The Other Side of Disabilities
The Office for Students with Disabilities
Newsletter
Division of Student Affairs
Volume VII, Issue 1 January 2006 Editor: James Walborn
STAND AMONG FRIENDS
In December 2005, FAU unveiled the Center For The Study Of
Neurological Disabilities, through the financial support of the
non-profit group, Stand Among Friends. The center, which occupies
3,500 square feet in the new Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
building, suite 120, supports research, education, and advocacy
for people with neurological disorders.
The Center is seeking foundation funding for a variety of
projects, many of which will assist students with disabilities.
These include: Funds to provide on-campus housing for two
students with neurological disabilities, along with attendant
care assistance; funds for computer stations and enhanced web
site; funds to employ OSD students on a part-time basis; and a
full-time employment counselor for disabled students. The Center
does not plan to replicate services already provided within the
community, and will act as an information referral network to
guide individuals to these services. For more information visit
the web site at www.standamongfriends.com or call (561) 297-4403.
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
OSD Assistant Director,
Lynn Gil and Coordinator, Michelle Shaw gave a collaborative
presentation with PBCC and Palm Beach County School District
personnel to about 160 high school students with disabilities and
their families about what students should be doing in high school
to prepare for transitioning to college. The audience was
educated about the differences between K through 12th grade
services and post-secondary services, the accommodations process
for the SAT and ACT tests, the community college and university
registration processes and disability programs, and the
documentation requirements for the various types of disabilities.
JOINT WORKSHOP
The OSD and CDC held a joint workshop entitled, “College: What Next?” Students with disabilities were given an overview about how the CDC can help them throughout their college careers by CDC Assistant Director Gail Galbraith, advice about the value of co-ops and internships by CDC Director Sandy Jakubow, and information about specific co-ops and internships for students with disabilities by OSD Coordinator Barbara Bazinsky. Students attending this excellent workshop were treated to pizzas and sodas, along with a wealth of information.
WRP INTERNSHIPS
On February 7th and 8th
a Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) representative will
interview up to 24 students with disabilities for summer
internship opportunities and full-time positions. The Workforce
Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities is a
very special employment project co-sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of
Labor and the U.S. Dept. of Defense.
The program provides a referral system for the 1500
college students with disabilities who will be interviewed across
the country this spring for both private companies and government
agencies. While the OSD recommended the students for the program
and set up the interviews, the CDC assisted the students in
developing their resumes and interviewing skills.
CHARITABLE MOM
A woman from the community, who wished not to be named, brought in a full frozen Thanksgiving turkey and all of the trimmings to be given to a needy student. She is a single, working mother whose daughter was given the dinner by her school. Since they were going to grandma’s for the holidays and didn’t need the dinner, she thoughtfully passed it on to someone who wasn’t as fortunate. On behalf of the grateful student, thank you.
DID YA KNOW...
Wade Berstler (see article in the May, 2005 OSD newsletter) earned an opportunity to participate in The Millionaire tv show. He won $8,000. Congratulations Wade
DID YA KNOW . . .
Christina
Panczak-Smith, who graduated from FAU in May 2005 with her MS in
Counselor Education, is employed as a Senior Vocational
Rehabilitation Counselor with the State Division of Blind
Services, West Palm Beach. Blind all of her life, Christina
describes her job as, “wonderful.” She states,
“I enjoy helping others adjust to their blindness and help
them to obtain jobs where they’re happy. I find that
extremely gratifying.” Those of you who remember her
service dog Joanie, you’ll be happy to know that she
continues to help Christina get to work safely every day. For
enlightening information on Christina and Joanie (skydiving!?!),
you can check out our Fall, 2001 newsletter article [No Petting,
Please] on our web site at
www.fau.edu/osd/NewsLetter/Sept01R.php.
NAOMI NEWS
Naomi Greelis,
Coordinator of Diversity Services, Jupiter Campus, was featured
in an article by Vice President Kristen Murtaugh in the MacHoot
Newsletter. Highlighted were Naomi’s efforts working with
FAU staff to make the MacArthur Campus more accessible, assisting
the Library Director to make it more user friendly, and helping
to educate the staff about the Library's assistive technology
workstations. She presented a luncheon workshop with several
others to faculty and staff titled “10 Strategies to
Promote High Quality Learning: Supporting Students with
Disabilities in College” and she created a series of
activities collectively called “Try on My Shoes” to
help educate the FAU community about various disabilities. Well
done, Naomi! The newsletter can be found on line at
http://www.fau.edu/jupiter/documents/Fall05MacHoot%20.pdf.
NOTETAKING
Michelle Shaw is the
Boca OSD Coordinator of Notetaker Services. She is a familiar
face around campus, having been employed at FAU since 2000 in a
variety of jobs. She is an alumnus, earning her Bachelor’s
Degree in Fine Arts (2002), Master’s Degree in Curriculum
and Instruction (2003), and is currently working towards her
Specialist Degree in Higher Education. She has been with the OSD
for a year and also teaches “Art: Elementary School”
in the College of Education.
Michelle feels that “providing students with
disabilities with proper classroom notes is a very important
job.” Students with disabilities may quickly fall behind in
their classwork if there are problems with the notetakers or the
quality of the notes. Michelle monitors this process throughout
the semester while assisting with a variety of other office
projects.
Last semester the OSD
utilized 182 volunteer and 13 paid notetakers. Students who are
unable to take notes for themselves due to their disability, such
as quadriplegic students, receive paid notetakers. Other
students, such as those with learning disabilities, who take
their own notes but cannot keep up with the pace of the class,
receive the lecture notes from a fellow classmate who volunteers.
While the paid notetaker works closely with the student, the
volunteer notetaking process is kept confidential.
The professor is given a letter from the OSD to read
asking for a volunteer notetaker. The volunteer comes to the OSD
for an orientation and is told only the student’s first
name and last initial, for confidentiality. At the end of each
class the volunteer brings his/her notes to the OSD and copies
them, leaving a copy for the student. Some students want to know
their notetaker while others prefer not to reveal their
disability, which is their right.
Students can have their volunteer hours permanently recorded on their college transcripts. They keep track of their hours and then turn them in to Michelle, who records them with the Volunteer Center. As a gift, volunteer notetakers receive a pocket portfolio during their notetaker orientation. Also, each year the OSD thanks the volunteers with a dinner in April, where they receive a certificate and a letter of recommendation. Michelle also sends a “thank you” letter to the professors who make the volunteer announcement in their class.
“I like my job. I
like working with the volunteers and I like working with the
students,” Michelle exclaims. “It’s a
challenging job and never dull.”
________________________________________
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 on the web at www.fau.edu/osd.
This newsletter is available in alternate format upon
request from the Office for Students with Disabilities. Boca
Campus: SU 133; phone (561) 297-3880, TTY (561) 297-0358. Davie
Campus: MD I, Room 104; phone (954) 236-1222, TTY (954) 236-1146.
