FEATURED RESOURCE PAPER
- Mentoring Partnership Project: Exploring Mentoring Practices for Students with Disabilities in Postsecondary Education [1].
By: Elizabeth Foster Heckman, M.Ed. Candidate, Steven E. Brown, Ph.D., and Kelly D. Roberts, Ph.D.
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/501 [2]
PDF: http://tinyurl.com/3abj95 [3]Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI
Staff from the Center on Disability Studies (CDS) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa direct a three-year (2005-2008) project called “Innovative and Sustainable Teaching Methods and Strategies to Ensure Students with Disabilities Receive a Quality Higher Education” (IST), that includes conducting research on mentoring, a mentoring project entitled the Mentoring Partnership Project (MPP), and facilitating reciprocal mentoring relationships between postsecondary education faculty and students with disabilities. This paper focuses on the research component to describe preliminary findings generated through the analysis of data obtained through surveys completed by postsecondary education faculty.
Read more [4]
- Career Development as a Retention Tool: Early Intervention for Incoming Deciding Freshmen [5]
By: Wendy Becker-Jamison and Wendy LaBenne.
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/473 [6]How does a career center get students in early and grab their attention? In what ways can a career services office contribute to university retention efforts? At Saint Louis University (SLU), the Career Services office implemented an early intervention program in which incoming “deciding” freshmen met with career counselors for individual appointments during their summer orientation program
This article originally appeared in NCDA's web magazine, Career Convergence at www.ncda.org. Copyright National Career Development Association, November 2006. Reprinted with permission.Read more. [7] - My child is turning 18 years old…do I need to become his/her guardian? [8]
By: Nancy Mercer, L.C.S.W., Executive Director The Arc of Northern Virginia
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/500 [9]
PdF:http://tinyurl.com/38oejl [10]As a parent of a child with disabilities, the fear of “what is going to happen when the yellow school bus doesn’t stop here anymore” is a very real one. For many individuals with disabilities and their families, learning to live with a disability starts shortly after birth and then supports are provided in a comprehensive fashion from pre-school programming until 22 years of age. The time of “transition” is defined as starting by age 16 according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A.). During Transition services individuals and families begin to learn that the long term supports their young adult children need in the community are terribly under-funded if they exist at all. It is not unusual for parents to feel as if they must become the guardian for their adult child—to provide the on-going support and guidance where the school system leaves off. Read more. [11]
- Postsecondary Options and Accommodations Available for Students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities [12]
By: Donna Martinez
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/498 [13]The GW HEATH Resource Center has received with increased frequency questions about postsecondary options available for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities. To better answer these questions and learn more about what is occurring across the nation, participants of an online community of practice of college and university Disability Supports Services (DSS) staff and others interested in postsecondary education for students with disabilities were asked if they have students with autism spectrum disabilities (ASD) or other developmental disabilities, and/or intellectual disabilities (students who medically would be classified as mentally retarded, not including traumatic brain injury); and how they provide services, supports, and accommodations to these students to attend school at their college. Read more. [14]
- Where Do I Go From Here? [15]
By: Travis Thompson
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/463 [16]Are you ready to make the rest of your life, the best of your life? Your dreams may have been shattered at the brink of a dime, and you might feel as if you are alive inside a foreign body, and misplaced into a strange universe. Met Chris Lanham who has done a lot of soul searching, and knows that he has what it takes. He is a C-5 incomplete quadriplegic. He had lived a normal life of a healthy 18 year old until September 9, 2002. Chris is now a power wheelchair user, and rarely thinks about that September night. He has triumphed through his whole ordeal. He is a student at the University of Louisville. I spoke with him, and asked him a couple of questions pertaining his outlook on life.
Reprinted with permission from the Youth in Motion section of www.spinalcord.org [17], official website of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association. - And You Can Quote Me On That! [18]
http://www.umich.edu/~sswd/quote.html [19]A documentary based on interviews with fifteen undergraduate, graduate and professional school students who have a variety of physical, mental and learning disabilities. All speak candidly about their experiences, from the application process to classroom accommodations to the social environment. They also express their views on such topics as personal identity and whether they contribute to diversity on campus. Their opinions are as varied as their backgrounds and pursuits.
Date Published: 2001. Total running time: 29 minutes. Closed captioned. Available with narration for the visually impaired. Linked with permission from Pat McCune, Ph.D., Director, Graduate Student Success, Rackham Graduate School, University of Michigan, and producer on behalf of the Regents of the University of Michigan (who hold the copyright). Click here [20] to purchase a copy of the video.
Download the companion Discussion Guide (PDF) [21]
For other Disability Awareness Videos Created at the University of Michigan see http://tinyurl.com/348ask [22] - Grants and Scholarships:
Dosomething.org offers weekly grants for young social entrepreneurs and provide a database of grants available for youth. http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/520 [23]2008 Attorney General's Honors Program and Summer Law Intern Program Accepting Applications: The Department of Justice is now accepting applications for the Attorney General's Honors Program and the Volunteer Legal Intern Recruitment Program with deadlines being set by each component, which independently determines its own selection procedures. http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/517 [24]
AAPD Accepting Applications for the 2008 Summer Internship Program: For the seventh year in a row, the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) are offering a Congressional internship program for undergraduate students with disabilities. The MEAF-AAPD Congressional Internship Program provides an opportunity for students with disabilities to work on Capitol Hill for eight weeks (or in some cases with a Federal agency) and acquire valuable work experience that will enrich their academic studies. http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/516 [25]
NeighborHeart Quality Of Life Grants provide families with stipends that may be used for a wide variety of supports related to their family member in the Mid-Atlantic region, including postsecondary education. Read more at: http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/452 [26]
2008 Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation is accepting applications for the 2008 Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program. This opportunity is for college seniors and recent college graduates who have a strong interest in addressing racial and ethnic health disparities, or who are themselves a member of a population that is adversely affected by racial and ethnic health disparities. http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/507 [27]
- Reports and Articles:
Empowerment for Americans with Disabilities: Breaking Barriers to Careers and Full Employment. This report was released by the National Council on Disability. Key topic areas are covered thoroughly and include references to current "best practices" across the U.S. In addition, each topic is covered even more comprehensively in "Issue Briefs" that are included in the Appendices. http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/482 [28]NAEP FORECASTING: A recent study by the Department's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) attempts to relate student achievement on the twelfth-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in math in terms of postsecondary educational outcomes. For example, of the seniors who scored below NAEP's "Basic" level, 46% did not go on to higher education and only 18% went on to receive a bachelor's. Read more: http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/444 [29]
Study on What Workers in Sheltered Workshops Prefer: In an article published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, authors Migliore, Mank, Grossi and Rogan note that despite national and state policies promoting integrated employment, 76% of adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities are served in facility-based programs. Their article focuses on whether or not this gap between policy and practice is in part due to the lack of interest of adults with intellectual disabilities and their families for employment outside facility-based programs. Read more at: http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/450 [30]
- Civil Rights:
After repeated incidents of co-workers without disabilities at the Social Security Administration (SSA) over-utilizing the accessible restroom, on three such occasions an employee with a disability lost bowel control. The anonymous employee has sued the SSA claiming he suffered discrimination via the SSA's refusal to instruct employees not to use the accessible restroom unless it was necessary. Read more at:http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/537 [31]U.S. Airways Captain Said Passenger Was "Too Disabled" to Fly Alone
US Airways manager prevented a frequent flier who uses a wheelchair and has dystonia, a neuromuscular disorder that causes muscles to spasm involuntarily, from boarding a flight in June of 2007. Because of the passenger's appearance, the plane's captain believed him "too disabled" to fly alone regardless of his preauthorization. - Education/IDEA:
IDEA: Services Not Stated in an IEP Are Enforceable under the IDEA
On July 30, 2007, the Maryland Court of Appeals held that administration of medicine is a "related service" required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regardless of whether it is enumerated in a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). Read more at:http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/534 [32] - Accommodations:
Free Online Text to Speech ConverterSpokenText.net allows you to record PDF, Word, plain text, PowerPoint files, RSS news feeds, emails and web pages, and converts them to speech automatically. You can download your recording as an iPod book or mp3 file. Registration is required. http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/465 [33] - Health/Independence:
Exercise Machine Allows People with Mobility Difficulties to Get a Workout. At the University of Montana's School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, an eighteen thousand dollar machine is using electrical stimulation to allow people with mobility difficulties, including paraplegia and quadriplegia, to exercise their legs. Read more at: http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/530 [34]Home and Community Based Services Recipients Live at Home: The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) reports that an escalating number of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities receiving Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) are living in their family homes. Read more at: http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/532 [35]
- Blog Sites and Blogging Championship:
Endless options for all disabilities: Learn about David Morrison, 20-year-old college student living with cerebral palsy, co-chairman of the Wilmington Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities, and college student at Cape Fear Community College. Read more at: http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/419 [36] and http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/420 [37]Youth Blogging Championship: If you are between the ages of 14 and 20 and have experience with disability, you may choose to enter the 2008 Real Economic Impact Tour Youth Championship. Once a month for six months from January to July 2008, you will be asked to write a blog about your dreams to become more financially independent, to manage a budget, to open a savings account and other thoughts you have about working, saving money, and building assets.
http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/521 [38] - Resources and Materials:
The ADD College Survival Guide: Common challenges facing college students with ADD or learning disabilities, and the essential life skills that can assure success – on campus and off. By Marissa Kantor. Read more at: http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/457 [40] - A Guide for Service Providers
This product is the result of the work of the Hard of Hearing Task Force that first convened in December 2005. The task force, cosponsored by the University of Arkansas Rehabilitation Research and Training Center for Persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (RT-31) and the Postsecondary Education Programs Network (PEPNet) was co-chaired by Drs. Doug Watson and Marcia Kolvitz. The task force meetings were facilitated by myself and Denise Kavin of PEN-International, we also served as co-editors of the work product of the task force.
http://www.shhh.org/advocacy/education.asp [41]
The website includes a link to the 344 page pdf published May 2007: http://tinyurl.com/35bkqo [42] - Intervention Central
Intervention Central offers free tools and resources to help school staff and parents promote positive classroom behaviors and foster effective learning for all students. The site was created by a school psychologist and school administrator. It includes information on academic and behavioral intervention strategies, publications on effective teaching practices, and tools that streamline classroom assessment and intervention.
http://www.interventioncentral.com/ [43] - ScholarCentric, Creator of Success Highways
ScholarCentric is committed to creating ready-to-learn classrooms where students are empowered to succeed in school and in life. Its cornerstone program, Success Highways, combines innovative curriculum, a technology-based assessment, and effective teacher training to help at-risk students stay in school, score higher on achievement tests, and become better prepared for college and work. Its Web site includes information on Success Highways and its other programs, funding resources, and resources on at-risk students.
http://scholarcentric.com/ [44]
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The Executive Director's Life-Jill Erin Egle. This blog is about Jill's experiences with The Arc of Northern Virginia. Her goals in 2008 as the co-executive director are to get rid of the "r-word," increase The Arc's membership, fundraising and special events. With Nancy Mercer, The Arc's executive director as a mentor, I hope to learn about the qualities of a great leader and help others lead "A Life Like Yours." http://www.heath.gwu.edu/node/514 [39]
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