The following are events that took place on our campus this past month.
OCTOBER 1999
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
CELEBRATES DISABILITY AWARENESS MONTH
October 7, 1999: Mental Illness - Legislative Forum (SL130 7-9 p.m.)
Will explore issues coming before the legislature about treatment options
for persons with mental illness. Senator Georgia Gardner, Senator Harriet
Spanel, and Representatives Kelli Linville and Doug Erickson will be on the
panel. Tom Richardson, President of National Alliance for the Mentally Ill,
will be the moderator. A film from the National Institute of Mental Health
will be shown to review scientific research/findings on mental illness and
the biological basis for these illnesses. The film will precede statements
by panel members and then a question and answer session with the audience.
October 7, 1999: Associated Students Film: "Beyond Silence"
Nominated for a 1997 Academy Award, it is a story about a young hearing
woman who battles for independence and her deaf parents struggle to
understand her passion for music. This inspirational story illuminates deaf
culture and issues between hearing and deaf family members.
October 14, 1999: Disability Management and Awareness Training
for university employees.
October 27, 1999: Access Job Fair (Seattle)
WWU will be represented at this job fair. This job fair focuses on providing
a barrier free environment and disability/assistive technology and community
resource information to employers.
Poster Contest: WWU is having a poster contest during the month of October.
Proposals will be judged by the campus community and the winning piece will
be used to promote disAbility Awareness Month in 2000. Proposals can be
submitted by both students, WWU staff, and the public. Entries are due Feb.
1, 2000.
Library Exhibit: The exhibit case near the reference desk in Haggard Hall
will include a display on the history of disability culture, famous persons
with disabilities, and books and information on disability resources.
KUGS (university radio station): Educational spots for mental illness will
run during Mental Illness Awareness week October 4th - 8th. An interview
with a gentleman who is coping with a mental illness will also be
broadcasted.
Library Access Tour: TBA
-----Original Message-----
From: Ozcan KONUR [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Saturday, October 09, 1999 5:03 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc: [log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask];
[log in to unmask]; [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Disability Awareness on campus
Dear All, (if you are a member of disability-research and dis-forum, you
will receive this message twice as I do!)
___________________________________________________________________
Michael wrote:
"I have recently been convinced by a fellow student to take part in a
disability awareness campaign in my University. I am asking for advice in
the sense that what ave fellow list members done in the past to try and
raise awareness at there universities, awareness which can hopefully reach
an auidience other than just the disabled.
The presence of any disability element in my university is virtually nill. I
stres the virtual - they have a good disability unit for dealing with the
pracrtical side - aides for the disability but little awareness. However
there is a Disability Committee (I shudder at the word committee) which has
two disabled people omn and which does nothing and the access is in all
fairness poor."
_______________________________________________________________
Michael's message raises issues on how to change attitudes of people with no
disabilites to people with disabilities and the service provision for them
within the higher education context. Since this list is disability research
list, it is necessary just to note that there has been substantial amount of
research in these areas during last a few decades, inlcluding Makas' work as
noted briefly by a member on the list in response to another enquiry.
Having said this, I shall focus on the second part of the message where the
policy issues are raised. For example it is said that there has been a
special committee where two representatives of people with disabilities sit
and its impact has been weak.
Since 1993, Higher Education Funding Councils in the UK have supported a
number of projects for the provision of services for students with
disabilities. Some of these projects may have have addressed the disability
awareness and related issues such as policy development, staff development
etc. Please see, http://www.equipservices.hefce.ac.uk for a list of
current projects who have been supported by only HEFCE, rather than all
funding councils.
Since it has been stressed that the outcome of these projects should be
disseminated across teh UK to all instutions in higher education, Michael's
message frankly points out some inefficiencies in this area.
On the student side, there may also have been inefficiencies. A number of
messages sent to the discussion lists for the students' union officers' such
as stadia, and raws, may be interpreted that these unions may not have been
adequately informed about the legislation in the disability area as well as
good practice in teh service provision in higher education institutions in
the belief that they are not covered by the law, and therefore they may have
missed an opportunity to manage the change for their students with
disbabilities in the service provision since December 1996 when the
Disability Discrimination Act (1996) became effective. Since that time
these unions may have had duties as any other service providers to their
students with disabilities. Furthermore, since 1 October 1999, these unions
may need to make adjustments for them in their policies, provision of
services etc. It is believed that some unions still may believe genuinely
that they are not covered by the law and therefore, they may not need to
provide services for tehse students including the disability awareness
services.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there may have been inefficiencies in
the promotion of the services for students with disabilities in higher
education and the little awareness of the disability issues, complementing
Michael's frank obervation made above.
Hope it helps.
______________________
Ozcan KONUR
The list owner, the interdisciplinary disability and higher education policy
list, http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/dis-he-policy (please join and
advocate it)
The university address: City University Rehabilitation Resource Centre,
Northampton Square London EC1V 0HB, The United Kingdom
The e-mail address:[log in to unmask]
The web address: http://www.city.ac.uk/~cx639/index.htm (please visit,
bookmark,link and advocate)
The postal communication address: 17 Elham House Pembury Estate Hackney
London E5 8LT, The United Kingdom
_____________________
______________________________________________________
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