#lifemapsm

 Sacramento, CA – The intense heat of the city took a refreshing turn during the week of this year’s international convention, and the attendees from Florida celebrated their own Dr. Bea Awoniyi becoming the new President of AHEAD for the next two years.

                                          Dr. Bea Awoniyi and Vanessa Lloyd 

“Access Always in All Ways” was this year’s theme and certainly the attendees found the venue itself a good example of easy movement between the Convention Center, the Hyatt and Sheraton Hotels that were all connected by a mall area with minimum interference of public traffic.

Syncretism:  Using the Strengths & Abilities of Two Worlds

 The Opening Plenary Session featured a two-hour presentation by two individuals who gave their presentation in American Sign Language on “Syncretism.”  As the Conference was a joint session with pepnet 2 Training Institute, the national organization for sign language interpreters, this presentation highlighted the mutual interests and partnership of our organizations.  Author Thomas K. Holcomb who is deaf and has written numerous publications on deaf culture, and his colleague Erika Shadburne who is not deaf but who chose to present in sign language created a stirring presentation with slides and videos that portrayed the strengths and abilities of the deaf and, by extension, others with disabilities that could be viewed as advantageous in comparison to the non-disabled (e.g., deaf communication practices, the daily experience in problem-solving of others with disabilities).  Syncretism promotes the overlapping of two domains or groups, each contributing their strengths and abilities that can enhance the other, suggesting a meeting of two entities (e.g., disabled and non-disabled) that is potentially superior to inclusion alone.

Partnering Across the Globe

 This year also featured an international attendee’s reception to renew the spirit of international cooperation among AHEAD members and an effort to seek new ways to connect and engage each other in a dialogue that should lead to diverse professional resources across the globe.  The delegates received a stunning welcome as nearly the entire leadership and Board of Directors, including many former Presidents of AHEAD, were on hand to add their support.  International attendees were also presented with the first edition of a new publication, Beyond the Americans With Disabilities Act:  Inclusive Policy and Practice for Higher Education.  One of the book’s editors and five of the chapter authors were on hand to autograph the text which was also featured in other presentations at the Conference as an important contribution to our field as we look at the current state of our profession and examine best practices.

ADA/504 and the Disability Services Office

 Each year an update by representatives of the Office of Civil Rights has given us important reminders and principles of practice that can guide our decision-making and help us avoid some significant mistakes.  This year’s cases involved: (1 and 2) cases in which program entry to the institutions was denied by creating policy after knowing the disability of the student – in other words, creating different standards for individuals with disabilities, or creating policies and procedures that had the affect of discriminating against individuals with disabilities,  (3) the importance of making decisions regarding auxiliary aids and services based upon documentation that supported the specific request being made (e.g. extra time on exams vs. multi-day testing; in other words, it is not necessary to provide a service if it is not clearly supported in the documentation, (4) ensuring that sign language interpreting services are appropriate in providing equal access and quality services – a small rural institution did not have interpreters and provided video relay; however, this did not fit the needs of a graphics-oriented program and the school was encouraged to develop a consortium with other institutions to provide for on-site interpreting), (5) the use of a personal assistant in class that spilled over into providing academic assistance when there was not a consensus from the institution that this was a clear example of making a “fundamental alteration in the nature of the program,” and (6) the problems that are created when the DSO (DRC) does not provide the student with a letter that clearly states the approved program modifications for the instructor.  While students may be encouraged to approach an instructor to explain learning needs, a letter from the DSO provides documentation that is often necessary for full support from the instructor.

A Place All Should Visit:  UD at it's best at UC Berkeley

 The Awards Banquet’s featured speaker was one of the pioneers of the disability world, Dimitri Belser, who helped establish the Ed Roberts Campus at UC Berkeley (see http://www.edrobertscampus.org/about/)  which is the home of 5 different disability organizations including the Center for Independent Living which was led to considerable growth by Mr. Roberts.  The presentation included slides of the Campus which was created as a station of the public transit system (BART) so that anyone in the world could reach the Campus entirely through public transportation.  The accessible features of the building are a model of universal design at its best that go far beyond the basic compliance standards of the ADA.

FL AHEAD Presenters

Below are several presentations from FL AHEAD Members:

Community College Open Access: Challenges and Opportunities

(Presenter:  Dr. Deborah Larew of Valencia College)

The Community College or two year college with open admissions is a wonderful starting place for many students who need that extra support to be competitive in the more academically selective universities and private colleges. It also can create challenges for students who are academically underprepared and staff who are trying to integrate new legislation into our policies and procedures while still assisting students.  

Based on student development and identity development theory, we explored how students with disabilities might experience barriers to student development and how our offices can help to remove barriers to this development. We discussed proactive ways in which  our offices can collaborate with Student Development and Academic Affairs to create more inclusive experiences. Specifically we discussed how proactive advising and Valencia College’s LIFEMAPsm, a holistic, systemic plan for student development which includes academics, career, financial, and personal growth planning, helps incoming students transition into self-assured, capable, and autonomous students.  

We use the linear conceptual model of the BIG A to represent the large role that an advisor plays in the incoming student’s life. As the model moves along the continuum (see graphic below) the BIG A is joined by the little s. This is the model to show that we are helping to bring the student’s voice more to play in his/her own life decisions and managing of accommodations. As the student grows the advisor’s role becomes smaller, ending with the BIG S or student as an autonomous entity managing accommodations with no need for the advisor. The goal of course is to encourage student development resulting in autonomous, prepared students ready to tackle work or university.

    Practices that Strengthen the DS Office for New Postsecondary Realities

(Presenter:  Dr. Ken Marquard, José María Vargas University)

The DSO can be overwhelmed with new postsecondary priorities (e.g., student-oriented initiatives, enrollment issues, changing technologies and new legislation for postsecondary that can rip apart the fabric we have held closely around us for decades).

There are numerous "best practices" out there that help us manage some of the many challenges to the processes of auxiliary aids and services.  One excellent resource is Beyond The Americans with Disabilities Act:  Inclusive Policy and Practice for Higher Education (edited and written by many AHEAD leaders in the field).

However, a DSO might consider taking another direction altogether, one that changes the notion of a DSO from a "service place"to an EC or "engagement place" where individuals who are disabled or not come together to work and celebrate the strengths and abilities of individuals with disabilities.  By tapping into the creative talents and abilities of students, the campus and the community at the DSO/EC, along comes supportive funding, new opportunities that engage student and improve academic success and employment opportunities.  Rather than an office that needs to support students with disabilities in dealing with the faculty and administration, these other entities can become supportive partners.

This approach led to some interesting developments at one community college in Florida.  The talents, strengths and abilities of students as well as staff and community members, resulted in the creation of a Gallery that featured the exceptional work of students with disabilities along with artists from all over the US and Canada (The William Berger Gallery).  The Gallery caused the campus to take another look at the potential of students that came from the DSO.  The DSO opened a Digital Tech Studio that became a valuable digital media materials center, not only for the campus but for the Mayor's office and other agencies in the community (generating funding for programs). The Studio employed students with disabilities to handle web design, graphic arts, video editing and photography as well as create a technology training program for other students with disabilities.  The DSO also created a community network of supportive agencies that now meet each month to share all kinds and types of ideas, referrals, resources and funding to promote community initiatives that help numerous vulnerable populations.  This group began in 2000 with 5 agencies that wanted to work together as partners and has now become a force of 60 plus agencies called the Association of Agencies (AOA) of south florida (see more about this organization at http://www.aoasf.org).

Each of these initiatives may be considered more as "transformative" practices, changing the way the DSO/EC operated and worked to achieve its mission.  The results?  This DSO had an exceptionally high completion rate among all campuses, it received considerable funding support from internal and external sources, it increased student job placement, created 3 paid internships, 6 entrepreneurship's and its disability student organization won the President's Service Excellence Award two years in a row as the student organization with the greatest number of community service hours.  The DSO hosted an annual celebration of student achievement and community involvement that has become one of the largest college events held each April and supported by the college administration, the faculty, the staff and the community.  All of these practices (and others not covered) together have given considerable strength and a voice to the DSO/EC so that all the encroachments in postsecondary do not undercut its mission.

 Please comment

These are just a few highlights of this year’s AHEAD Conference, but readers are encouraged to comment on these and other sessions from which attendees benefited and which could be helpful for our colleagues in Florida.