May 2005
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
— TRiO
SIG Update
— AHEAD 2005 Conference Update
— E-text
Survey
— NCD
Seeks Testimony
— Important
News about IDEA
— Youthhood Website Launch
— Report
on Students Studying Abroad
— RFB&D Milestones
From the President
AHEAD President Jim Kessler provides
information about the Conference – with a special request
regarding attire for the President’s reception!
Where did this semester go? We have just finished proctoring
final exams, and the telephone is ringing constantly from graduating
students and their families about assisting in-laws, out-laws,
grandmas, grandpas,
aunts and uncles who need assistance at our graduation ceremonies.
We hold that event in the stadium. We average about 30,000 visitors,
and everybody wants to park in close proximity.
Two days after graduation, our first of two summer sessions
start. It seems that the number of students in summer is closely
approaching the
number we see during the regular semester, but many of those
we serve are visitors because they are home from their schools
and want to keep
up or take classes they think might be easier. What is interesting
is the “process” for determining eligibility for services
for such a short period of time. Generally, unless the request
for services and accommodations is outrageous, and we can replicate
what they
have
been receiving at their home institution, then it is a rather
hassle-free process.
Life would be a bit easier if there were
some consistency in
documentation. Since the Board no longer endorses the 1997
LD Guidelines, we have been
working on establishing documentation standards that
would be widely applicable to most disability groups.
We are still working on this project and hope to have information
available at the Conference. In addition, the IDEA was
re-authorized and effective July 1, 2005, the rules for identification
in the K-12 environment will have changed considerably. You
will hear more from AHEAD on these topics before and at the Conference.
Conference – “Meeting the Profession” Not
too long ago you received in the mail Conference information
and registration material.
When you get a moment, go to the website, www.ahead.org, and
click on the Conference logo at the home page. Our hosts
are ready for us – beer and brats! An ADA compliance
review by students from the UW-Milwaukee School of Design and
Architecture of restaurants and bars in
the area is now available (see below). And then there
is the program. There
were over 200 proposals, and the committee, solicited and chosen
from the entire membership, chose the 70 plus sessions available
to you. So
join us and meet your old colleagues, new friends and use this
opportunity to learn and share.
Special Request - Who are you? You will
have a nametag at Conference that has your name and institution
on it, but for the President’s Reception, would
you wear something that identifies you with your school? Our
institutional affiliations are a significant part of our identity.
And I would hate to see Harris retire and think
he hadn’t really started some kind of trend, other than those slacks
from the 1980’s.
You will be hearing from us, and I am looking forward to
meeting each and every one of you at the Conference.
Jim Kessler
jrkessle@email.unc.edu
From the Editor
Greetings,
Spring is finally here, and summer, with AHEAD
2005, is just around the corner! This issue includes information
on what to do in Milwaukee, as well as a wonderful restaurant
guide. This issue also addresses how changes in the IDEA may
impact what we do, and includes information on a resource that
students in high school may be using to plan their transition
to college. As Jim Kessler points out, we all need to know more
about the IDEA changes, and there will be opportunities to do
so at the Conference.
If you would like to contribute articles to a future
issue of the ALERT, please send them my way. If you have any
suggestions
or comments, please be sure to 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
The ALERT is now being published every other month. Please
keep those articles coming! Here is the schedule for submissions:
|
Submissions Due: |
Publication Date: |
|
June 10, 2005 |
July 8, 2005 |
|
August 12, 2005 |
September 2, 2005 |
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October 14, 2005 |
November 4, 2005 |
AHEAD and Affiliate Events
AHEAD 2005 Conference, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
August 2-6, 2005. Registration materials are now available – register
early to take advantage of lower rates! The Conference schedule includes one
special two-day Preconference Institute on E-text creation, scanning, and
production that will take place on August 1-2. Check the AHEAD Conference
website for travel information and full Conference details. http://www.ahead.org/training/conference/2005_conf/index.htm
Other Upcoming Conferences, Trainings, and Expositions
Check out these offerings from our colleagues in the fields of disability and
higher education:
Reassessing Accessibility: Barrier Removal Guidance for
Colleges and Universities, May 24, 2005, 12 - 1:30 pm ET. The Office
for Civil Rights is conducting compliance reviews on dozens of colleges and
universities throughout the country to ensure campus accessibility. The
U.S. Department of Justice continues to target private colleges and universities
under the ADA. Increasingly, private litigation is being brought by advocates
who are dissatisfied with lack of governmental enforcement. LRP Publication's
90-minute audio conference, presented by attorney Jeanne Kincaid and Sarah
Hawthorne, Berkeley's assistant provost of equity standards and compliance,
will give you guidance on how to create a climate that is not only legally
defensible but supportive of students, employees and visitors with disabilities.
For more information, go to: http://www.lrpconferences.com/audio/hiedaudio1.html
NETAC (which is a regional organization of PEPNET) and Babson
College are sponsoring an Accommodations Fair for the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing. May 25, 2005, 11 am - 3 pm in the Reynolds Campus
Center, Rooms 241-245, at Babson College, Babson Park, MA. For more information,
contact
netac@necc.mass.edu
CAST Institute #: 06
Universal Design for Learning and Post Secondary Education
Featured Presenters: Tracey Hall and Skip Stahl
Dates: June 2-3, 2005
Time: 8:30 - 3:30
Audience: Post-secondary Faculty
Cost: $620
Faculties from institutions of higher education are invited to learn about the
principles of UDL and application to post secondary practice. This institute
focuses on applying the UDL principles to the development of course materials,
syllabi, assessments and goals to meet the needs of learners with diverse needs,
backgrounds, experiences, and opportunities. All institutes are held at CAST
in Wakefield, Massachusetts, a suburb approximately 15 miles north of downtown
Boston and convenient to public
transportation.
For more information contact: Grace Meo, gmeo@cast.org or call 781-245-2212, ext. 263.
To register contact: Leslie O'Callaghan at locallaghan@cast.org or 781-245-2212, ext. 273.
Register online at http://www.cast.org/pd/registration/index.html
The Carroll Center Presents: Access
to Print Materials for Persons With Vision Impairments, Friday,
June 3, 2005, 9:30 am to 3 pm. Learn about the different low-tech and high-tech
solutions that provide access to print materials such as video magnifiers,
talking books, e-books, scanning
and converting text, and how Braille is produced. Ideal for librarians, university
support staff, general & special educators, and parents. Certificates of
Attendance provided, Cost of $50 includes lunch. Sponsored in part by AFB Literacy
Center. For more information, contact:
The Carroll Center for the Blind
770 Centre Street
Newton, MA 02458
(617) 969-6200 or (800) 852-3131
http://www.carroll.org
Postsecondary Disability Training Institute,
June 7-11, 2005, in Portland, Maine. The objective of this Training Institute
is to assist concerned professionals
to meet the unique needs of college students with disabilities. Participants
can select from a variety of Strands, Single Sessions, and a Saturday Post-Session
taught by experts in the field, which provide participants with in-depth information
and adequate time for questions and follow-up discussions. Participants also
have opportunities to share information and network with each other at various
activities throughout the week. For more information, go to www.cped.uconn.edu or
contact:
Carrol Waite, Institute Manager
University of Connecticut
Center on Postsecondary Education and Disability
249 Glenbrook Road, Unit 2064
Storrs, CT 06269-2064
Phone: 860-486-3321, Fax: 860-486-5799
carrol.waite@uconn.edu
IPSI BgD multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary,
and transdisciplinary conferences are scheduled throughout the summer.
All IPSI BgD conferences are non-profit. They bring together the elite of
the world
science. The conferences always take place in some of the most attractive places
of the world. All those who come to IPSI conferences once, always love to come
back (because of the unique professional quality and the extremely creative
atmosphere); lists of past participants are on the web, as well as details
of future conferences. These conferences are in line with the newest recommendations
of the US National Science Foundation and of the EU research sponsoring agencies,
to stress multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research
(M+I+T++ research). The speakers and activities at the conferences truly support
this type of scientific interaction. One of the main topics of this conference
is "E-education and E-business with Special Emphasis on Semantic Web and
Web Datamining."
IPSI-2005 ITALY
Hotel Castello Chiola (arrival: 27 July 05 / departure: 1 August 05)
IPSI-2005 HOLLAND
Hotel Okura (arrival: 1 September 05 / departure: 4 September 05)
IPSI-2005 MONTENEGRO
Hotel Sveti Stefan (arrival: 1 October 05 / departure: 8 October 05)
For more information, visit: http://www.internetconferences.net/
3rd SALT Center Conference: A Generation of Experience: What's Next?
Sponsored by: The University of Arizona, SALT Center, September 22 - 24, 2005,
at The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
A generation of students with learning and attention challenges has now been
educated through the benefits of laws that guaranteed them equal access to education
at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. What have we learned? Just how
far have we come? Has practice driven research? Or has research informed practice?
How will the next generations of learners benefit from our experiences?
BOOT CAMP for Disability Service Providers at ICU's:
(VERY) Intensive Training for New Recruits, October 1-4, 2005, Columbus,
OH. For years, new DSS providers have bemoaned the lack of start-up information
for those new to the field and to their positions. How do I know what to do,
or when? What do I need to know about the applicable laws? What kind of policies
and procedures need to be in place? What kind of technology is going to be
needed -- and what the heck does it do? For that matter, what am *I* supposed
to do??? No one needs this kind of information more than those brave enough
to assume the role of disability service provider (along with umpteen other
hats they wear!) at small, private institutions. For those intrepid souls,
we have put together an intensive orientation to your responsibilities that
we think you will find to be just what you need! For more information contact:
Jane Jarrow - JaneJarrow@aol.com or Lydia Block - LSBlock@aol.com
The California Association for Postsecondary Education
and Disability (CAPED) invites workshop proposals for the 30th
Annual Convention – Creating
an Oasis: Innovations through Collaboration & Coordination, October 9-12,
2005, in Rancho Mirage, CA. For more information, visit their website at http://www.caped.net/convention2003.html or
contact Maureen Fry, Riverside Community College, 4800 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside,
CA 92506. Email: maureen.fry@rcc.edu,
FAX (909) 222-8059, Phone: (909) 222-8641.
TRiO SIG Update
from Rhonda Rapp, Chair
By now you should have received notification from the federal
Department of Education concerning your TRIO/SSS program and whether or not
it was refunded for the 2005-2009 grant cycle. If you haven’t heard,
you should immediately contact your Program Specialist.
For those who were refunded, please take special note of the cover letter
that came with your grant notification and its cautionary reference focusing
on how to determine if a “cultural enrichment” activity is an allowable
cost. Also, you should have received a copy of the Federal TRIO Program – 2005
Annual Low Income Levels that went into effect February of this year. Again,
if you didn’t receive a copy of the income levels you should contact
you Program Specialist as soon as possible.
Every year the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) offers
a diverse array of breakout and plenary sessions for all staff members of TRIO
programs.
However, this year the 24th Annual Conference (September 18-21 in Washington,
D.C.) will also feature and celebrate the 40th anniversary of TRIO. With all
the changes and rumored changes possibly in store for TRIO programs, I strongly
encourage everyone who can to attend the Annual COE Conference this year.
Finally, I am one of the Program Co-Chairs for this year’s
AHEAD Conference in Milwaukee and as such I am unable to chair the annual AHEAD
TRIO-SIG meeting
during the Conference. I am looking for a volunteer or volunteers to chair
this meeting for me. If you are interested in volunteering to chair the TRIO-SIG
meeting, please contact me at: rapp@universe.uiwtx.edu or by phone at: 210-829-3938.
Thank you. I hope to see everyone at the AHEAD Conference!
AHEAD 2005 Conference Update
What to do in Milwaukee. The AHEAD 2005
Committee provides information about a variety of activities
Conference attendees can find
in Milwaukee this summer.
Okay, after you’ve visited the breweries, what else
can you do to amuse yourself in Milwaukee? Believe it or not,
there are many other cultural choices that make Milwaukee a great
place to visit.
Your first choice might be the Milwaukee
Art Museum,
where you can catch a glimpse of “the first Santiago Calatrava-designed
building in the United States, featuring a 90-foot high glass-walled
reception hall enclosed by the Burke Brise Soleil, a sunscreen
that can be raised
or lowered creating a unique moving sculpture.” During the Conference
dates, a special exhibit titled “The Arts and Crafts Movement in
Europe and America, 1880-1920: Design for the Modern World” will
be showing.
If your tastes run to natural history, you may want to stroll
through the Milwaukee Public Museum,
where you can tour the live butterfly wing or take in a film at the Humphrey
IMAX Dome
Theatre. IMAX offerings in early August include films on the
Nile, NASCAR, sharks, and the large-screen version of Spiderman 2.
Downtown Milwaukee also offers some interesting and unique
shopping experiences. From regional favorites such as Usinger’s
Famous Sausage, where “wurstmachers” produce
a variety of sausages based on old-world family recipes, to
The Spice House,
whose owners offer “the highest quality, hand-selected and hand-prepared
spices and herbs,” Milwaukee has something for everyone. Of course,
downtown also has the ultimate shopping venue for a visit to
Wisconsin, the Wisconsin
Cheese Mart,
where
you can buy both locally produced cheeses as well as the finest
imports. And finally, for the traditional shopping maven, there
is the Shops
of Grand Avenue, an indoor shopping
center that offers both large department stores and more intimate
kiosks for
the discerning shopper.
Once you have found the perfect souvenir to remind you of your
trip to Milwaukee, you might want to try your luck in another
venue; and luck you will need, because near downtown is one of
Milwaukee’s
most popular gathering places, Potawatomi
Bingo and Casino.
Here you will find Las Vegas-style gaming, including blackjack,
craps, and other table games, as well as all the latest video
slots and video
poker machines. And for those of you who have been watching the
Texas Hold-Em poker craze dominate television the last few years,
you can even
try your hand at live poker in the casino ’s second floor poker room.
After all of the activities discussed above, you will
need to find a place to eat and relax. Milwaukee is home to
an eclectic collection of restaurants that should fit any palate.
Susan Gallanis
of the University
of Wisconsin - Milwaukee led a comprehensive review of twenty-one
restaurants in Milwaukee and has compiled the results of this
review into an Accessibility
Guide to Milwaukee-area Restaurants (Excel file, 36KB), providing
accessibility information for 25 criteria as well as direct
links to many restaurant
web sites. As you make your selection from
the list of restaurants offered, you may want to take one final
chance to take in a quintessential
dining experience that we in Milwaukee refer to as the “Friday fish
fry.” While virtually every restaurant seems to offer some version
of the fish fry experience, two of the best in the downtown area
are those offered by Major Goolsby's and Milwaukee Ale House.
With all of the choices
listed above, your Conference experience in Milwaukee should
be truly memorable. We in Milwaukee hope you enjoy our city,
and we thank you for
choosing us as the Conference location.
RFB&D International Scholarship. Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic
offers a scholarship for AHEAD members from outside the U.S. interested in attending
AHEAD 2005.
In the spirit of increasing participation in the AHEAD Conference
by Canadian and international postsecondary disability service
professionals, Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (RFB&D) provides
a scholarship to underwrite the participation of Canadian and
international members of
AHEAD who are presenting at the Conference and who would not
otherwise be able to attend the Conference. The scholarship
for is applicable to
the 2005 AHEAD Conference in Milwaukee.
The scholarship award may go up to $1,500 (U.S.) and may
defray the cost of airfare, lodging, &/ or ground transportation.
Criteria: The recipient must be a member of AHEAD and a presenter
at the annual Conference,
and undertake to present a report on the Conference to RFB&D.
Interested persons should contact Ruth Warick, Director
of Constituent Relations - International at ruth.warick@ubc.ca
E-text Survey
AHEAD requests your input and participation in gathering information
about current practices for e-text.
At the request of several participants in the national E-Text
dialogue, and the realization that no solid data exists to support a factual
and reasoned response to continued questions about our current state of
practice on this topic, AHEAD has commissioned an online survey for the
disability services community. We ask you to take some time from your
very busy day to complete the requested information. This survey may require
about 20 minutes of your time, but the results will be well worth it ñ giving
us all a better picture of this complex and timely topic.
You can access the survey by visiting http://www.ahead.org/etext/etext_survey_2005.php
Please complete the survey by May 31, 2005.
Thank you for your time and assistance with this effort. The results
will be available to the AHEAD membership and other concerned parties
once data has been collected and analyzed by members of the AHEAD E-Text
Solutions Group. Data that is distributed beyond AHEAD will only be provided
as aggregated and analyzed data and any information obtained from individual
responses will be held in the strictest confidence. If you have any questions
or concerns about this effort please feel free to contact the AHEAD office,
or me personally.
Alternative format versions will be made available upon request to the
AHEAD office. Individuals who complete the survey and provide the necessary
contact information will be entered in a prize drawing for one of two
APPLE iPODs.
The prizes will be awarded at the AHEAD Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
August 2 -6, 2005, but you need not be present to win.
If you have questions about the survey or the work of the AHEAD E-text
Solutions Group, please contact Ron Stewart using the contact information
below.
Sincerely,
| Ron Stewart Oregon State University Chair, AHEAD E-text Solutions Ron.stewart@oregonstate.edu |
Jim Kessler University of North Carolina President, AHEAD Board of Directors jrkessle@email.unc.edu |
National Council on Disability Seeks Americans
with Disabilities Act Impact Testimony
The National Council on Disability (NCD) is collecting written
testimony from people with disabilities, their families, and their
advocates on the impact the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
of 1990 has had on their lives.
NCD is an independent federal agency charged with making recommendations
to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans
with disabilities and their families. In 1986, NCD first proposed and
then drafted the original Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA was
hailed as a major civil rights law guaranteeing equal opportunity for
Americans with disabilities to participate more fully in their communities,
to have greater access to goods and services, and to enjoy more employment
opportunities. Testimony is sought regarding the extent to which the ADA
has achieved its goals of equality of opportunity, full participation,
independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.
The information received will be added to a body of data currently being
assembled from a variety of sources to be analyzed and transmitted to
the President and Congress in a report to be published in fall 2005.
Testimony is sought regarding:
Telecommunications: Has the ADA had an impact on the ability
of people who have hearing and/or speech impairments to communicate
by telephone?
Employment: Has the ADA improved employment opportunities and job retention
for people with disabilities?
Public Services: Are goods and services provided by local and state agencies
more accessible to people with disabilities because of the ADA?
Public Accommodations Operated by Private Entities: Are goods and services
provided by businesses more accessible to people with disabilities because
of the ADA?
General comments on the ADA: Please send written comments on or before
May 15, 2005, to Julie Carroll, National Council on Disability, 1331 F
Street, NW, Suite 850, Washington, DC 20004 or jcarroll@ncd.gov. For more
information, contact Mark Quigley or Julie Carroll at 202-272-2004.
|
Important News About IDEA 2004 and Postsecondary Education More than ever, disability service providers need Given that these developments have profound implications for To meet this need, the National Transition Documentation Summit The result of these efforts is a Summary of Performance template Helping Teens Plan for the Future: New Web Site, The Youthhood, The The concept of Youthhood, as well as its content and activities, Youthhood has been designed using the metaphor of a neighborhood, Activities can be saved to the Web site’s database for Youthhood also provides several unique features. The site contains Youthhood is a project of the National Center on Secondary Education Report on Students Studying Abroad “It was a Friday, about halfway through the semester, and Each year the Institute of International Education (IIE) reports on the steady The responding institutions send between 9-10% of all reported study abroad Where are the Increases? Compared to most recent U.S. education statistics on college students with Not only did the number of study abroad students with disabilities grow, but Who Remains Underrepresented? When only looking at study abroad participants who have disabilities, about Strategies The NCDE also provides individualized information and referral consulting “ As my scheduled departure date drew near, our main concern was To assist in the success of students already participating, the As more students with disabilities go abroad with success, more stories like “The nicest thing about my trip was that I was able to travel independently Written by Michele Scheib, Mobility International USA (MIUSA) Project Initiatives View the accompanying charts and graphs to this article. A Summer of Milestones for Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic From recording Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to reaching 20,000 digital To ensure that RFB&D members have equal access to the latest Harry RFB&D is also pleased to announce the surpassing of 20,000 digital titles RFB&D members who are blind or visually impaired can now purchase a computer RFB&D members are also reminded that they can order completed portions RFB&D serves more than 137,000 students from kindergarten through graduate For information on RFB&D, volunteering or making a donation, call toll-free |
