils – I provided an invitation in the last ALERT but failed
to give more complete information, but that really didn’t stop several members
from volunteering. - Applying for Focused Initiative Grants that support innovative projects that
not only benefit you and your institution but also support the field and
profession. - Your opportunity to elect new leadership to the Board. There will be three
positions opening on the Board - President Elect (this is a four-year commitment,
2 years as President Elect and 2 years as President) and two Directors. Nomination
materials are forthcoming.
I would be much remiss if I didn’t remind you to start thinking
about this year’s
AHEAD Conference, “Charting the Course for Change,” July 18-22, 2006 at the
Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in San Diego, California. Updated
information will be available between now and the Conference at http://www.ahead.org/training/conference/2006.htm
If you have any comments, questions or ideas, let me know.
Have a great semester.
From the Editor
Happy New Year! As we head into the new year, welcoming
students back after the winter break, I always take some time
to look both to the past and the future. It is a time when I
try to think of ways I can learn and expand my understanding
of the world. One area that has intrigued me for a while is Universal
Design (UD). This issue of the ALERT has great information on ideas
for implementing UD, and encouraging information about new funding
for UD. I firmly believe that the more we can design our environment
and our instruction to be accessible to all, the better the world
will be for everyone. I hope you find this issue to be both interesting
and informative. If you have any questions, or would like to
submit an article for a future issue, please contact me at kejones@ucdavis.edu
Keltie Jones
Editor
Professional Development Calendar
Take advantage of these upcoming events, conferences,
and other opportunities to increase and share your knowledge.
Calls for Presentations and
Articles
ALERT submission and publication dates:
The ALERT is now being published every other
month. Please keep those articles coming! Here is the schedule
for submissions:
|
Submissions Due: |
Publication Date: |
|
February 17, 2006 |
March 3, 2006 |
|
April 21, 2006 |
May 5, 2006 |
|
June 23, 2006 |
July 7, 2006 |
SUPERFEST International Disability Film Festival Calls
For Submissions: Pass the Word! Deadline: 1/31/06. Your Opportunity
to Contribute to Disability
Culture SUPERFEST, the world's longest-running juried international
disability film festival, seeks your submission to our 26th film
competition. SUPERFEST
is the primary international showcase for cutting-edge films
that portray disability culture and experience in all its rich
diversity. We seek works
about disability produced since January 1996. We especially want
to encourage submissions by mediamakers with disabilities. A
1/2 inch VHS-NTSC preview
format or DVD is required, along with a completed and signed
entry and release form, and entry fee check. Final entry deadline:
January 31, 2006
(post-marked). Early bird discount if mailed by January 15, 2006.
Judging takes place in Spring 2006, and winners will be announced
on or around
April 1st, 2006. Winners will be screened in the San Francisco
Bay Area in June, 2006, and all entries will be listed in the
festival catalogue. Winners
will be asked to provide still production photos and video or
DVD copies for publicity purposes.
This Festival is funded solely by entry fees and small grants.
Entry fees range from $30 to $90, depending on film length and
production budget.
To request an entry packet, send a legal size self-addressed,
stamped envelope to:
CDT,
P.O. Box 1107
Berkeley, CA 94701
Phone: 510-845-5576
Email: Superfest@aol.com
For detailed information, or to download an entry form,
visit http://www.culturedisabilitytalent.org
Call for Proposals for NACADA’s 30th Annual
Conference on Academic Advising: Diverse Advising for a Diverse
World, October 18-21, 2006, Indianapolis. Proposals are invited
for concurrent sessions, workshops, or poster presentations
that focus on research or application of new, innovative
academic advising strategies. Novices as well as experienced
presenters are earnestly encouraged.
Suggested topics (others welcomed):
Serving Diverse & Specific Student
Populations, Enhancing Student Success, Legal & Ethical Issues, Technology
in Advising, Organization & Delivery Models, Advising Administration,
Advisor/Faculty Cooperation, Undecided Students, Retention, Distance
Education, New Resources, Developmental Advising, Career Planning, Assessment,
First-year
Students.
Deadline: February 10, 2006
NACADA Executive Office
2323 Anderson Avenue, Suite 225
Manhattan, KS 66502
PH: 785-532-5717
nacada@ksu.edu
View entire Call at: www.nacada.ksu.edu
AHEAD and Affiliate
Events
AHEAD Audioconference Series
AHEAD is hosting a series of six teleconferences
this academic year, the third and next taking place on Thursday,
January 19. We’ve recruited top-notch presenters for
each session who will present for approximately 90 minutes
at a
time. In
addition to being less than half the cost of other similar
offerings, our teleconference programs, called "AHEAD
to YOU," will offer pre- and post-session opportunities
for participants to Q&A with the presenters, handouts and
presentation materials online in advance of each session, and
full real-time captioning of each teleconference via the Internet.
See detailed information on the AHEAD website at: http://www.ahead.org/training/audioconference/index.htm and
take advantage of the discounted registration rates for AHEAD
members.
AHEAD Regional Workshop Series
We have learned that while the annual Conference
is a phenomenal professional development and networking opportunity
for those who are able to attend, AHEAD members also have a
need for the opportunity to attend intensive, topic-driven
workshops that require less investment of time, money and energy.
We’ve put together three exciting regional workshops
for the present academic year in hopes of widening the umbrella
of availability for professional education. The two-day events
will focus on your choice of Legal & Policy issues, or
Psychological & Psychiatric Disability issues; both directly
and practically tied to disability services in higher education.
The dates and locations for these regional workshops are:
| February 10 - 11, 2006 | Houston, TX (co-sponsored by AHEAD in Texas) |
| April 21 - 22, 2006 | Las Vegas, NV |
Full program and registration materials are available at: http://www.ahead.org/training/reg_training/index.htm
Serving Students with Disabilities in TRIO Programs
AHEAD's premiere professional development
training institute for TRIO Program Staff will take place February
6 - 8, 2006 at The Imperial Palace Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. For
full program information and details, plus registration materials,
go to: http://www.ahead.org/training/trio/index.htm
Assistive Technology from A to Z for Disability Service Professionals
AHEAD's workshop designed to cover the essential material
for creating and managing a college-level Assistive Technology
program will take place one time only in 2006, February 6 - 8 at
The Imperial Palace Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. For details and registration
materials, go to: http://www.ahead.org/training/assistivetech/index.htm
Other Upcoming Conferences,
Trainings, and Expositions
Check out these offerings from our colleagues in the fields of disability and
higher education:
California's Hire the Disabled Career Expo,
hosted by CAREERS & THE
disABLED Magazine, February 2, 2006, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, at the
Los Angeles Convention Center, Concourse Hall, 1201 South Figueroa Street.
To register, visit http://www.eop.com/exporegistration.html
Be
Sure to Mark Your Calendar for the 22nd Annual Pacific Rim
Conference on Disabilities, March 13-15, 2006 at the Sheraton
Waikiki Hotel & Resort in
Honolulu, Hawaii. For more information, go to: http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu or
contact:
Stephen C. Potts, CMP
Center on Disability Studies
University of Hawaii
1776 University Avenue, UA 4-6
Honolulu, HI 96822
PH: (808) 956-7539
Fax: (808) 956-5713
Email: prinfo@hawaii.edu
PEPNet 2006: Roots & Wings, April 5-8, 2006, in Louisville, KY
For information and forms, visit the PEPNet website at: http://www.pepnet.org
2006 ADA Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion,
and Disability Conference
April 17 – 18, 2006, at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio
"Identity is formed by social processes. Once crystallized,
it is maintained, modified, or even reshaped by social relations...Conversely,
the identities produced by the interplay of individual consciousness and
social structure react upon the given social structure, maintaining it,
modifying it, or even reshaping it." (Berger and Luckman, 1963)
The organizing theme for the sixth annual conference
will be “Personal Perspectives & Social Impact: The Stories
We Tell.” "Storytelling enables the individuals in an organization
to see themselves and the organization in a different light, and accordingly
make decisions and change their behavior in accordance with these new
perceptions, insights and identities." (Steven Denning) Conference
information and updates will be posted to http://ada.osu.edu/conferences.htm
Canadian Association of College and University Student Services
presents CACUSS 2006 - Leading the Way, June 18-21, 2006
at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
The conference theme, Leading the Way, is designed to celebrate the work that
Student Service Professionals in Canada have done to pave the path of success
for students. The theme also challenges participants to demonstrate compassion,
accountability and innovation to continue Leading the Way. For more information,
check out the CACUSS 2006 Conference Web Site at http://www.cacuss.ca/en/02-conference/index.lasso
10th International Conference on Computers Helping People with
Special Needs, July 12-14, 2006, University of Linz, Austria.
For more information please go to: http://personalpages.manchester.ac.uk/staff/david.g.evans/icchp2006/spld.htm
American College Counseling Association National Conference: Exploring
New Frontiers in College Counseling, October 3-6, 2006, at John
Ascuaga’s
Nugget – Reno/Sparks,
NV. For more information, visit http://www.collegecounseling.org/news/ACCA_conv/index.html
NACADA’s 30th Annual Conference on Academic Advising: DIVERSE ADVISING
FOR A DIVERSE WORLD, October 18-21, 2006, Indianapolis. For details
see www.nacada.ksu.edu
Support for AHEAD Scholarship
Stacey Reycraft reports that the University of Mississippi Office of
Student Disability Services is donating a contest award to the AHEAD scholarship fund.
"A Season of Giving" ornament contest
was sponsored by the Division of Student Life and the Student
Programming Board. The contest is conducted each year at this time.
All academic, administrative and student organizations were invited
to participate. Ornaments were judged on originality, creativity
and how well they represented the office or organization in question.
This was the first year that the Office of Student Disability
Services participated in the contest and we are thrilled to have
won. It provided very positive exposure for our office and gave
us the opportunity to donate the $150 award to what we believe
is a very worthy cause – the AHEAD Scholarship Fund.
Special thanks go to Katie Johnson, our staff assistant, who
is our own personal Martha Stewart, and to Jennifer Murchison,
our senior staff assistant, who folded the brailled oragami picture
frame that hangs from the middle of the ornament.
We're already planning for next year's contest!
Greetings from San Diego
Ken Chep with the University of San Diego provides information on activities
that await 2006 AHEAD Conference participants.
The winter season has gripped us all— some of us
more than others. My friends back East tell me that I am spoiled and cannot
begin to appreciate how harsh and cold it can be at this time of the year.
Well, I distinctly remember what it’s like to be cold, scraping ice off
the windshield, sliding through intersections, and those glorious snow days
we prayed for as the DJ on the radio read a list of school closings. I do miss
snow days! San Diego has seasons, too, though — sunny, really sunny,
totally sunny, and spectacular! Although it’s probably a little premature
to start packing your bags, it’s not too soon to do some California Dreamin’ about
what awaits you in San Diego, CA, host city for the 2006 AHEAD Conference,
July 18-22!
The 2006 Conference Committee has been hard at work planning what promises
to be both a memorable professional experience and a fun-filled family vacation
where the possibilities are as vast as the waters of the Pacific!
From Legoland to Little Italy, Balboa Park to Coronado Beach,
San Diego's varied attributes and attractions cater to the kid, the grown-up,
and surfer
dude or dudette in all of us. In July, you will have the opportunity to tap
into them all in Southern California’s sunny paradise city. So, plan
on arriving before the Conference begins or staying around after it ends— or
do both!
Here are a couple of samples of the diversions that San Diego
has to offer:
For the sports fan, enjoy the San Diego Padres in their new downtown
ballpark. Check out the 2006 schedule at:
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/sd/schedule/tentative_2006_season_schedule.jsp
For the theatre-lover, the Old Globe in Balboa Park promises an exceptional
summer season. Peruse their calendar at:
http://www.oldglobe.org/on_stage/in_wings.html
If this has not tempted you, stay tuned for future ALERTS. America’s
Finest City truly has something for everyone!
NCAA Subcommittee
Larry Markle, Director of Disabled Student Development at Ball
State University, announces that the NCAA Student-Athlete Disability
Advisory Group is setting up a subcommittee to examine best
practices in serving student athletes with disabilities.
As AHEAD’s representative to the NCAA’s Student-Athlete
Disability Advisory Group, I had the opportunity to meet Charlotte Westerhaus,
the NCAA’s new Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. We agreed
in our discussion that AHEAD and the NCAA should partner to develop a
best practices document to share with both athletic departments and disability
services offices at NCAA member institutions. We feel that it would be
helpful to identify appropriate accommodations for student-athletes with
disabilities and provide information as to how disability-related accommodations
fit into the eligibility standards imposed by the NCAA. The goal of the
final product will be to foster a greater level of communication between
athletic departments and disability services offices and, most of all,
to ensure that student-athletes with disabilities understand the process
for receiving accommodations.
To begin this process, we agreed that a sub-committee
of the Advisory Group should be formed to do the following:
1. Assess demographical information within the
NCAA membership to determine
how many student-athletes with disabilities are involved
in NCAA recognized sports;
2. Determine how campuses are currently working with student-athletes
with disabilities;
3. Investigate the relationship between athletic departments
and disability services office; and
4. Identify and disseminate best practices based on the
research of the committee.
This sub-committee will consist of five or six people
who have some expertise in the nexus of disability services
and intercollegiate athletics. If you or someone on your campus
would be a good
candidate
for this, please contact me at lmarkle@bsu.edu
Universal Design in Higher Education
Gladys Loewen, Manager of Assistive Technology BC and Facilitator
of the AHEAD Universal Design Leadership Institute, reports on how AHEAD
members are using Universal Design at their institutions.
Since the 2000 AHEAD Conference with the theme of “Universal
Designs in Higher Education,” it is evident that the term
Universal Design has become a more commonplace topic in the
AHEAD conferences, the ALERT, regional training sessions and
the JPED. Signs of
implementing the principles of UD are also evident on many campus
publications and
web sites. So what does this really mean to the AHEAD membership?
With UD, the aim is to change the environment in a global manner,
thereby reducing
the focus on the individual person with a disability.
Here are some visible examples that show change as a result of AHEAD
members embracing the concept of the socio-political model of disability
and operationalizing it through the principles of UD.
At the 2005 Conference, the AHEAD Honor of Meritorious Contribution
was given to Renee Sartin Kirby, University of Wisconsin, to
recognize her
value and commitment to a vision of making the universal design
of instruction a reality on her campus. As the result of a white
paper written by Renee
and her colleagues, the University of Wisconsin System Provosts
have endorsed universal design as a philosophical approach to
access across all its
campuses. While this endorsement is still in the early phases,
it is exciting to have an institution agree to use these principles
as their core focus.
The University of Connecticut offers an example of the implementation
of UD with faculty through the work of Joan McGuire and Sally
Scott. Their Facultyware site is the product of the Universal Design for
Instruction
project and it is designed to provide faculty with a broad range
of information and tools to enhance the design and delivery of instruction
for diverse
college students. Individual faculty submits course delivery
ideas related to the implementation of UD principles and a team of reviewers
rate the
ideas. The aim is to have faculty share successful ideas and
to encourage a learning environment that is usable by a diverse range
of learners.
Several AHEAD members serve as reviewers for the faculty submissions.
Katheryne
Staeger-Wilson, Director of Disability Services at Missouri State
University, participated in the AHEAD Universal Design
Leadership Institute in 2005. Following the institute, Katheryne
chose to create a faculty development program regarding UD. She
requested that
information on UD be included in the mandatory on-line training
orientation for all faculty. This has been approved and is currently
in development.
However, as this semester has gone by, she found additional ways
to bring UD to the attention of faculty. In all students’ accommodation
memos, she has added a statement regarding UD and offered assistance
to proactively
design their courses utilizing UD principles. So her approach
is a transition approach in that she is still working on individual
accommodations but
is also offering her services as a consultant to look at ways
of delivering courses in more flexible and inclusive manner in
order to reduce individual
accommodations.
Sue Kroeger has taken a unique approach by introducing
the UD principles to some of the legal experts at the University
of Arizona to see if these principles could affect changes in the
approaches to complaints
and lawsuits. Sue and one of the institutional lawyers presented
a session at AHEAD 2004 on the “new legal twist.” The lawyer
indicated that their institution’s goal is to create an open and
flexible environment in order to reduce lawsuits, allow for greater access
to the
curriculum and information, and a positive place for learning
and change. In order to accomplish this last goal, the Faculty Development
Office
has also become involved as faculty are being asked to develop
their courses in a more universal and flexible manner. So in this institution,
the principles
of UD have been a platform for a new approach to resolving complaints
which now includes faculty development in universal teaching
strategies.
Catherine O’Rourke is launching a project of faculty mentors to
assist new faculty in developing an inclusive teaching practice. New faculty
are partnered with a teaching scholar in order to develop a collaborative
relationship with a colleague, and have an opportunity to learn college
operations and campus culture, including universal instructional design
through a more structured medium. We hope to hear more on this project
in the future.
These are only a few examples of how AHEAD members are infusing UD into
their institutions. Hopefully members can share their strategies and successes
so that others can find ways to affect the environment and make it more
sustainable for and useable by all learners.
NEA Grant for Universal Design
The Ohio State University received a National Endowment
Arts grant to promote understanding of Universal Design.
The Ohio State University has been awarded a
$50,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant to increase the
nations understanding of universal design. The goal of the
Universal Design Leadership Project is to create greater public
awareness of and demand for universal designed environments
by educating designers, consumers, educators, developers, city
planners, and others on the social impact and principles of
universal design. Universal design focuses on producing an
environment with maximum flexibility and usability by the full
spectrum of people. It is the environmental manifestation of
society’s commitment to inclusion, diversity and equity.
The project Coordinators, Jennifer S. Evans-Cowley,
Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning & Planning
Education and a Distance Director at The Ohio State University;
Jack L.
Nasar, Professor of City and Regional Planning and Planning & Graduate
Faculty Member, Landscape Architecture at The Ohio State University
and L. Scott Lissner, ADA Coordinator & Associate of the
John Glenn Institute, have identified a team of supporters
and contributors that include The Kirwin Institute for Race
and
Ethnicity, The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and
Public Policy, The American Planning Association, The Great
Lakes ADA & Accessible IT Center, ADA-OHIO, Mid-Ohio Regional
Planning Commission, Mid-Ohio Board of Independent Living,
and The Ability Center of Greater Toledo.
The project will:
- Present a Conference on Visitability & Universal Design
hosted by The Ohio State University’s Knowlton School
of Architecture and ADA Coordinator’s Office. - Produce a Webcast on universal design presented by the American
Planning Association to its membership. - Develop an on-line course from the conference proceedings to
be offered through the Knowlton School of Architecture’s
Planning Education at a Distance program for AIA and AICP continuing
professional education credits. - Disseminate an E-book on Universal Design published by the
John Glenn Institute for Public Policy and Public Service. - Offer a course on universal design in the institutional setting
that will serve as a laboratory to produce policy and practice
recommendations for dissemination. - Research best practices in planning and zoning for universal
design. - Conduct a survey of users occupying urban projects with significant
universal design elements.
FOR MORE INFORMATON CONTACT:
Jennifer Evans-Cowley, (614) 292-1012
Jack L. Nasar, (614) 292-1457
L. Scott Lissner, (614) 292-6207
|
AWAY: A World Awaits You Read about International Teens with Disabilities Written for a cross-disability international teenage “Traveling and being away from my family To read stories from previous issues of AWAY or contact NCDE, PO Box 10767, Eugene, OR, 97440. NCDE can also NCDE Campus Collaboration Campaign The National Clearinghouse on Disability and Exchange Interest in how to best address this diversity of students is NCDE invites submissions for its Campus Collaboration Collaborative submissions highlighting innovative or best practices The submission deadline is Tuesday, March All submissions will be judged equally regardless of the type
For information or a submission form, contact Michele Scheib New Scholarship Announced for Canadian Graduate Students The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute recently announced a new “Research is an investment in the future – and so are scholarships,” says “This scholarship will also enrich rehabilitation-related research. Toronto Rehab is extremely grateful for the generosity of TD Bank Financial The funding will provide scholarships of $20,000, plus an individual supplement Scholarships will be awarded to full or part-time students in good standing For an application form and more information, please contact The Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (Toronto Rehab) For more information, please contact: Marketing and Public Affairs |
