Daily Archives: 15 November, 2010

Upcoming Events for the Week of November 15 to November 22

events, signal boost

Events from the United States, Canada, and New Zealand.

US: San Francisco, California, November 15:

The Disability Issues Caucus of the National Communication Association will have a memorial for Paul Longmore at 7 p.m. Monday, November 15. It will be in the Franciscan A room of the Hilton San Francisco, at 333 O’Farrell Street. All are invited to attend.

Paul’s submission to the conference, his paper titled “what we have been prepared to see”: Charity Professionals and the Framing of Disease and Disability, was selected by anonymous review to receive the 2010 Top Paper award in the Disability Issues Caucus. His paper will be presented at the memorial and participants will have the opportunity to share their memories of Paul and his work.

For more information, please email Jim Cherney at jlcherney@wayne.edu

Canada: Langley, British Columbia, November 20:

Civil Rights Now! in Langley Nov 20

What is wrong in BC for people with disabilities and what can be done to make it right? Zosia Ettenberg and the Langley Pos-Abilities Society Present Civil Rights Now!

Saturday November 20
1:30 to 3:30 pm
Langley Senior Centre
20605—51B Ave, Langley

Civil Rights Now! Is a not for profit, non-partisan, all volunteer society that thinks the way the government of BC delivers services to people with disabilities strips them of their freedom and dignity. What do people with disabilities and their families need?

  • Law that gives the equality provisions of the Canadian Charter practical force and effect in their daily lives.
  • Law that gives every person with a disability truly-portable, sufficient-funded, consumer-driven Individualized funding.
  • The ability to enforce the law by government funding of test cases involving civil rights of people with disabilities.

    • Civil Rights Now! is organizing a campaign to persuade the provincial Liberals and NDP to make a commitment that if they win the next election they will put these three ideas into action.

    RSVP pos-abilities@telus.net 604.961.0117

    Everyone is welcome!

Canada: Toronto, Ontario, November 26

Students with disabilities who are interested in pursuing a career in rehabilitation research are invited to attend Toronto Rehab’s 6th Annual Research Day, a unique and fun way to learn more about research at Toronto Rehab.
Toronto Rehab’s 6th Annual Research Day

When: Friday, November 26, 2010, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Where: Sheraton Centre – Dominion Ballroom, 123 Queen Street West, Toronto

This year’s event will feature morning Minute Madness sessions where researchers are challenged to present their work in just one minute, a keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Philippa Clarke on “Optimizing Independence in Later Life: The Role of the Urban Built Environment”, as well as a poster session and interactive displays. Another highlight will be the awarding of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute Scholarship in Rehabilitation-related Research for Graduate Students with Disabilities, funded by TD Bank Financial Group.

This exciting event is a great way for students with disabilities to find out more about rehab research which encompasses a broad range of fields, and to meet scientists, students and award recipients.

Who can attend: All are welcome. Please join us!
Lunch will be provided. Registration is free. Space is limited so RSVP now.
Register online at this website. Registration will remain open until November 19, 2010. The Sheraton Centre is wheelchair accessible. (Attendees are asked to let us know about your accessibility requirements in advance – we will do our best to accommodate you. Please see the registration form.)

Check the Research Day webpage for more information. Questions? Contact Toronto Rehab’s Conference Services at conferences@torontorehab.on.ca or 416-597-3422 Ext. 3866.

New Zealand (all), November 3 to December 17
Via the Rolling Rains Report:

Have Your Say On International Disabilities Report

The Minister for Disability Issues, Hon Tariana Turia, is inviting public comment on a draft government report on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Government is required to report to the United Nations on how the Convention is being implemented in New Zealand.

“This is the first time New Zealand has reported to the United Nations about the Convention. I am very keen for disabled people and their families to have the opportunity to have input into this report” said Minister Turia.

From 3 November 2010 through to 17 December 2010 the Government is seeking public input into this report through face-to-face meetings, online discussion and written submission.

Sadly, I can’t answer questions about any of these events.

Recommended Reading for 15 November 2010

recommended reading

Warning: Offsite links are not safe spaces. Articles and comments in the links may contain ableist, sexist, and other -ist language and ideas of varying intensity. Opinions expressed in the articles may not reflect the opinions held by the compiler of the post and links are provided as topics of interest and exploration only. I attempt to provide extra warnings for material like extreme violence/rape; however, your triggers/issues may vary, so please read with care.

Wired Chronicle: ADA Compliance is a ‘Major Vulnerability’ for Online Programs

Campuses often lack formal policies to ensure that their online courses comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, says the report about online-education management, sponsored by the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications and the Campus Computing Project.

In a survey of 183 colleges and universities, one-third of respondents said responsibility for complying with the ADA rests with individual professors who teach online. Almost a quarter reported that responsibility falls to academic programs or departments. Only 16 percent said their college has a central office that reviews every course for compliance.

Scott Puckett at AbleGamers: AbleGamers takes Forza Motosport 3 on a Test Drive

While Forza 3 improves on some accessibility elements from Forza 2, the developers made a critical accessibility error in using voice-over tracks in the game without providing closed captioning or an option to enable subtitles. With that noted, let’s see what other options Forza 3 offers gamers with accessibility concerns.

Astrid: Dissociative Identity Disorder in DSM-V

The reason an experience of possession is mentioned in criterion A, is to make DID a more globally acceptable diagnosis, replacing dissociative trance disorder and possession in DSM-IV. The reason self-reported disruptions in identity, memory, etc. are accepted, is to lessen the diagnosis of DDNOS. I do not like it that an inability to rcall traumatic events will suffice for meeting criterion B, because there is a lot of controversy associated with the idea that one can repress traumatic memories at all.

Sharon Wachsler at After Gadget: A Year Ago: Re-Post, in Memorium

But this blog is not about numbers. It’s about surviving a devastating loss that most people are very sympathetic to, yet few really understand – the loss of a service dog.

It’s about a dog who liked to chase squirrels, slam doors, and let himself out when he wasn’t supposed to. He loved stinky things like cheese and liver — and long-dead carrion! — and me. We shared a fierce, deep, quiet love.

It’s about celebrating him, mourning him, finding ways to live without his love and without his practical assistance. It’s about the emotional and physical journey of grieving a star of a service dog while beginning the raising of a new pup. It’s a place for others who have, or will, experience a similar loss to find comfort and joy.

Media dis&dat: Human Rights Tribunal will hear case of Canadian school district not stopping bullying, homophobic slurs against disabled girl

In its response to the allegations, the district’s legal team says there is no continuing contravention where there is a significant gap in time between separate sets of allegations.

The district further argues the allegations respecting T being hit on the head with a music stand could not, if proven, constitute a contravention of the code.

However, Tyshynski writes, if it can be proven that it was one of the students who repeatedly bullied T who intentionally hit her with the music stand, it could amount to a contravention of the code.

If you’re on Delicious, feel free to tag entries ‘disfem’ or ‘disfeminists,’ or ‘for:feminists’ to bring them to our attention! Link recommendations can also be emailed to recreading at disabledfeminists dot com. Please note if you would like to be credited, and under what name/site.

USICD Hosting Skype Conference Call on Global Disability Rights Library for International Audience

signal boost,

(via email)

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

On Tuesday November 16 and Thursday November 18, 2010, USICD will host a pair of Skype teleconference calls for the International Disability Community introducing an opportunity to get involved in disseminating disability rights information globally. The calls will both cover the same content but are timed differently to accommodate time zone differences. Unlike past teleconferences on this topic, these are offered via Skype because we value our international colleagues and want to enable them to communicate with us more easily and cheaply.

You know that the disability rights movement is made stronger when disability rights leaders, policy makers, and allies have access to the knowledge they need to learn how to transform their society. But too many advocates in developing countries are excluded from the information age. In some countries, less than 5 percent of the population has Internet access.

The Global Disability Rights Library (GDRL) project is working to close the information gap for people with disabilities and their supporters who cannot access the Internet. After the GDRL is built and disseminated, it will put transformative knowledge into the hands of change makers in a position to improve the lives of people with disabilities in developing countries. But no single organization can do full justice to the wealth and diversity of disability knowledge available in the field. We need to call upon the expertise of a broad cross section of organizations like yours to help deliver as much quality library content as possible to as many recipients as we can reach.

During this call we will:

  • Briefly describe the partnership between USICD and the University of Iowa’s WiderNet project that is making the GDRL project possible
  • Explain the innovative technology that will enable us to deliver knowledge to disability rights advocates in developing countries without using the Internet
  • Invite your involvement in sharing knowledge and resources that will strengthen the ability of advocates worldwide to promote the human rights of people with disabilities in their countries

      • Learn more about the GDRL at the following web links:

      Global Disability Rights Library

      More on the Global Disability Rights Library

      Please join us on either Tuesday, November 16 at 9:00 am EST (2:00pm GMT) OR Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 11:00am EST (4:00pm GMT), for a teleconference call to learn more about the Global Disability Rights Library and how you can join us in building it.

      The call will be free for Skype users. To participate, please email Ellis Ballard, USICD’s Research and Programs Associate, at eballard@usicd.org with your Skype username. We will contact you via Skype to share contact details and ensure your participation in the call.

      If you do not have Skype but have an internet connection, you can download the program at Skype and start a free account.

      Streaming CART transcription will be available for anyone who would like it. Sign onto the CART page at the time of the call and you will be able to follow real-time text transcription.

      If you have any questions, feel free to email Ellis Ballard at eballard AT usicd DOT org.

      David Morrissey and I look forward to talking with you about the GDRL on either November 16th or 18th!

      Sincerely,

      Andrea

      Andrea Shettle, MSW, MA
      Program Manager, Global Disability Rights Library
      United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD)
      1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 105
      Washington, DC 20005
      ashettle@usicd.org
      http://www.usicd.org

Signal Boost: Personal Successes: Unlimited Potential eBook from the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians

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(via email)

How would you define success in your own life? This is a very individual question, and there are many different answers, both large and small.

The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians collected success stories from blind, deaf-blind and partially sighted Canadians. These success stories were on any topic, whether on employment, community involvement or conquering your own personal goals. Most importantly, these success stories differ from others that tend to reinforce the “superhero” notion of disability, by highlighting the often simple and realistic techniques we employ to complete everyday tasks and achieve our goals.

We hope that this collection of stories will, on the one hand, educate the public by painting a more realistic image of blindness, and on the other, encourage those who have recently experienced vision loss to work towards their goals.

Visit Personal Successes, Unlimited Potential to download your copy of the book today!

AEBC continues to collect success stories from blind, deaf-blind, and partially sighted Canadians. Do you have a story to share? What do you constitute as “success” in your own life? Please email your story to info AT blindcanadians DOT ca.