November 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
Affiliate Updates
AHEAD's International Exchange Program
AHEAD Members Honored at AHEAD Conference
MCAT Case Update
Universal Design ...
the way it should be

Training Inventory Request
World Institute on
Disability (WID) Announces New Executive Director

disABLEDperson Inc. Scholarship
Braille Services Offered

From the President

It is hard to believe that it is already November
and soon we will move into final examinations. This fall semester
has gone by so much faster than in previous years, but perhaps
it is just me.

Summary of Performance (SOP) Disability Documentation
and Transition

In the last Alert I reported that the Board voted unanimously
at its meeting during the Milwaukee Conference not to endorse
the final draft of the SOP as proposed by the National Transition
Documentation Summit. A revised final draft was sent to the
Board for reconsideration around the middle of September. The
Board voted unanimously not to endorse the revised proposal.

At the most recent meeting in October, the Board affirmed its
position to support the use of the AHEAD Best Practices: Disability
Documentation in Higher Education, http://www.ahead.org/resources/bestpracticesdoc.htm,
as working principles and dimensions for disability service
providers in higher education to use in developing an approach
to disability documentation.

We have since communicated this information to over 300 transition
counselors across the country. We encourage AHEAD members to
review these standards which reflect best practices in the field
of disability and share them with high school counselors and
others who develop transition documents.

Invitation to Become Involved
Upon receiving the Blosser award in Milwaukee, Past President
J. Trey Duffy reminded the membership that “AHEAD is
us.” I’d like to share a way that you can become
more involved with the Association.

As mentioned in previous communications, the Board changed
its structure and developed five “Councils” to address
the various areas of the Association. These are:

1. Constituency Matters: Offers
opportunities for the democratic involvement of members. Leader:
Mike Shuttic, shuttic@okstate.edu
2. Member Services: Engages in development
of professional development opportunities, publications, initiatives
and scholarships. Leader:
Carol Funckes, carolf@u.arizona.edu
3. External Relations: Nurtures collaboration
with other constituencies and monitors governmental affairs.
Leader: Jim Marks, jim.marks@umontana.edu
4. Communication: Develops mechanisms for sharing
AHEAD activities with members and others. Leader: Jean Ashmore,
ada@rice.edu
5. Diversity: Ensures the inclusion of diverse perspectives
on all activities of the Association. Leader: Vinson Ballard
(designee), vinson.ballard@jsums.edu

Each Council welcomes and actively encourages feedback, suggestions
and support from members of AHEAD. If there are areas above
that you would like to become involved in, simply contact the
leader of the particular Council of your interest. Participation
on a Council does not require Board membership. If you have
an idea, but do not see a Council appropriate to address it,
let me know.

San Diego Conference
Start planning now for the 2006 AHEAD Conference in San Diego,
July 18 - 22. There has been a lot of interest so far (almost
300 proposals submitted) and I can assure you, this conference
will be different from previous conferences because it is
all about change and transition. The San Diego Tourism website
has a big sun on it and a “surf report” so you
know it’s all good! Visit www.sandiego.org to find all
kinds of information about this exciting destination for our
conference.

E-Text
One of the areas where AHEAD is investing a good deal of time
and resources is E-Text because of the impact of technology
on today’s culture and the increased acquisition of
information due to technology. The E-Text Solutions Group,
under the leadership of Ron Stewart (Oregon State University),
has developed a rather impressive addition to the AHEAD site:
http://www.ahead.org/etext/etext_main.htm

Members of this group are involved in discussions at the national
level with publishers about issues and policies of access for
persons requiring alternate text, as well as information for
each Disability Service Office in addressing the development
of alternate text. If you have any questions about E-text or
technology, this is the group to contact.

State of the Association
Early in 2006, Stephan Hamlin-Smith, Executive Director of AHEAD,
and I will provide to the membership the first “State
of the Association Report.” It will be an expanded version
of what the Board usually reports at the Conference each year,
and will give every member a chance to hear about the great
work we are all doing.

On behalf of the members of the Board
of Directors and the AHEAD staff, I offer my best wishes
for getting through Finals
and
for a peaceful holiday season.

Jim
jrkessle@email.unc.edu

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From the Editor

Greetings,

I hope everyone has recovered from their fall rush
of new students. While it's a very exciting time, it's nice when
things slow down
and we have a chance to sit back and catch up on other projects.
This issue of the ALERT contains interesting information on implementing
universal design on campus, as well as updates about an important
legal case involving the MCAT. There are some new professional
development opportunities identified in the calendar, but we're
always looking for more to include. Please keep sending me information
on events to include in future issues. I hope you continue to
enjoy the ALERT, and if you have any suggestions or comments,
please be sure to contact me at kejones@ucdavis.edu

Sincerely,
Keltie Jones
ALERT Editor

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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:

December 16, 2005

January 9, 2006

February 17, 2006

March 3, 2006

April 21, 2006

May 5, 2006

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
For an anthology tentatively titled disABLED: Women of Color in Higher
Education: Multiple Voices and Identities Transcending Race, Gender and Disabilities
.
Specifically seeking personal stories and/or scholarly works written by and about
women of color with disabilities, and their experiences in higher education.
Writers are requested to identify their racial backgrounds as well as their impairments
when submitting works (will be included in any published bio statements), as
well as their status as either current or past higher education student and/or
employee. Tentative topics may include works addressing: Education; Challenges;
Passing (experiences related to invisibility, and/or shielding ones’ identity);
Coming Out (experiences related to becoming comfortable and “open” about
any combination of identities); Relationships (may involve sexual orientation
and other sexual experiences); Employment; Society, and Other (we are open to "other" possibilities
and experiences contributors might offer). This publication has great potential
to be appealing to those interested in disability studies, women's studies, diversity
studies, psychology, sociology and other academic departments as well as AHEAD
Members, and the students served.

If interested in participating, please submit an original,
unpublished manuscript to the editor, Dr. Mary Lee Vance, at mvance@uwsuper.edu Submissions
must be typed as a Microsoft Word document and submitted electronically
to the editor. Articles should be no longer than 5,000 words in length.
Deadline for submissions is December 16, 2005. Target publication date
is expected to be summer 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:

The UK-based RNIB National Centre for Tactile Diagrams are
holding their third international conference on tactile diagrams, maps
and pictures in Birmingham, UK on 1-2 December 2005. This exciting international
event covers all aspects of tactile graphics (images which are touched
rather than looked at) for blind and partially sighted children and adults
in education, work and life activities. Tactile Graphics 2005 also offers
an exhibition and pre-conference workshops and will cover techniques,
applications and literacy development of tactile graphics. Full details
are on the conference website www.nctd.org.uk/conference

The bi-ennial Conference of the Australian and New
Zealand Student Services Association (ANZSSA): Healthy, Wealthy and
Wise? (Challenging Sacred Cows in the Learning Environment)
will
be held in Canberra on December 4 - 7, 2005. All student services practitioners
and all those with an interest in supporting students in the tertiary
environment are warmly invited to attend. The conference would be of
interest to academics, administrators and students as well as student
support personnel. For more information, visit http://www.adcet.edu.au/uploads/documents/ANZSSAConference2005.htm

Disability Access and Information Support (DAIS) is pleased to announce
plans for a unique professional development activity planned for January,
2006, in Columbus, OH -- the Sunset Boot Camp for disability service
providers
.
In October, we hosted a dynamite group of new, enthusiastic, energetic
folks, eager to begin their work in this field. This time around, we are
reaching out to folks at the other end -- the ones who aren't new at it,
who are still enthusiastic (why else would you have stayed all these years!),
but who have served their time in the trenches with distinction and are
now having some withdrawal pangs as they consider the possibility of leaving
their post. More information can be found at http://www.sunsetbootcamp.com

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

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


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

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Affiliate Updates

There are now 21 formal AHEAD Affiliate groups
around the country. During the AHEAD Conference in Milwaukee,
representatives of the groups met to discuss their common issues
and to share news about their good works and upcoming events.
Also at the Conference, the Affiliates from Missouri, North Carolina
and Virginia did an excellent concurrent session on the state-wide
transition activities they have developed - very inspiring, to
say the least, on how to collaborate with the K-12 systems as
well as to prepare students with disabilities for college.

Did you know that AHEAD has dedicated funds to
help these Affiliate groups enhance their activities? That is
just one benefit for the groups
to be formally affiliated with AHEAD. If your state has an organized
group of disability service providers and is not affiliated with
AHEAD, contact me to explore this opportunity. Also, we discourage
state groups from using the name AHEAD unless they have established
themselves as an Affiliate. Don't hesitate to call me at 713-348-5841
or e-mail me at adarice@rice.edu if
you'd like to talk about the process to become an AHEAD Affiliate.
The AHEAD website also has good information at http://www.ahead.org/affiliates/index.htm

Jean Ashmore, M.S.
Director, Disability Support Services
Rice University MS 529
P. O. Box 1892
Houston, Texas 77251-1892
Phone: 713/348-5841 Fax: 713/348-5199
www.dss.rice.edu

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AHEAD's International Exchange Program
Call for Submissions for AHEAD's Pilot International Exchange Program

As a special initiative, a pilot International Exchange Program
is being offered by AHEAD as a unique professional development opportunity.
The program model is based on a two-week exchange whereby an individual spends
two weeks hosted by a colleague. This model has been successfully employed
by professional groups (e.g., teachers). Components of the model are:

1. Dates
for the exchanges are selected by the participants in concert with the Chair
of the Program; the exchanges must be completed by June, 2006.
2. Exchange participant job shadows with the host and vice versa.
3. Housing will be at the home or at the institution of the exchange participant's
host college or university.
4. Agenda of the exchange is in accordance with the participant’s goals
and within the framework of the program’s goals.

Through AHEAD’s Special Initiatives Fund, the travel costs
for two exchange participants from different countries would be covered and
housing
is expected to be home-stay or at a postsecondary institution. All other
costs would be borne by the participants. It is expected that spouse/significant
others/children will not be part of the two-week exchange. All communication
about the program will be in English.

The initiative is open to AHEAD members and is intended to be an exchange
in Disability Service Offices. Members of the Selection Committee are ineligible
to apply. All participants must:

• Complete the application form and sign a memorandum
of agreement,
• Make a commitment to spend the two weeks in learning activities as part
of the exchange,

Make a commitment to share the experience upon return by preparing
an article for AHEAD’s ALERT,
• Make a commitment to present at an AHEAD annual Conference and at a seminar
in the host country on the learnings of the project, and
• Make a commitment to complete an evaluation of the experience upon return.

The deadline for applications is Friday, December 15, 2005.
Please visit http://www.ahead.org/members/intl_exchange.php for further details
and the application. If you have queries, please contact the Chair of the
International Exchange Program, Ruth Warick, ruth.warick@ubc.ca

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More AHEAD Honorees!
At AHEAD 2005, Joan McGuire, Stan Shaw, Trey Duffy and Renee
Sartin Kirby were honored for their contributions to our field.

In addition to Ann Kerby of Concordia University, who was
profiled in the September Alert, AHEAD honored the following
members at the Milwaukee Conference for their accomplishments
and contributions to
the field of disability services.

The AHEAD Board honored Joan McGuire and Stan
Shaw
of the University of Connecticut with the Association’s
first Communications Award. Joan and Stan co-edited the Journal on
Postsecondary Education and Disability
(JPED) from 1993-1998. Under their leadership the JPED blossomed
into a more scholarly publication and gained wider respect. Joan and Stan
continue
to serve on the JPED Editorial Board and both contributed to
the AHEAD publication Program Evaluation of Postsecondary Student
Services: From
Theory to Practice
. Joan and Stan are popular presenters at AHEAD
conferences and have been involved in a number of projects for the
Association.

J. Trey Duffy of the University of Wisconsin, Madison received
the prestigious Ron Blosser Award for his outstanding commitment
to AHEAD. As a member
for over twenty years, Trey has served the Association in such
formal capacities as committee chair, conference committee member,
president-elect, president, and immediate past president. Trey guided
us through
some treacherous
waters during the beginning of a major transition for the Association,
and he did it with grace, charm, and humor. He facilitated the
hiring of a skilled and creative Executive Director who was absolutely
instrumental
in raising AHEAD’s presence as a professional organization. Trey
is tireless in reminding us that “we all are AHEAD.”

The AHEAD Honor of Meritorious Contribution was given to
Renee Sartin Kirby of the 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.
The University
of Wisconsin System has historically been committed to equal
opportunity in education, creating a number of initiatives for removing
barriers,
offering DS programs on each campus, etc. Despite these efforts,
challenges to access remained. As Renee points out in her report, the
accommodation
approach that UWS has used includes the barriers of requiring
1) one-to-one special services, 2) self-identification of disability,
3) “disabled
students to locate services, go to a special office, take additional time,
accept special evaluations, and perform tasks that no mainstream student
needs to undertake.” Seeing these challenges, Renee successfully
advocated for the deliberate development of a system-wide commitment to
universal design within the entire University of Wisconsin. Renee’s
clear, concise white paper is a model of vision and commitment.

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MCAT Case Update
Court Certifies Class Action for Discrimination Against People with
Disabilities on High Stakes MCAT Exam.

Oakland, California, October 3, 2005

A California court has ordered a disability discrimination lawsuit involving
the high stakes Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) to go forward as
a class action. The case, Turner et al. v. American Association of
Medical Colleges
, Case No. RG 04166148, alleges that the Association of American
Medical Colleges (AAMC) – the organization administering the exam – maintains
policies and practices for reviewing requests for testing accommodations
that are out-of-date and unlawfully discriminatory.

Prior to the ruling, the AAMC had argued that it did not have to comply
with California civil rights laws because standardized exams were not “public
accommodations” and the administrators of admissions tests could
not be considered “business establishments.” In the ruling,
Judge Ronald M. Sabraw of the Superior Court in Alameda rejected both
arguments, finding that “places of public accommodation” are
not limited to physical places and that a testing service can be a “business
establishment” by virtue of charging students money to take its
tests. A few months earlier, Judge Sabraw rejected a novel argument previously
made by the AAMC that the U.S. Constitution prohibited the application
of state civil rights laws to organizations that do business in more than
one state.

The named plaintiffs in the case are high-achieving individuals with
learning disabilities who have graduated from top California Universities
and are seeking to pursue a medical education. Some have already completed
medical internships with great success. They all have documented learning
disabilities which slow their reading speed but do not interfere with
their ability to retain and analyze medical information, or become competent
doctors. Nonetheless, the AAMC denied their requests for accommodations
on the MCAT through form letters with little or no explanation. This occurred
despite the fact that each of the plaintiffs had extensive medical documentation
of their disabilities and had been receiving accommodations in college
and throughout their educational careers up until the MCAT. The Plaintiffs
allege that the hostility they faced from the AAMC is representative of
the experiences of numerous other qualified learning disabled students
who are denied accommodations on the MCAT each year.

The plaintiffs are represented by Disability Rights Advocates, a non-profit
legal center based in Oakland, California, as well as the public interest
law firms of Schneider & Wallace in San Francisco, and Goldstein,
Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian, in Oakland, CA.

“The Court’s ruling makes it clear that the AAMC must address
the fundamental problems with its accommodations policies and practices,” said
Roger Heller, Staff Attorney at Disability Rights Advocates. “Until
that happens, many applicants will continue to be denied the equal right
to demonstrate their skills and serve the community in professional careers.”

The AAMC represents the 125 accredited American medical schools and administers
the MCAT twice a year. Taking the MCAT is required for attending any accredited
medical school in the country. The MCAT is a standardized test which is
designed to assess knowledge of scientific concepts, reasoning abilities
and reading comprehension. Although the test is timed, it is not designed
or validated to measure reading speed.

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Universal Design ... the way it should
be
Katheryne Staeger-Wilson, Director of Disability Services at Missouri State
University, shares her experiences in bringing Universal Design to her campus.

Prior to the 2005 AHEAD Conference in Milwaukee,
I had an opportunity to participate in the Universal Design
Institute. The Institute was a selective program and the best
continuing education opportunity I have ever participated in.
I had the opportunity to learn about universal design (UD),
network with other professionals with similar interests, and
develop a support network of professionals to help me carry
out the ideas I have to make changes at Missouri State University.

At the end of my valuable experience, the facilitators asked
us to pick one thing to address or change on our campus in
relation to universal design. I selected two projects, the
first of which is to create a faculty development program regarding
UD. My initial thoughts were to include UD information within
our mandatory on-line training for all faculty. This has been
approved and is currently in development. However, as this
semester has gone by, I have found additional ways to bring
UD to the faculty’s attention. In all students’ accommodation
memos, I added a statement regarding UD and offered assistance
to proactively design their courses utilizing UD principles.
Every time I have the opportunity to speak on campus, I discuss
UD. I am redesigning my office communications for the upcoming
year, such as the website and brochures, to include information
regarding UD and to offer myself as a consultant regarding
these issues.

My second project for this year is to assist
with the planning and design of a new recreation center. We
envision a new recreation
facility that may house our campus health center and wellness
programs. It is so vital to have UD implemented in a facility
that is so important to the campus community. I volunteered
for the planning committee for the facility and was able to
arrange for two of the students I work with to also be on the
committee. I feel that the mere presence of myself and students
with disabilities on the committee sets the tone and illustrates
how important it is to have UD principles in the initial designs
rather than waiting to make retrofits later.

Although it has meant additional work for me upfront, it hasn’t
been more than I can handle. I want to develop a role as a
consultant for my campus on UD. I have also found that by using
people in other departments and giving the information and
control to students with disabilities, it has become an additional
educational tool that I had not yet utilized. The message does
not always have to come from me or my office. By utilizing
students with disabilities in the planning process, I have
seen that disability pride has increased and the students with
disabilities leave the table with new skills that they would
not have otherwise gained. As I work with other departments
and administrators on campus, more people learn about disability
issues and UD, and I am building more allies.

I feel that this universal design education in the curriculum
and environment will save time and energy in the long run.
I also feel confident that the campus community as a whole,
not just those with disabilities, with reap the benefits of
UD. In the Universal Design Institute we were challenged to
do just one thing a year to address UD issues. I pass this
same challenge on to you and suggest that you consider applying
for the next universal design institute.

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Training Inventory Request
Allison Butler, a Doctoral Student in Counselor Education at University
of Maryland, College Park, is asking AHEAD members to participate
in a training inventory as part of her research.

Dear Fellow AHEAD members,

I am writing to solicit your participation in a study that
I am conducting on the professional preparation of DSS directors.
The study is being conducted as part of my doctoral program at
University of Maryland, College Park.

The inventory (see below) is an adapted version
of a Task and Training Inventory designed by Ron Blosser (1984).
Your completion
and submission of the inventory is most important in order to
have a thorough understanding of our preparation needs in the
growing field of disability services.

The information that will be obtained from the study will assist
to provide a better understanding of our training needs.

In the event that you are not the director/coordinator
(or do not hold comparable title or responsibility for a DSS
program)
on your campus, please forward this information to the appropriate
person on your campus; if you have any questions, please contact
me or return the material with an explanation. Note the instructions
as to who should complete the inventory. It is most important
to hear from you since you have been chosen to represent many
people within the DSS field in higher education.

Upon completion of the survey, you may exit at
any time without submitting your responses. Once you press “Done,”
this action submits your responses to my email, and verifies
your participation in the study. In other words, submission of
the survey is your consent to participate in the study. Because
your responses are anonymous, I have no way of tracking your
submissions. If you do not want to participate, make sure you
do not submit your responses.

Please complete and submit the inventory as soon
as possible. Please read the introduction
and
directions before beginning the inventory.

Thank you for your valuable expertise and time in this endeavor.
The study results will be made available to persons who so request
on the inventory.

Sincerely,

Allison Butler
abutler4@mail.umd.edu
Doctoral Student – Counselor Education
University of Maryland, College Park

Training Inventory for Disability Service Directors

The purpose of this study is to allow directors to express
their preferences about the professional preparation of new DSS
directors.
Your responses are very important because you have been chosen
to represent many people within the DSS field in higher education.

The first part of the inventory contains demographic
items which will allow you to provide information about you and
your
unique work experiences. The second part of the inventory includes
a random listing of master’s level courses and content
areas from a number of fields that may be appropriate for the
professional preparation
of DSS directors. For this study it is assumed that a master’s
level degree is the generally preferred educational level for
DSS directors. You are asked to indicate how important each of
these areas is by selecting from the Scale 3 response categories
at the top of the page. Make only one response for each item.

After reading the directions, visit http://cgi.umd.edu/survey/display?abutler4/TTI to
begin answering the survey. This survey takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Confidentiality
Upon submittance, your responses
are completely anonymous. Your participation in the study is
understood to be completely
voluntary and your cooperation is appreciated.

This research is
being conducted by Allison Butler from the Counselor Education
Program at the University of Maryland, College
Park. If you have any questions about the research study, please
email Allison Butler at abutler4@mail.umd.edu

If you have questions about your rights as a research
subject, please contact:

Institutional Review Board Office

University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
irb@deans.umd.edu
(301)
405-0678

This research has been reviewed
according to the University of Maryland, College Park IRB procedures
for research
involving
human subjects.

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World Institute on Disability (WID) Announces
New Executive Director
Kathleen Martinez, a keynote speaker at the
2003 AHEAD Conference in Dallas, has been appointed Executive Director
of the World Institute
on Disability.

Oakland, CA (September 20, 2005) “We are
very proud that Kathy Martinez will be the organization’s
Executive Director and confident that this well known disability
rights and policy specialist will lead us in exciting new directions,” announced
Dr. Stanley Yarnell, Chairman of the Board of the World Institute
on Disability. She was appointed by the Board following the resignation
of Mark Breimhorst in July.

Martinez stated: “I am truly honored to be selected to
direct this organization of innovators and mavericks who, since
WID’s beginnings, have been unafraid to create and test
new ways to reduce the obstacles facing people with disabilities.”

Blind since birth, Martinez, 47, is an internationally recognized
disability rights leader specializing in employment, asset building,
independent living, international development, diversity and
gender issues. Since 2000 Kathy has supervised WID’s technical
assistance, international, employment, poverty reduction and
training projects.

This spring, she led development activities with disabled women
in Ethiopia for the International Labour Organization, and has
collaborated on projects in Brazil, China, Indonesia, Honduras,
Hungary, Korea, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Mexico, Russia,
South Africa and Spain.

In 2004-2005 Martinez gave testimony and presentations to the
U.S. Congress, the UN Committee on a disability rights convention,
business leadership groups, diversity officers at Fortune 500
companies, a National Organization on Women’s conference,
disabled students, asset development specialists and independent
living leaders. She is one of 15 Presidentially appointed members
of the National Council on Disability, an independent federal
agency, and has just been appointed one of eight public members
on the State Department’s Committee on Disability and Foreign
Policy.

Based in Oakland, WID is an influential public
policy and research center, founded in 1982 by international
disability rights and
independent living leaders. For more information about WID, contact
Robin Savinar, 510.251.4325, robin@wid.org or
visit www.wid.org

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disABLEDperson Inc. Scholarship
disABLEDperson Inc.’s $500 Scholarship Competition for Spring of 2006

disABLEDperson Inc. announces its Scholarship Competition for
the spring of 2006. This is its second scholarship competition. The first competition
was won by Natalie A. Davidson of Drake University.

The group received close to 1000 scholarship essays from over 600 colleges
and universities. All in all, a great debut! disABLEDperson Inc. is in the
process of raising more money so that it can hold multiple competitions and
increase the scholarship amount.

The rules of the scholarship competition will be strictly enforced.
Any essay that does not follow all the rules will be disqualified. Please note
that if
your essay is sent as an attachment, or it does not include the required
information, the essay will not be considered.

The essay question for the Spring Competition is “What is the most pressing
sociological issue facing disABLED Americans today?”

Please pass theses Scholarship Competition Rules on to interested
students:

  1. All required information and essay should be sent in the body
    of an email to disabledpersons@aol.com Do
    not send any attachments because they will not open the attachments and
    your email will
    be deleted. If all the required information is not present, your email
    will be deleted.
  2. Proper spelling and grammar is imperative. As college students, you need
    to hold yourself to a high standard. Chronic misspellings and bad grammar
    will hurt your chances of winning.
  3. You need to be enrolled as a full-time student in a 2- or 4-year
    accredited college or university to be eligible. Prior to the winner being
    awarded the
    scholarship, that individual will have to present to disABLEDperson Inc.
    an unofficial transcript from their school. If the winner can not demonstrate
    full-time enrollment in a 2- or 4-year accredited college or university,
    then
    disABLEDperson Inc. will award the scholarship to another student.
  4. Students must be citizens of the United States of America and
    enrolled in a 2- or 4-year accredited college or university in the United
    States. Please
    be prepared to demonstrate citizenship if we ask.
  5. The definition of disability that disABLEDperson Inc. uses for
    its scholarship competition is: A disadvantage or deficiency, especially
    a physical or mental
    impairment, that interferes with or prevents normal achievement in a particular
    area. Something that hinders or incapacitates. The winner will have to
    offer proof of their disability. This can be done simply by the contestant
    being
    registered with the Office of Disability Services at their respective institution.
  6. The length of the essay must not exceed 1000 words. Essays exceeding
    that number will be disqualified.
  7. All decisions made by disABLEDperson Inc.
    are final.

Required Information: You must present to us in the body of an email either
as a heading to your essay or at the end your full name, address, email address,
phone number, school, major, age and GPA. Also note if you are physically impaired,
mentally impaired, visually impaired, hearing impaired. Failure to present
any of this information will result in disqualification.

The information accumulated during this competition may be used for statistical
purposes.

The Scholarship Competition will begin on October 1, 2005 and
end December 15, 2005. The winner will be announced January 15, 2006.

For more information, contact disABLEDperson Inc. at:

760-420-1269
E-mail: disabledpersons@aol.com
www.disABLEDperson.com

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Braille Services Offered
The California Community College's Alternate Text Production Center (ATPC) is
now available to produce Braille books or projects for learning institutions
outside the California Community College system.

The California Community College's Alternate Text Production Center
(ATPC) is now available to produce Braille books or projects for
learning institutions outside the California Community College
system. The ATPC is the first publicly funded, system-wide resource
dedicated to serving the alternate media needs of the largest postsecondary
educational system in the world. From existing print or electronic
documents, the ATPC creates alternate media products for use by
California Community College students with print-related disabilities.

Our Braille services include transcription into literary,
Nemeth (math), foreign language, chemistry; computer code, tactile
illustrations
and maps; and embossing reproduction of our cataloged Braille books.
All Braille transcription, tactile illustrations, and embossing
prices are listed below.

Types of Braille: Embossed Price per Page

Literary $3.62
Math $6.67
Science $6.67
Foreign Language $5.14
Music

$7.43

Computer $6.67
Illustration (imbedded with text) $5.60
Embossing Only (catalog books) $0.62
Illustrations Only $35.58 per hour

Please note: The transcription and
illustration costs include all materials, embossing, final production,
and shipping (free
matter for the blind).

The ATPC has over 250 Braille books in their
catalog. We encourage learning institutions to peruse the Braille
catalog at www.atpcnet.net

A purchase order from your college/university accounting
office will immediately start Braille transcription or embossing
production.
Please contact Sandy Greenberg at 800 858-9984, ext. 3
or sgreenberg@atpcnet.net for
additional information.

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