The Other Side of Disabilities
The Office for Students with Disabilities
Newsletter
Division of Student Affairs
Volume IX, Issue 5 December 2008 Editor: James Walborn
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DISABILITY AWARENESS ADVICE BOX
The Owls Supporting Diversity club's main mission is to promote
disability awareness. Members have come up with a unique way of
sharing their knowledge. There is now a Disability Awareness Advice
Box in the OSD Boca office in which people with disabilities can
anonymously provide suggestions to be shared with the FAU
community. We will then publish them in this newsletter. Here are a
few of their suggestions.
Asperger’s/High Functioning Autism: Someone can have a
very high IQ and still be autistic. Just because someone with
Asperger’s may appear to not have feelings does not mean that
they do not have them. Someone with Asperger’s may seem like
a “loner” but they often really desire close
friendships.
Cerebral Palsy: Treat me normal, its just a physical
limitation. However, that physical limitation doesn’t make up
who I am as a person.
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): With the location of my injury
in the right frontal lobe of my brain, for left handed people such
as me, short term memory issues are prevalent. Also my injury
almost completely eliminated my sense of smell. Most importantly,
those with TBI must never drink alcohol.
Visual Impairment: “Right on red” is a
privilege, not a right. Pedestrians have the right of way.
SECOND PLACE
Congratulations to Michelle Shaw and her group of volunteers for their creative efforts during the Homecoming Office Contest. The OSD tied for second place on the Boca Campus.
WORK STUDY
Susie Y, a senior in Graphics Design, is a work study student for the OSD this semester. “The Work Study program is available for students who need financial aid,” Susie explains. “This allows students to attend classes while working flexible hours on campus.” Two years ago she became a volunteer notetaker for students with disabilities and she also has volunteered her artistic abilities for the Office’s creative endeavors. “People here are very friendly; it’s almost like a family.” Previously she hadn’t met many people with disabilities, “my impression has changed a lot. I am quite reserved sometimes, but by meeting people here I’ve learned to be more confident with myself, and to be a little more social.” She advises, “volunteering is a great opportunity to help others, even if it’s just taking notes for them. It gives you a feeling of accomplishment.”
THANKSGIVING
The OSD continued its annual tradition by providing 70 turkey dinners with all the trimmings to students with disabilities, as well as FAU staff. During this special time of the year it is appropriate to pause and reflect upon the many reasons for which we have to be thankful.
FYI
The OSD is seeking to fill the position of Coordinator of Deaf
Services. If you know of any qualified applicants for this
interesting position please ask them to check out the position on
the Human Resources Employment webpage at
https://jobs/fau/edu.
DID YA KNOW. . .
In 2007, 36.9%of working-age (21-64) people with disabilities were employed, compared with the 79.7% of people without disabilities. Moreover, researchers found that 24.7% of working-age Americans with disabilities lived in poverty, compared to 9.0% of those without disabilities. (Statistics from the 2007 American Community Survey data)
CONGRATS GRADS
The OSD would like to congratulate all of the students who are graduating this December. Here are some of their stories.
RYAN
Ryan G is very proud of earning his MBA from FAU. He is a high
level Quadriplegic, cervical 3 & 4, who became paralyzed as a
teenager while swimming with his friends. “We used to jump
from rope swings into the lake, and none of us got hurt until my
accident. I climbed up a 36 foot tree and jumped. The impact of
hitting the water shattered my spinal cord.”
Ryan is very civic minded and is active on many different
committees including the FAU ADA Accessibility Committee, the
Broward County Consumer Protection Board, the Board of Directors
for the Legal Aid Society of Broward County, and he is a
representative on two committees for the city of Coral Springs.
“I really enjoy it. It is an opportunity for networking and
to meet a lot of new people,” Ryan notes. He credits his
family and friends with his success, and is very appreciative of
the OSD and the Director, Nicole Rokos, for all of the services and
support that he has been provided while at FAU. Some advice he
wishes to share about achieving goals is, “patience,
motivation, and perseverance.”
NICHOLAS
Nicholas R is graduating with his Bachelor's Degree in Social
Work. He has renal disease and has gone for dialysis three times a
week for the last 18 years. “A bad experience I had with a
social worker at the dialysis treatment center at the time was my
inspiration to reach out and help others,” and he has been
advising many of the new patients there ever since.
His wife and family encouraged him to return to school, so
in 2004 he enrolled in the Social Work program at FAU. He was very
concerned that his two school days a week would not allow him
enough time to complete the College requirements in the allotted
five years (the process of dialysis exhausts him during the
treatment days), but he is happy to have made it under the wire.
Although full-time employment while maintaining his dialysis
schedule is unlikely, the agency where he is finishing up his
internship is willing to discuss part-time employment.
Until a year ago he was on a tournament softball league.
“I try not to make my disability a nuisance to myself.”
One time his team went to the Nationals and he had to travel an
hour away from the site for treatments.
He works out at the gym and still plays some softball.
“Staying in shape is why I have lasted this long on
dialysis,” he explains. His advice to others, “Just
because we have a disability, don’t look at us any
differently; give us the same understanding you would give anyone
else.”
TASHARA
Tashara C has earned her Bachelor’s Degree in elementary
education. “I see everything and see nothing” she
states, as she sees peripherally because her central vision is
deteriorating. She has Stargardt's disease (a form of Juvenile
Macular Degeneration) and cannot drive or see regular print,
“so I have to find a way around what others consider the
normal way of doing things.”
She utilizes various types of assistive technology,
magnifiers, and audio recording devices when dealing with everyday
life situations and in teaching her grade school class. However,
her 3.9 GPA clearly demonstrates her successful ability to cope.
She is the single mother of two boys, one of whom is a
special needs child. “He has learning difficulties... and
other things are going to happen as he gets older. I have to
monitor him constantly.” Her advice to others includes,
“don’t give up on those things that you want to do in
life. It doesn’t matter if you fall, because we all fall.
What matters is what you do after you fall.”
NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENT
Laura Clarke is a non-traditional student and a 12 year FAU employee who is the Business Assistant for the Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Brown. She has earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. “I received my Associate’s Degree in Accounting in the 1960's and had a life and family,” she states. The move to Florida was prompted by her husband John’s health issues. He is employed as the OSD Computer Programmer, and Laura is also an OSD volunteer notetaker. She acknowledges, “I always wanted to go back to school... but let me tell you, it wasn’t easy.
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We want to encourage comments and contributions from our readers. Please address any comments to jwalborn@fau.edu. Feel free to share this newsletter with friends and colleagues. Current and past issues are available at http://www.fau.edu/osd.
This newsletter is available in alternate format upon request from the Office for Students with Disabilities. Boca: SU 133; phone 561.297.3880, TTY 561.297.0358. Davie: MD I, Room 104; phone 954.236.1222, TTY 954.236.1146. Jupiter: SR 117; phone 561.799.8585, TTY 561.799.8565. Treasure Coast: JU 312; phone 772.873.3441.
