Announcements

The College Diabetes Network & How They Are Making Campuses Safer 

Submitted by Emily Cook, College Diabetes Network 

Imagine that you have type 1 diabetes (T1D): a chronic, yet invisible illness that you’ve lived with most of your life (or maybe, it is a more recent diagnosis). You’re in high school, and you’ve established your support system: parents, family, friends, doctors, coaches, teachers, school nurses, who help make sure you have everything you need to thrive with the disease.

Suddenly, you are now a young adult and heading off to college. Your support network is about to change. You’re on your own, and likely for the first time in your life, the burden of managing this disease is more on you than anyone else. 

The College Diabetes Network (CDN) is a non-profit organization whose mission is singularly focused on providing young adults with T1D the peer connections they value, and expert resources they need to successfully manage the challenging transition to young adulthood at college and beyond.

The founder of CDN, Christina Roth, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 14. While in college, she felt isolated because her peers didn’t understand how difficult it was to juggle classes, T1D, extracurriculars, and a social life. She started the first College Diabetes Network Chapter in 2009. Soon she was finding other students like herself on campus and across the country. 

Over the past 10 years, CDN has addressed these issues through various programs and resources, including almost 150 campus-based Chapters and resources. However, despite access to peer connectivity and these resources, students still report having trouble negotiating accommodations, finding coordinated support across campus departments, and working with staff to better understand their illness. 

CDN is dedicated to working with organizations like AHEAD to bridge the gap between student success, campus administration, and disability services departments. CDN wants to ensure that as many campuses as possible are equipped to safely work with students living with T1D, and prepared to meet their needs. As your students arrive back to campus, please consider ordering or downloading our free resources  to better serve your students as they transition into the academic year.

DO-IT Helping to Address Inequity in Engineering through NSF INCLUDES

Submitted by Scott Bellman and Sheryl Burgstahler, DO-IT (University of Washington)

The University of Washington’s Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT) Center is leading two new National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded efforts that partner with NSF INCLUDES, which stands for Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science. The goal of both nationwide projects is to address inequity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

DO-IT’s ERC-INCLUDES project is hosting meetings and events, including a national capacity building institute that occurred in April 2019, to help increase diversity at NSF-funded Engineering Research Centers (ERCs). According to NSF, ERCs “provide a venue where industry can work with faculty and students on resolving long-range challenges, producing the knowledge needed for steady advances in technology and their speedy transition to the marketplace.” Several dozen higher education institutions across the United States are involved in ERC activities.

DO-IT’s AccessINCLUDES project links to the NSF INCLUDES Network by sharing knowledge and results from other NSF disability-focused projects and their network organizations in order to make the INCLUDES Network better prepared to address disability-related issues in their research; make meetings, trainings, courses, and other project activities welcoming and accessible to individuals with disabilities; and design project resources and products to be accessible to individuals with disabilities.

As stated by the Sheryl Burgstahler, Director of DO-IT, “we are honored to lead two projects that support INCLUDES, which is one of NSF’s ten ‘Big Ideas’ and designed to enhance U.S. leadership in STEM by broadening participation in those disciplines.”

In addition to capacity building institutes and events, both projects lead an online community of practice for stakeholders, develop websites, and create products that stakeholders can use for training and educational purposes. The ultimate goal in both projects is for all participants to create new collaborations and learn from one another as they pursue diversity in STEM education and careers. For more information, send an email message to doit@uw.edu.