RANDOLPH BOURNE'S AMERICA is an all-day conference at Columbia University on Oct 11th on the work and life of an influential yet under-recognized critic who wrote on many topics including life as a 'handicapped' American, but developed an unusual ability to peel away at the American mind-set in wartime. Scholars and journalists from around the country are gathering at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism for panels and discussions open to the Columbia community and the general public. The event comes a month before a presidential election pivoting on questions of war and peace as none other since 1968, and Bourne is as timely a figure as any in our current literary, historical, and political age could be.

Bloglines - Show lights up Paralympics

Bloglines user mdorn@temple.edu has sent this item to you.

International Disability News Ticker Abilityinfo.com presents the International Disability News Ticker. A digest of hand-picked Disability-themed news stories from around the world. See more recent and archived news stories organized by continent at Abilityinfo.com. The site also features links, employment resources and discussion.

Show lights up Paralympics BBC Sport (INTERNATIONAL) - Sept 17, 2004: A spectacular opening ceremony for the XII Paralympics took place in front of a sell-out 72,000 crowd at the Athens Olympic Stadium on Friday.

Bloglines - Disability meet gets underway - 1,100 here from around the globe

Bloglines user mdorn@temple.edu has sent this item to you.

International Disability News Ticker Abilityinfo.com presents the International Disability News Ticker. A digest of hand-picked Disability-themed news stories from around the world. See more recent and archived news stories organized by continent at Abilityinfo.com. The site also features links, employment resources and discussion.

Disability meet gets underway - 1,100 here from around the globe Winnipeg Sun (CANADA) - Sept 8, 2004: Youth, indigenous peoples, poverty and education will top the agenda this week as hundreds of people from across the globe gather in Winnipeg for the Disabled Peoples' International World Summit 2004.

FYI - Enhanced CD available for Disability Studies: Enabling the Humanities

AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM MLA BOOK PUBLICATIONS

Enhanced CD available for Disability Studies: Enabling the Humanities

The MLA has just released a second printing of Disability Studies. This printing
includes new file formats on the accompanying CD:

ASCII (.txt files), modified for optimal use on text-to-speech readers

Braille (.brf files), for users with Braille utility software and hardware

DAISY 2.02 compliant Digital Talking Book (DTB). The DAISY format is the basis for
the US Department of Education's voluntary National Instructional Materials
Accessibility Standard, which is designed to help publishers make textbooks
available to students and teachers in a more timely and consistent manner,
improving academic results for students with disabilities.

Images appropriate for enlarging (.tif files)

The first printing of Disability Studies included CDs with ASCII files (intended
for text-to-speech readers) and XML files (intended for persons who need to read
and hear content at the same time). Feedback from users led to changes in both sets
of files. Anyone who purchased the first printing can request a new CD by writing,
calling, or e-mailing the customer services office at the Modern Language
Association (26 Broadway, Third Floor, New York, NY 10004; 646-576-5161;
bookorders@mla.org).

!~!~!~!~!~!
Mike Dorn, Ph.D.
Institute on Disabilities
College of Education
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
mdorn@temple.edu

NCLB: Improving Results for Children with Disabilities

Hearing on "No Child Left Behind: Improving Results for Children with Disabilities" before the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Education and the Workforce, March 3, 2004.
http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings/108th/fc/nclb030304/wl030304.htm

Witnesses testify before the Committee:

Ms. Ricki Sabia, Parent
Associate Director of Public Policy, National Down Syndrome Society, Silver Spring, MD

Dr. Jane Rhyne, Assistant Superintendent for Exceptional Children, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Charlotte, NC

Dr. Pia Durkin, Superintendent of Schools, Narragansett School System, Narragansett, RI

Dr. Martha Thurlow, Director, National Center on Education Outcomes, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Students with Disabilities and Statewide Assessment Programs

Julia K. Landau, Janet R. Vohs, and Carolyn A. Romano (1998) All Kids Count:
including students with disabilities in statewide assessment programs,
published by Parents Engaged in Education Reform (PEER Project), Federation
for Children with Special Needs, Boston, Massachusetts.

In the past, large-scale assessments were not always considered important
for students with disabilities - it was assumed that special education
assessments provided sufficient data on how well students were doing in
school. Typically, however, special education assessments have not provided
information on what students know and can do relative to local and state
standards.

The 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) require the participation of students with disabilities in statewide
and district-wide assessments, regardless of the format of the assessments.
This addition to the law means that the education system must be accountable
for the results of education for all students.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?M25A15349

All Kids Count offers parents, parent leaders, professionals, and other
interested parties guidelines for participating in discussions about
policies and practices related to inclusion of students with disabilities in
large-scale assessments. The book includes a state-by-state report and
executive summary of assessment policies and practices, an overview of
policy issues, a glossary, a list of accommodations culled from states'
policies, a PEER Information Brief on assessment, and contact information
for state Departments of Education and Parent Centers on Disability. (100
pages. 1998. $20.00) To order call 617/482-2915.

Bloglines - ADA Compliance Gets Some Style!

Rolling Rains Report: Precipitating Dialogue on Travel, Disability, and Universal Design

ADA Compliance Gets Some Style! By rollingrains on News Forgive the pun but the market is maturing for universally designed products. Here is a well-presented story from Contractor Magazine. The author, Wliiam Atkinson, reports that best practices in marketing ADA-compliant, universal design sensitve products avoid triggering disability aversion by focusing on style and comfort -- and they seem to be working!: From Sterile to Stylish: ADA-compliant bathroom products now target the majority of your customers. BY WILLIAM ATKINSON SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR When one thinks of ADA compliant bathroom fixtures and accessories, the word "sterile" usually comes to mind. These days, however, stylish is replacing sterile. And it's not because companies are trying to market stylish fixtures exclusively to disabled people. Rather, they are targeting mainstream consumers of all ages with their ADA-compliant offerings and not even mentioning the fact that the products happen to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The strategy is working - so well that it may not be long before the majority of new-construction bathrooms are outfitted with ADA-compliant fixtures. Find the full article at: http://www.contractormag.com/articles/newsarticle.cfm?newsid=486