Missouri State University
Disability Resource Center
Changing how we perceive disability.

Newsletter: February 2012

Posted on by Disability Resource Center

In this issue:

  • Testing Reminder
  • Using BlackBoard with a Screen Reader
Testing Reminder

If you plan to schedule your exam with the DRC this semester, please remember to do so at least three (3) business day in advance (not including the exam day). The advance notice ensures that we have enough time to schedule staff when necessary, we have an appropriate testing space available, and we are able to request and receive the exam from the instructor, so that your testing experience goes as smoothly as possible. Your cooperation with this is greatly appreciated!

Please review the Out-of-Class Testing Procedures for additional information.

Using BlackBoard with a Screen Reader

Previously, the BlackBoard link on the my.missouristate page read as “help blackboard” which made it difficult to find. This has recently been changed, and should now simply read “blackboard”.

 

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2012 Legislative Education Project

Posted on by Disability Resource Center

The Governor´s Council on Disability and the Missouri Statewide Independent Living Council collaborate on sponsoring the Legislative Education Project (LEP) during the legislative session.

The LEP´s mission is to educate and motivate individuals by providing opportunities to become active in creating positive public policies for people with disabilities.

The LEP is available for individuals/organizations that are novice to the legislation process or need additional learning about the Missouri legislative process regarding disability policies or proposed legislation that impact people with disabilities.

To participate in the LEP, individuals or organizations will have the option of registering for either a webcast or the LEP training at the Capitol. The LEP is available to individuals or organizations. The LEP webcast will be offered as either a basic training or an advanced training.  LEP at the Capitol may be either a one-day or two-day learning experience. The two-day training provides a more intensive learning process. The individual or organizations are encouraged to schedule an appointment with their representatives or senators prior to coming to the Capitol. LEP at the Capitol is facilitated by mentors who are knowledgeable on disability policies. The mentors will escort the individuals or organizations at the Capitol.

The Governor´s Council on Disability does not charge a fee for the webcast or the training materials and information provided during the LEP.  Each participant is responsible for his or her own food, travel, and lodging expenses.

An LEP certificate of completion will be provided when the individual or organization has completed the requirements for the LEP at the Capitol.

The webcasts will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on each date. The LEP trainings will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on each date. The registration deadline for the webcasts and the LEP trainings at the Capitol is two weeks prior to each date.  Example:  The first LEP training is scheduled for January 31, 2012. The deadline for registration for that set of training dates would be January 17, 2012.

Webcasts:

Basic Level -                         February 15, 2012
Advanced Level -               March 14, 2012

LEP Training in Jefferson City:

February 14-15, 2012

February 28-29, 2012

March 6-7, 2012

March 20-21, 2012

April 17-18, 2012

April 24-25, 2012

Please register for the webcasts and the training by registering online using the following link: http://www.mo.gov/register/registration.

Please contact Laura Mueth at 1-800-877-8249 or Laura.Mueth@oa.mo.gov with any questions or concerns.

LEP Training Registration Checklist

  • Sign up online
  • List accommodations needed
  • Provide contact information (if an organization is bringing a group this is especially important)
  • Make appointments with your legislators
  • Make hotel reservations (if needed)
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“Unspeakable: A Dialogue on Race and Disability” with Dr. Susan Burch

Posted on by Disability Resource Center

Thursday, February 2, 2012
7:00 PM
Carrington Hall 208

In this Diversity Dialogue event, Dr. Susan Burch (Middlebury College) will share from her book “Unspeakable: The Life Story of Junius Wilson”. Wilson (1908-2001) spent seventy-six years at a state mental hospital in Goldsboro, North Carolina, including six in the criminal insane ward. He had never been declared insane by a medical professional or found guilty of any criminal charge, but he was deaf and black in the Jim Crow South. “Unspeakable” offers us an opportunity to reflect on powerful forces that shape American identity and community, historically and today.

Susan Burch, Ph.D. is an associate professor of American studies and director of the Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity at Middlebury College. She has authored, co-authored, and edited numerous books, chapters, and articles in critical deaf and disability studies.

Book signing and reception following the presentation

These programs are brought to you by a Public Affairs Grant.

Participants with disabilities who may not be able to fully participate because of the instructional format or design of the program may request an accommodation by contacting the Disability Resource Center at your earliest convenience, 417-836-4192.

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Faculty Development Presentations

Posted on by Disability Resource Center

How does society perceive disability? How much do you know about disability culture and history? How does disability intersect your field of study? Do your students know about these issues?

Thursday, February 2, 2012

8 AM-10AM “The Value of Disability Studies”
Location: Plaster Student Union, Ballroom East
Intended Audience: Faculty/Staff

10:30 AM-12:30 PM “Disability Studies Workshop
Location: Plaster Student Union, Ballroom East
Intended Audience: Faculty. staff, and student interested in developing a disability studies minor

Susan Burch, Ph.D., is an associate professor of America studies and director of the Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity at Middlebury College. She has authored, co-authored, and edited numerous books, chapters, and articles in critical deaf and disability studies. Burch recently served as editor-in-chief of The Encyclopedia of American Disability History. She was a co-founding member of the Disability History Association and currently serves on its Board of Trustees. Burch also has served on the Advisory Board of the Society for Disability Studies. She has taught at Gallaudet University, Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic), King’s College (Aberdeen, Scotland), and Ohio State University.

These programs are brought to you by a Public Affairs Grant.

Participants with disabilities who may not be able to fully participate because of the instructional format or design of the program may request an accommodation by contacting the Disability Resource Center at your earliest convenience, 417-836-4192.

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Newsletter: December 2011

Posted on by Disability Resource Center

In this issue:

  • Unit Reorganization
  • Graduation Accommodations
  • Spring 2012 Accommodations
  • Inclement Weather Procedures
  • Job Announcement: Governors Council on Disability
  • Lighthouse International Scholarships
  • Subscribe
Unit Reorganization

MSU is moving toward a Model of Inclusive Excellence. We are excited about the University’s strategic plan and that disability is a valued part of diversity. As a result, many changes have occurred this semester:

  • Dr. Kenneth “Ken” Coopwood Sr. has been named Missouri State University’s Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. This is a new position and a new division.
  • The Disability Resource Center will now be reporting to Dr. Coopwood. Other offices under the direction of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion include: the Office for Institutional Equity and Compliance, Multicultural Student Services, TRIO Student Services, and the Multicultural Resource Center.
  • Additionally, Assistive Technology Services will now report to Katheryne Staeger-Wilson, the director of the Disability Resource Center.

The DRC and ATS staff look forward to the challenges ahead in reframing disability from a negative medical malady to a positive individual difference while promoting disability pride.

Graduation Accommodations

If you are graduating and need accommodations, please contact the DRC at 836-4192 as soon as possible so arrangements can be made.

Spring 2012 Accommodations

If you are returning in the spring and want accommodations, please be sure to complete the Request for Accommodations form as soon as possible. You can stop by the office to fill one out or do it online here.

Inclement Weather Procedures

If you experience problems navigating campus due to snow and/or ice, please report it to the Work Management office at 417-836-8400 or to the Disability Resource Center at 417-836-4192.

Job Announcement: Governor’s Council on Disability

The Governor’s Council on Disability has an open position for a Disability Program Specialist. For more information, see the full job announcement.

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Lighthouse International Scholarship

Lighthouse International is now accepting applications for its 2012 Scholarship and Career Awards program.  Please visit www.lighthouse.org/sca to complete the online application.

These scholarships reward academic excellence, recognize accomplishments and help students who are blind or partially sighted pursue their academic and career goals.

There are three scholarship award categories, and each carries a $10,000 prize.

College-bound Award: for high school seniors or recent high school graduates who will attend college in the upcoming school year.

Undergraduate Award: for college students in their freshman, sophomore, junior or senior year.

Graduate Award: for first or second year masters level students or college seniors who will pursue a graduate level education.

Candidates may apply at any time immediately, prior to, or during their course of study. A total of six scholarships will be awarded across these three categories.

Applicant Criteria
We are pleased to announce that the 2011 Scholarship and Career Awards are open to students in all 50 states and any US territories. Students interested in applying for a scholarship must meet the following criteria:

  • Applicants must be legally blind (i.e., have a best corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye, and/or a visual field of less than 20 degrees in the better eye).
  • Scholarships are based on academic and personal achievements. Therefore, candidates are not required to demonstrate financial need.
  • Applicants must be US citizens, and reside in the United States or a US Territory.
  • Applicants must attend an accredited college or university in one of the 50 states, District of Columbia or a US territory.
  • Proof of citizenship will be required of all award recipients.
  • Previous SCA recipients and current Lighthouse employees and members of their immediate families are ineligible.

The application and all requested documentation must be submitted online no later than Friday, February 3, 2012

If you have any questions regarding the Scholarship and Career Awards program, please contact Ann Alexandrowicz at 212-821-9225 or email her at aalexandrowicz@lighthouse.org.

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Workforce Recruitment Program

Posted on by Tabitha Haynes

Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities

DO YOU HAVE A DISABILITY? ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A JOB, INTERNSHIP OR SUMMER EMPLOYMENT?

The WRP is a free program that refers students with disabilities for employment throughout the United States.

If you meet the qualifications below, please contact our office for more information and to schedule an interview with their recruiter.

November 1, 2010
8 A.M. – 4 P.M.

The Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities serves individuals

  • who have disabilities AND
  • are enrolled at an accredited institution of higher learning on a substantially full-time basis (unless the severity of the disability precludes the student from taking a substantially full-time load) to seek a degree OR
  • are enrolled at such an institution as a degree-seeking student taking less than a substantially full-time load in the enrollment period immediately prior to graduation OR
  • have graduated with a degree from such an institution within the past year.
  • Are United States Citizens.

Hosted by the Disability Resource Center
(417) 836-4192
DRC@missouristate.edu

Co-Sponsored by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Defense

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What’s In a Name

Posted on by Tabitha Haynes

Effective July 1, 2010, Disability Services will be changing the name of the office to the Disability Resource Center.  Below are some quotes of what people think about the change.

“I think the name change would be a positive step.  It has an empowering effect in putting students on a more equal footing when they engage with your office.  This is opposed to being passive consumers of services.  It presents your office as a resource for students with disabilities which they can choose to use.” – MSU Staff

“…I wanted to indicate my whole-hearted support for the name change.  I think the idea of a Disability Resource Center emphasizes important student-centered values –where students, faculty, staff, and others seek out resources that will be useful to them.  I also agree that it promotes a positive understanding of disability as a manifestation of human diversity.” – MSU Faculty

“Changing perceptions so that students with disabilities are accepted as equal peers may be one of the most valuable things that we can do for our students.” – Off-Campus Disability Resources Professional

As we strive toward a shift to the socio-political model of disability, we feel that a name change is necessary.  In order for our office to lead a paradigm shift on our campus and beyond, we must reflect the values we strive toward in our office name and the language we use.  We must first change the way we represent disability in our own work.  There are practical as well as philosophical reasons why the “Disability Resource Center” is preferable to the current office name.  Below are just a few:

  • Disability “Services” keeps the focus on students with disabilities as the problem rather than placing the focus on environmental barriers and the goal for universal design.
  • “Disability Services” implies that one office has the primary responsibility to serve those with disabilities.  The reality is that creating inclusive learning environments is a responsibility of everyone; not just one office.
  • “Disability Resource Center” more accurately describes what the office has become for members of the campus community as well as Springfield and the surrounding area.  We already provide more than “services” to students with disabilities.  The offices provide resources, advisement, consultation, information, and referral for students, faculty, staff, and administrators as well as our community.  Often, our role is to collaborate with members of the campus community in creating more usable and inclusive environments.
  • Dropping the word “services” is more congruent with student development theory wherein we provide resources so that students might direct themselves rather than be served by an office.  The Career Center and Multi-Cultural Resource Center are recent examples of this shift.
  • “Disability” needs to remain part of the office name.  “Disability” is a key word as a source of pride, as a part of diversity, and as an aspect of the civil rights movement.  More practically, it is the most commonly recognized keyword in a search for resources in online and other directories.

This is one of many changes we will be making to facilitate a different campus perception of disability and to enhance both service delivery and the proactive inclusive design of our learning environments.

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