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"Supporting
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Editor's Note
President's Message
Opportunities in Rehabilitation Engineering
Announcement: ACB 1998 scholarships available
Report from the 1997 NABS Convention
Constitutional Committee Update
Meet the New NABS Board
ACB's 1997 Scholarship Winners
New Voices: Youth With Disabilities Leadership Conference
NABS Mission Statement
To encourage educational equity and excellence; to seek opportunity and worldwide
accessibility; to promote participation in this mission; to provide a forum
for students who are blind and visually impaired to discuss issues of concern
to them; to hold an nual meetings to focus on topics of interest to blind and
visually impaired students throughout the United States; to participate in and
create meetings with professional organizations of interest to blind and visually
impaired students; and to provide th e means by which the National Alliance
of Blind Students and its constituency may achieve these goals.
National Alliance of Blind Students Board of Directors
President Mike Gravitt, Virginia
Vice President: Rob Cook, Illinois
Secretary: Jon Avila, Colorado
Treasurer: Kim Waegele, Colorado
Editor: Keith Wessel, Illnois
Designated Governors: Michael Byington, Kansas
Governor: Stephen Speicher, Nebraska
Elected Governor: Charles Hamby, Alaska
Liaison: Holly Fults, Washington, DC
Notes From the Editor
Keith Wessel
Hello, everyone! Welcome to a new issue and a new year of The Student Advocate! Those of you who aren't newcomers to this publication will remember me from last year. I'm Keith Wessel, a senior in computer science at the University of Illinois and th e NABS newsletter editor for the second year in a row. And for the second year, I'm truly excited about the chance to bring interesting stories and information from far and wide to all of you.
We listened to the feedback that many of you gave us on last year's Advocates. Thanks for taking the time to let us know what you thought; your comments are what really makes this job worthwhile. Now it's time to take some of those suggestions and make them happen. This year be on the lookout for stories on new adaptive technology and self-advocacy. Of course, we will continue to bring you the latest news from the NABS board and information about internship and scholarship opportunities.
This issue of the Advocate contains a good deal of information about the happenings at convention. The new NABS executive board introduces themselves. Our President Mike Gravitt outlines plans for the year ahead. Read about the first-ever conference he ld by the National Council on Disabilities for youths with disabilities and the wonderful time that students had there. And meet this year's ACB Scholarship winners.
Once again, your submissions to the Advocate are very welcomed. You may send
articles in nearly any format: braille, tape, disk or typewritten. Send them
to:
The Student Advocate Keith Wessel 902 East Shurts Street Urbana, IL 61801
If you'd rather e-mail me an article, just send it to student_advocate@uiuc.edu. Remember, it's the writing that all of you do that makes this publication great. I look forward to hearing from you with your articles and comments this year!
As usual I would like to wish all of you the best of luck as you pursue your studies this fall. I hope that everyone is having a good semester and that the stress level of classes is staying bearable. As for now, though, we hope you enjoy the next few m inutes during which you can put the books aside and see what's new on these pages. Enjoy, and take good care, everyone.
Special Thanks! Delta Gamma Foundation's financial support makes this edition of The Student Advocate possible.
Join the NABS Listserv - NABS has an e-mail discussion group or listserv known as NABS-L. This list provides a site for students who are blind or visually impaired to discuss issues of interest and concern. You need e-mail access to join NABS-L. To subscribe post a mes sage to: LISTSERV@POSTOFFICE.CSO.UIUC.EDU. Do not include a subject line with this message. Your post should read: SUBSCRIBE NABS-L YOUR NAME. For example, if Ima Student wanted to subscribe to the list, she would send this message: SUBSCRIBE NABS-L IMA STUDENT
Get it? If you have any questions about NABS-L, contact Advocate editor and list co-owner Keith Wessel at kwessel@uiuc.edu.
From the Desk of the President
Mike Gravitt
In the spirit of the fearless leader of the American Council of the Blind, Paul Edwards, I am going to parallel the format of my president's message to his message given at the ACB national convention. (A copy of Paul Edward's message is in the August 19 97 issue of The Braille Forum.) To start I'll review the accomplishments of last year and then look ahead to the coming year.
In addition to publishing three issues of The Student Advocate (which Editor Keith Wessel did a fine job of), NABS officers and members had many accom- plishments and involvements you may not know about:
Developing two new affiliates one of the biggest projects of this past semester was starting new state affiliates. I worked diligently with Rob Cook of Michigan to form the Michigan Alliance of Students with Visual Impairments (MASVI) and with Terri Lynne Pomeroy of Utah to form th e Blind and Visually Impaired Students of Utah (BVISU). This brings the total of NABS affiliates to six. Great job to all involved in this!
Communication started for even more new affiliates This past year communication was established with several active NABS members to try to start more NABS affiliates. We made connections in Florida, New York, Washington, Colorado, Massachusetts and Kentucky. While the efforts in Kentucky have fizzled, there are still people interested in getting started in the other states. If you are interested, please call me at 804-315-0269 or send e-mail to mgravitt@halifax.com.
Distribution of How to Start an Affiliate of the National Alliance of Blind Students NABS Vice President Rob Cook worked hard to write a manual on how to start a NABS affiliate. It includes sample documents and ideas on how to establish contacts as well as steps to getting organized. This manual has been very helpful as NABS tries to ex pand, and my hat is off to him. Several people found the information that they needed in this manual last year. If you are interested in a copy, contact the ACB national office and ask to speak to Holly Fults.
Attendance at the JLTLI As you may have read in the last issue of The Student Advocate, NABS sponsored the attendance of five students to the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership Institute: Jonathan Avila, Samantha Schmucker, Michael Stahl, Kimberly Waegele and myself. This conferen ce was co-sponsored by ACB and the American Foundation for the Blind. For more information, refer to the Spring 1997 Advocate.
Overall NABS awareness whether it was through increased distribution of The Student Advocate or through increased discussion levels on the NABS Internet mailing list or through personal presentations to ACB leaders about NABS, I feel that NABS has increased in recognition and popularity. As we work on ways to increase the awareness of our organization -- our alliance -- these are important elements. I'll keep working with NABS and ACB leaders to make sure this awareness grows even more!
There were many more things that went on behind the scenes, but this definitely gives an overview of what NABS has accomplished in the past year. My hat goes off to all officers, state leaders, ACB leaders and staff, and others who have made this possible. I could not have done it alone!
Moving on to the upcoming year. What's to come this year? There are many things that need to be done, and I will do everything possible to ensure a productive year. Follows is a list of things that are in the works:
More affiliates and members continuing in the spirit of last year, we will try to increase the number of NABS affiliates. On this note if you are interested in getting one started, please contact either myself or Vice President Rob Cook. Also we will evaluate which states have at least five NABS members, but no affiliate, and use this as a starting point for those states. We need to publicize NABS as much as possible to let people know we exist and the benefits of joining our organization.
Increased Internet Presence We are updating our web site, and we want to increase awareness of our on-line mailing list NABS-L, a potentially powerful tool to visually impaired students.
More accessible information Our membership information brochure needs to be put into accessible formats. This newsletter is already available on tape, which is a start. When we are trying to make that first impression, we should definitely have publicity in any format that is desired.
1999 convention plans - In 1999 NABS will have its 25th anniversary. In this light we are already planning great festivities for the 1999 ACB national convention in Los Angeles.
Fund-raising - So NABS can continue to sponsor members to national functions, to build in other areas, to make our name known and to continue to grow, it is imperative that we actively pursue fund-raising. Contacts will be made with people experienced in fund-raising, and anyone interested in helping should contact me.
These are the main areas we are focusing on. As always, if you are interested in serving on a committee, please let me know. If you have ideas, concerns or other comments, please contact me.
I look forward to serving as your president for another exciting year. Remember, you make a difference! We need each of our members to educate others about the issues we face as students who are blind or visually impaired! Most important for me, though , are the experiences that you have given and will give me by allowing me to be your leader. For this I am honored.
Rehabilitation Engineering Technology
Training Opportunities
Press Release by Jerry Weisman
The rehabilitation engineering technology (RET) program at the Vermont Technical College (VTC) seeks individuals, especially people with disabilities, interested in pursuing a career in rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology. Now in its fourth year, the program offers the only associate's degree in rehabilitation engineering technology in the country.
The two-year interdisciplinary rehabilitation engineering technology program combines traditional courses in mechanical and electrical engineering, mathematics, physics and language arts with specialized courses in assistive technology and disabilities. Throughout the program, students have frequent opportunities to interact with consumers of assistive technology and with professionals who provide services to them. The program prepares skilled technicians to provide rehabilitation engineering and assist ive technology services to people with disabilities in all age groups. These skills range from the design and manufacturing of assistive devices to the implementing and servicing of commercially available assistive technologies.
The RET program is funded in part by a training grant from the Rehabilitation Services Administration. During the summer between their first and second years, students are given the opportunity to participate in a 10-week internship, in a service deliver y setting providing assistive technology. Students who participate in the internship receive a $3,000 stipend from RSA. The grant also provides stipends for six senior students to be used for tuition, books and travel to a related conference.
Career opportunities abound for the RET program graduates. All the graduates of the program have been offered jobs in the field of assistive technology and at least 90% are currently working in the field. Some of the students have pursued higher educat ion in speech and language pathology.
Vermont Technical College, a member of the Vermont State Colleges system, offers 17 associate's and bachelor's degrees in technology-related fields. The 700 student institution is located on a 544-acre campus in rural Vermont. The college has maintained an enviable placement record - 98% since 1982. The 1-13 faculty-to-student ratio ensures students get individual attention.
For more information or to set up an appointment to visit the college, please
contact:
Jerry Weisman, Director RET Program Vermont Technical College Randolph Center,
VT 05061
phone: 802-728-1293 or 802-728-1520 fax: 802-728-1520 e-mail: jweisman@vtc.vsc.edu
URL: www.vtc.vsc.edu/rehab/
The American Council of the Blind will award 25 scholarships to outstanding legally blind students for the 1998/1999 school year. Blind students who are admitted to academic and vocational post-secondary programs are encouraged to apply.
Eligibility requirements include academic excellence and involvement in extracurricular and civic activities. An applicant's extent of vision loss is also taken into account.
Scholarship packages will be available for distribution in December 1997. To
receive an application, contact:
American Council of the Blind 1155 15th Street, NW Suite 720 Washington, DC
20005 phone: 202-467-5081 or 800-424-8666
Completed applications must be postmarked by March 1, 1998 for consideration by ACB. Faxes will not be accepted.
AFB Scholarship Program
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is offering 11 scholarships to blind students for the 1998/1999 academic year.
For more information about the AFB scholarships or to request an application
package, contact:
Ms. Julie Tucker AFB 11 Penn Plaza Suite 300 New York, NY 10001 phone: 212-502-7661
Completed applications must be submitted to AFB no later than April 30, 1998.
Speakers at the 1997 NABS Convention
by Jon Avila
The National Alliance of Blind Students held many meetings and socials at the 1997 convention of the American Council of the Blind -- but these were not even half our agenda; we also hosted many speakers who presented on a wide variety of topics that aff ect visually impaired students.
On Monday Dr. John Buckley started off the week by speaking about educational aid from ACB and about ACB's scholarship program. Later that day NABS President Mike Gravitt led a discussion on becoming involved with oth er blind students in your state, and ACB Executive Director Oral Miller spoke on how students can become involved in ACB. NABS also hosted a joint program with the Visually Impaired Data Processors International on the future direction of RFB&D and on us ing search engines on the web.
On Tuesday Dr. Phyllis Burson discussed how to communicate and to interact with sighted people in a college or university environment. She was followed by her husband Dr. Brad Burson who reflected on the early times of ACB. After a break ACB President Pa ul Edwards spoke on how to get the most out of your professors, then NABS hosted a panel discussion on the accessibility of college entrance exams. This panel was composed of Steve Speicher, ACB second vice president and NABS governor; Pshon Barrett of t he constitution and bylaws committee; John Buckley, ACB scholarship committee chair; Steve Hagemoser and Kimberly Morrow, two of the 1996 ACB scholarship winners.
NABS' Wednesday session started with a panel entitled "On Capitol Hill: Students Tell of Their Experiences at JLTLI and the Tell It to Washington Seminar." This panel was led by Mike Gravitt, Jon Avila, Samantha Schmucker and Kimberly Waegele, NABS atten dees at this conference last year. Following the panel presentation John Gardner, professor and director of the Science Access Project at Oregon State University, spoke about accessing non-textual information.
NABS finished the week on Thursday with several more speakers. The first was Kathy Gallagher, a rehabilitation specialist from National Industries for the Blind (NIB) in Alexandria, Virginia. She talked about NIB internships and job opportunities within their organization. Kathy was followed by an information session about Iliad Knowbot, an e-mail search engine. This session was hosted by speaker Brenda Cavenaugh from Mississippi State University's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision. That evening we all relaxed as NABS hosted a comedy hour that brought down the house.
On behalf of the National Alliance of Blind Students, I would like to thank all of these speakers for giving their valuable time to speak to NABS members. Thanks also to the NABS board. These events could not have been set up without great help from them, especially our president Mike Gravitt.
Constitutional Committee Update
By Charles Hamby
The 1997 NABS annual convention was a busy time for the NABS constitutional committee. The committee presented 28 proposed amendments to the NABS constitution to the voting membership present at the convention. 26 were approved and adopted. Some of the changes adopted included the correction of spelling errors, the reorganization of entire sections and the consolidation of several sections into one section. While it would take too much space in the newsletter to describe all the proposed and adopted a mendments, this is a brief summary of several.
It came as a surprise to the committee who reviewed the constitution that nowhere was it written that the National Alliance of Blind Student was to be known as NABS. Even though we were called NABS from the very start, we had no legal grounds to show tha t NABS and the National Alliance of Blind Student are one and the same. This was the first proposed amendment made to the membership, and it was approved without debate.
An important change to the constitution dealt with defining the four different membership categories and the rights and privileges accorded to each membership category. Rights and privileges were defined as the right to vote, to serve on committees, to speak on the floor and to hold office. The four membership categories are general members, sustaining members, patron members and junior members. Here is a summary of the changes for the general, sustaining and patron memberships.
General Members: This membership category shall consist of blind and visually impaired students. Unless prohibited elsewhere, general members have the right to vote, to serve on committees, to speak on the floor and to hold office in NABS. Sustaining Members: This membership category shall consist of individuals who have an interest in NABS. The number of individuals in this category shall not exceed 49% of the general membership. Un- less prohibited elsewhere, sus- taining members have t he right to vote, to serve on committees and to speak on the floor.
Patron Membership: This membership category shall consist of organizations and institutions which work toward the betterment of blind and visually impaired students. Patron members shall not have the right to vote, to serve on committees or to hold office in NABS. Unless prohibited elsewhere, patron members shall have only the right of speaking on the floor during any meeting of NABS.
The membership did not approve Proposed Amendment Nine, concerning Article III, Membership; Section D, Junior Members. There were fierce debates about this membership category, and emotions ran high as the debates continued. Some members wanted to incorporate this membership category into the general membership category, while others did not want junior members to have the right to vote, to serve on committees or to speak on the floor.
Presently the NABS constitution does not give junior members the right to vote,
to serve on committees, to speak on the floor or to hold office in NABS. Constitutional
committee members feel that junior members are a vital part of NABS and should
take an active role in NABS. Therefore, we are asking for your suggestions in
drafting a proposed amendment to better define the role of junior members. If
you would like a copy of the NABS constitution or of the adopted amendments,
or if you have any comments for future changes to the constitution, please contact:
Charles Hamby 1729 Christine Drive North Pole, Alaska 99705 907-488-2194 jilli@mosquitonet.com
(e-mail)
At the conclusion of the 1997 NABS convention in Houston, our members elected a new board of directors. Now let's let the new officers introduce themselves.
Mike Gravitt, President in my ninth semester at Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia, I am both thrilled and saddened that this is indeed my last semester as an under-graduate. I am pursuing a bachelor of science degree in business administration, with a concentration in man agement information systems. Aside from starting my second year as president of NABS, I also am in my second year as president of its Virginia affiliate, the Old Dominion Alliance of Blind Students. Other hats I wear include offices in Delta Sigma Pi (business fraternity), Alpha Phi Omega (service fraternity) and Longwood's Student Organization for Disability Awareness. I was also recently appointed by Virginia Governor George Allen to be a member of the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities for a term of four years. I enjoy reading, writing, playing on the Internet, traveling, hanging out with friends, playing card games and spending money that I do not have. I look forward to serving as your president for yet another year!
Rob Cook, Vice President Well, again I am vice president of NABS and very happy about it. Many of you know my name and that I have been an active NABS member for over eight years. I have served two terms on the NABS board: one term as NABS vice president and one as an elected governor. I have also been involved in the leadership of the NABS affiliates in California, Alaska and Michigan. During my academic time with NABS I have managed to get dual bachelors degrees in English and social sciences from California State University, Chico and obtain masters degrees in community development and education from the University of California at Davis. Presently I am working towards certification in rehabilitation teaching for the blind and visually impaired at Western Michigan University. Sounds like a lot of academics, but my choice is to work in the fields of national and inter- national reh abilitation, helping to assist people with visual impairments. I believe that along with related work experience within a field, the more education and certification that you have, the better your chances are at landing a position that you really desire. During my college time my studies and sense of adventure have taken me to Central America, Europe and, most recently, Alaska to work with my partner and wife, NABS member Cora Jones. We hope to return to Alaska to work with both Alaskan native people and the mainstream population of people with visual impairments. My hope for 1997-98 is that my work as NABS Vice President will be both productive and positive for NABS. After watching everyone on the new board work so well together in Houston, I believe that we will successfully advance the current concerns and obje ctives of NABS.
Jon Avila, Secretary Hi, I'm Jon Avila. I recently transferred to the University of Southern Colorado from Virginia. I'm currently working on a social science education major with a computer information systems minor. Despite being very busy with this transition, I feel I can make NABS grow this year. As secretary I plan on keeping good track of NABS business and membership information. I also want to keep in touch with our members and our state affiliates. NABS had a great convention in Houston this year, and I hope to work with our officers to crea te a great program for the 1998 convention in Orlando.
Kim Waegele, Treasurer Financial aid, budgets, awaiting the arrival of loans or scholarship checks -- does this sound like the beginning of your academic year, too? As the new NABS treasurer I hope to help NABS grow financially and, hopefully, more efficiently than a college f inancial aid or accounting office! I'm Kimberly Waegele, a senior social sciences teacher certification major at the University of Southern Colorado. I plan to graduate from USC next May and continue my education on the graduate level to obtain my master's in education for the blind and v isually impaired. NABS has been an extraordinary support for me in the past year. I have been given opportunities to further develop my leadership skills as one of the five NABS members to lobby congress last March in Washington D.C. This experience was extremely benefic ial and educational. I hope to increase the NABS treasury so more students can have this opportunity! I am open to any suggestions you may have for fund-raising, or anything else, for that matter! Please feel free to contact me anytime!
Steve Speicher, NABS appointed governor I was appointed a NABS governor about six months ago. I have been around ACB all of my life but can not claim NABS membership during college. I was too poor to get to conventions back then, but I did work on a resolution for ACB around 1970 which was ado pted by the organization and which encouraged the ACB board to help start an ACB student's organization. I have a master's in communications from Kansas State University. I have worked in disability rights advocacy for the past 20 years. I currently wor k for Envision, a regional not-for-profit corporation serving persons who are blind and low vision in the Midwest. My title is director of governmental affairs.
ACB Awards Over $50,000 to Scholarship
Winners
by Holly Fults
At its 36th annual national convention in Houston, Texas, the American Council of the Blind awarded its 1997 scholarships. ACB scholar- ships, based on academic achievement, extracurricular activity and the extent of vision loss, are given to students fr om throughout the country. Hundreds of qualified students applied for these scholarships, and over $50,000 was awarded to 26 winners. 18 of the winners attended the ACB convention, where they were honored on Thursday, July 10, 1997, during a convention plenary program.
The 1997 ACB scholarship winners are:
Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarships: Heidi Sherman is a doctoral candidate in medieval Russian history at the University of Minnesota. Heidi has participated in archaeological digs in Russia and is taking a language course in Old Norse.
Lucille Stern is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Rhode Island. Lucille has won several awards for academic achievements, and her book Child-Centered Family Therapy was recently published.
Timothy Cordes, a senior majoring in biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame, plans to apply to medical school. Tim has brown belts in both jujitsu and tae kwon do.
Suleyman Gokyigit is a junior in computer science and engineering at the University of Toledo. Suleyman works as a systems administrator and plans to start his own software company.
Michelle Burke, an entering freshman at the University of California - Riverside, is planning to major in foreign languages. Michelle spent last summer in Spain as an exchange student.
Arthur Congdon is an entering freshman at Temple University with a physics major. He plans to do research in muscular dystrophy.
Norine Punahele will graduate from Hawaii Community College in December and will start at the University of Hawaii at Hilo in January. Norine plans to work in the field of juvenile justice after earning a bachelor's degree.
Jennifer Weyer is a graduate of the University of Portland and worked this summer at a women's center in Alaska. She is attending the Oregon School of Massage.
Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship: Pavla Francova is working on a master's in counseling at West Chester University. She is from the Czech Republic and will return there when her education is completed. Pavla is a world- class athlete and has won medals at both the Winter and Summer Para lympics.
National Industries for the Blind Grant M. Mack Memorial Scholarships: Michael Gravitt is a business major at Longwood College and will graduate in December. Mike is the president of the National Alliance of Blind Students (NABS) and has owned his own business.
Mark Riccobono is a marketing and economics major at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He came to the ACB convention from England where he had just completed a summer class. Mark has an internship at Disney World this fall.
Steven Timmer, a business major at Central Michigan University, plans to earn a doctorate in business infor- mation systems. He received an honorable discharge from the U. S. Marine Corps in 1986. More recently, Steve carried the torch at the 1996 Olymp ics.
Dr. Mae Davidow Memorial Scholarship: Quinton Ramirez, a computer science major, is an entering freshman at Southwest Missouri State University. Quint has played the trombone for seven years and has received many honors in the music field.
Arnold Ostwald Memorial Science Scholarship: Nathanael Wales is an entering freshman in civil engineering at the University of California at Davis. In 1996, Nat received the Youth of the Year Award from his local Optimist Club. He plans to go to law school and participated on a Mock Trial Team thr oughout high school.
Anne Pekar Memorial Scholarship: Kimberly Morrow is completing a doctoral program in higher education administration at the University of Kansas. Kim has served as a board member for the National Association of Blind Teachers and is active in the Kansas Association of the Blind and Visu ally Impaired, an ACB affiliate.
Kellie Cannon Memorial Scholarship: Keith Wessel is a junior at the University of Illinois. He is a computer science and engineering major and already works for a computer company and as a DJ. Keith is the editor of The Student Advocate.
William G. Corey Memorial Scholarship: Zachary Battles is entering the honors program as a freshman at Pennsylvania State University and plans to earn a doctorate in computer science. Zach attended the Presidential Summit on Volunteerism.
Arnold Sadler Memorial Scholarship: Darla Dahl is working on her master's in rehabilitation counseling at Western Oregon State College, where she has helped the Office of Disability Service train readers and note takers. Darla has won numerous scholarships.
John Hebner Memorial Scholarship: Frank Lopez is enrolled in a master's program at California State University at Sacramento. Frank has received many academic honors, including several scholarships. He is also the father of seven children.
Commonwealth Council of the Blind Scholarships: Jonathan Avila is a junior with a computer science major. Jon writes computer programs, has helped his teachers install computer hardware and has created his own web page. Jon is also the secretary of NABS.
Rebecca Hart is an entering freshman at Radford University. She has served as a representative to the advisory committee on Services for the Virginia Department for the Visually Impaired. Rebecca is also a Lions Club volunteer.
ACB of Colorado Scholarships: Robin Barnes is an entering freshman at The Colorado College where she plans to major in East Asian studies. Robin has studied flute for five years and has won four gold medals at music competitions.
Kimberly Waegele is a senior at the University of Southern Colorado. She plans to earn a master's degree and to teach. Kim was a cheerleader at public school and sings opera. She is also the treasurer of NABS.
ACB of Maine Scholarship: Diana Knox is a psychology major in the honors program at the University of Southern Maine. She plans to earn a master's degree and become a guidance counselor.
Bay State Council of the Blind Scholarship: Alla Pouzyreva, a management/ marketing major at Newbury College, is a native of the Ukraine. She plans to develop and manage a descriptive video program, an idea she got as a volunteer at WGBH.
Delbert K. Aman Memorial Scholarship: Darrin Pagnac attends the South Dakota School of Mines, where he is working on his master's in vertebrate paleontology. He wants to study dinosaurs and has participated in many fossil digs.
New Voices: Youth with Disabilities
Leadership Conference
by Mike Gravitt
From July 24-26, 1997, I experienced one of the greatest weekends of my life. I was invited by the National Council on Disability to be one of about 45 to 50 attendees at their first annual New Voices: Youth with Disabilities Leadership Conference. The conference was held at the Renaissance Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. and included participants from ages 15 to 21 from all over the country with varying kinds and levels of disabilities. The conference, co-sponsored by the Social Security Adminis tration, was "[t]o provide a forum for youth with disabilities ... to learn about their rights, work opportunities, and employment related programs," according to the conference program.
After a reception on Wednesday afternoon, July 23, to get to know fellow participants, we were able to get ready for the festivities on Thursday. There was an opening session on Thursday morning, and then the first program was Finding Your Voice: Leader ship, Dreams, and Challenges. Presented by Gene Chelberg, the coordinator of the conference and the coordinator of disability services at the University of Minnesota - By the way, he is blind. - and Judith Heumann, assistant secretary at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, this was a great exercise for conference attendees to evaluate what our own dreams and ambitions are for education and employment.
Then there was an unscheduled meeting with Senator Tom Harkin who was very instrumental in getting the Americans with Disabilities Act written and passed into law. We, as people with disabilities, owe a lot of gratitude to this man, and it was a real hon or to meet him. After this meeting we attended a presentation Leading for Transition: Tools and Resources. This program was moderated by Gene Chelberg and featured panelists Georgia Hall, social insurance specialist at the Social Security Administration ; Hugh Berry, educational program specialist at the Office for Special Education Programs; Marcia McGahee of Fairfax County (Virginia) schools; and Debbie Hinkleday and John Coppola of the Bridges Transition Project. This was an exciting program. The tr ansition from high school either to employment or to higher education is very important to each of us, and this program gave us some insight on how to become involved in our own transition as students with disabilities. Thursday evening ended with Creati ve Pathways, a show celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act. This visual and musical show was done by performers in wheelchairs. Their performance was great, and it was especially exciting as I bumped into ACB Executive Director Oral Miller whil e there!
Friday was a truly exciting day. After attending a presentation Voices of Experience moderated by Gene Chelberg and featuring Deidre Davis, Department of State; Bob Kafka, national organizer of ADAPT; and Justin Dart from the organization Justice for All , we went to the National Press Club for a press conference featuring the NCD's officially releasing its report Equality of Opportunity: The Making of the Americans with Disabilities Act to the National Archives. This report is a book compiled by NCD out lining the history of the ADA. Copies are available by calling NCD at 202-272-2004.
After the press meeting were yet more programs. First in the afternoon was Gaps in Support: What's Missing? This was a program moderated by Gene Chelberg. It included small group facilitators, Lillian Range Pollo, an NCD member, and Jamal Mazrui, NCD Program Specialist. This presentation and discussion allowed us as youth with disabilities to explore what barriers are keeping us from reaching our goals, and what steps we can take in order to educate the public and ourselves to overcome these barriers . Friday evening ended with an optional program for the participants entitled Movement Workshop for People with Disabilities lead by William Shannon, one of the dancers from the previous night's performance. This session was organized to teach program p articipants some of the dance moves that the performers had used during their show.
On Saturday morning, there was a session where the participants could provide suggestions for future sessions of the NCD-sponsored program. I am glad that NCD took the time to solicit ideas for improvement. I feel that, based on the feedback we gave the m, there will be a bigger and better conference in the future. After a closing session, which featured Marcia Bristo, NCD Director, the afternoon was open for tours.
Now the most exciting thing about Saturday, the 26th day of July, 1997, was that it marked the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. In light of this historical moment, DREDF held a gala at the Regency Ballro om Hyatt on Capitol Hill. Leaders and activists in the disability field from all over the country were invited. This was a great way to interact with others who share the same interests and to celebrate something that is important to all of us as we pursue equal rights and opportunities.
It was sad to have to leave everyone early Sunday morning, for I had made so many friends. Even though I know a lot about disability issues and know a lot of people who are blind or visually impaired, I have been exposed to only a few people with other, varying types of disabilities. Sure, I have met many, but I never had a chance to get to know them and discuss common interests with them. In this regard I have memories that will never die.
My hat is off to the National Council on Disability for the program they put together. I would definitely recommend it to others and would be more than willing to do it over again.
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