Leadership Transition at the Institute on Disabilities [II of II]

In a pair of articles, the Temple Times honors Diane Bryen for her 17 years at the helm of the Institute on Disabilities, and introduces the new executive director, well-known disability studies scholar and filmmaker David Mitchell.

Shattering the “glass staircase”
David Mitchell, the new executive director of the Institute on Disabilities, wants to make the academy more accessible.

Monday, March 31, 2008

CONTACT: Denise Clay 215-204-6522

Currently, if you’re interested in pursuing a doctorate in Disability Studies, there are only two places you can go: the University of Illinois-Chicago and the University of Leeds in Leeds, England.

David Mitchell, the new executive director of Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities, hopes to change that by making Temple an option for those in the Delaware Valley who want to earn their Ph.D. without having to go to Chicago or leave the country.

Mitchell, who served as the first permanent director of the PhD in Disability Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago, has made one of his goals expanding Temple’s Disability Studies program from its current status as a place where you can get a certificate to one where you can get a degree, he said. [Addendum: Dr. Mitchell stepped down from the director position at UIC in 2004 and since then the position has been held by Dr. Carol Gill.]

Photo by Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
David T. Mitchell, the new executive director of the Institute on Disabilities, hopes to further raise the profile of disability studies at Temple.

____________________________________

Related Stories:
Diane Bryen is stepping down from Institute, not Disability Studies

Disability Arts and Culture Center at Access Living, Chicago

Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies at Temple University

“The goal is to grow Disability Studies at Temple into the most significant and influential home for Disability Studies in the United States,” Mitchell said.

Doing that will require a holistic approach, says Mitchell, who has written books on people with disabilities and their place within the humanities. While Temple is a more accessible campus to people with disabilities than most, a sea change is necessary for the academy overall, Mitchell said.

“Universities have been a ‘glass staircase,’” he said, referring to the lack of research and academic work that has been done on people with disabilities and the challenges they face. “Disability studies was created to infuse universities with opportunities for people with disabilities and to bring to them the realization that we all share a public space.”

The creation of Institutes on Disabilities like the one at Temple has helped make this public space available to people regardless of their physical abilities. Mitchell praised his predecessor, Diane Bryen, for making the institute what it is today, adding that he doesn’t see it changing much. Bryen, who was one of the first wave of disability activists who ran these institutes, is retiring this year.

Mitchell has done much of his work with his wife, Sharon Snyder, who is on the faculty of the University of Illinois-Chicago. He has two children, Cameron, 16, and Emma, 12.

Mitchell officially becomes the executive director of the Institute on Disabilities July 1.

For additional coverage, see Beth Haller's post at media dis&dat

Leadership Transition at the Institute on Disabilities [I of II]

In a pair of articles, the Temple Times honors Diane Bryen for her 17 years at the helm of the Institute on Disabilities, and introduces the new executive director, well-known disability studies scholar and filmmaker David Mitchell.

Changing uniforms:

While Diane Nelson Bryen is stepping down as executive director of the Institute on Disabilities, she won’t stop fighting for full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society.

Monday, March 31, 2008

CONTACT: Denise Clay 215-204-6522

Diane Nelson Bryen’s office in the Institute on Disabilities is a showcase of what she’s been able to accomplish with and for men and women with disabilities.

There are things that represent the places in which she’s taken the ACES (Augmentative Communication and Empowerment Support) program, such as Australia, India, South Africa, and Israel. There are awards from the various agencies for people with disabilities that she’s helped.
.

And there are lots of pictures — pictures of smiling young men and women who are leading lives that their disabilities might have prevented them from living years ago.

.

Through those pictures, Bryen gets the chance to see the fruits of her hands-on approach to working with children and adults with a wide variety of disabilities. As someone who has a brother with a disability, she sees just how important this work is.

Photo by Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University
Diane Bryen, the outgoing executive director of the Institute on Disabilities talks with David T. Mitchell, the new director of the center. Bryen is retiring from the post she has held since 1991.

_________________________________
Related Stories:
David Mitchell to head Institute on Disabilities
Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies at Temple University

“I have always liked having my hand in the field,” said Bryen, who started her career at Temple as a special education professor. “This center serves multiple functions. We work with the community and we work with families and people with disabilities. We work with policymakers to change the system. We also do university-based research and teaching.”

And although she’ll be stepping down as executive director of the Institute on Disabilities in June, Bryen plans to keep working toward making things more equitable for people with disabilities.
Bryen came to Temple in 1964 as a student, eventually graduating with a masters degree in special education and a Ph.D. in educational psychology.

She started her teaching career at Temple in 1973 as a special education faculty member. While she had always had interaction with the Institute on Disabilities, it wasn’t until 1991 that Bryen was asked to lead the organization.

Under Bryen’s leadership, the Institute on Disabilities has achieved much. It has formed partnerships across the state to help provide people with such things as microwave ovens for the blind and high-tech computers that give those who have never spoken before the chance to communicate with loved ones.

One of the ways that those computers are being put to use is through the ACOLUG (Augmentative Communication Online Users Group), a listserv designed to provide an international forum for those with significant communication disabilities. The listserv currently has about 650 users, Bryen said.

But one of the institute’s most important achievements under Bryen’s watch is a greater awareness across the university of what disability is and isn’t, Bryen said.
“We’re changing the way that students at Temple are learning about disability,” she said. "Disability is a form of diversity. People with disabilities aren’t broken and need to be fixed. Instead, people with disabilities should be seen as a minority group and afforded equal protections, she added.

That’s something that C. Kent McGuire, dean of the College of Education, has come to know during his five years at the college’s helm. He has come to see Bryen as a tireless advocate for not only the people helped by the institute, but also for students interested in pursuing disability studies.

“I would describe her as passionate,” he said. “She’s committed to equality and social justice and is a very effective advocate for the disability community. She’s respected for that not only in Pennsylvania, but across the country. She’s also been a consistent supporter of Temple University students. Her presence and energy will be missed.”

Although she won’t be involved in the day-to-day operations of the Institute on Disabilities, Bryen, a Fulbright scholar and winner of the Lindback and Great Teacher awards, plans to remain involved.

“I’ve been at Temple since 1964 and have three degrees from here,” she said. “It’s hard for me to totally disengage from here. I wouldn’t have gone to college without Temple. Temple, like the institute, is a wonderful place that attempts to level the playing field recognizing that knowledge is power.”

.

For additional coverage, see Beth Haller's post at media dis&dat

Recognizing a lifetime of activism and passion

My boss Diane Nelson Bryen, Executive Director of the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, has just been notified that she will be receiving the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities [AUCD], in recognition of her lifetime of accomplishments for and with the disability community, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania certainly, but also nationally and internationally. The awards cermony was held during the AUCD annual meeting, Wednesday, November 14, 2007 from 8:45 to 10:00 am at the Renaissance Washington Hotel, Washington, DC.

When you get a chance, why not send her a note of congratulations? Mike