Explore Access Updates – November 2018

Keyboard with return key labeled as accessibility

Disability and Diversity

Through the Explore Access website and our Facebook page, as well as other projects, Partners for Inclusive Communities staff work to promote disability as an aspect of diversity. We also recognize that, historically, the disability movement has not always been inclusive of other identities, and acknowledge that disability services are not always structured in ways that provide equal access to all people with disabilities.

Melanie Thornton, Coordinator of Access and Equity Outreach, and Sherice Smith, Program Specialist, both with Partners for Inclusive Communities, recently presented at the Ark-AHEAD (Arkansas Association on Higher Education and Disability) fall workshop. The presentation was entitled Widening the Door to Access: Strategies for Providing Culturally Affirmative Outreach and Services to a Diverse Student Population.

Below we share some of the resources provided during that presentation, plus a few more.

Suggested Resources

  • Black Disabled and Proud: College Students with Disablities: The project was set up as a partnership between the University of the District of Columbia, Howard University, and Syracuse University, and the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD).
  • Disability Visibility Project: The Disability Visibility Project is an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture.
  • Divas with Disabilities Website: These women are working to shape the perception of what “disability” looks like by promoting Black Women and Women of Color through various media platforms.
  • National Coalition for Latinxs with Disabilities: The National Coalition for Latinxs with Disabilities (CNLD) is a volunteer organization comprised of Disabled Latinx leaders and allies from across the nation.
  • Project Implicit: Project Implicit is a non-profit organization and international collaboration between researchers who are interested in implicit social cognition – thoughts and feelings outside of conscious awareness and control. The goal of the organization is to educate the public about hidden biases and to provide a “virtual laboratory” for collecting data on the Internet.
  • Ramp Your Voice: Ramp Your Voice! is the website of Vilissa Thompson, a social worker and prominent leader in addressing and educating the public and political figures about the plight of disabled people, especially disabled women of color.
  • Senior and Disability Action: The organization mobilizes and educates seniors and people with disabilities to fight for individual rights and social justice. Their disability history page honors Black Disabled Women whose work has had a powerful impact.
  • Widening the Door Presentation Handout (PDF): This handout provides an outline of the presentation.

Upcoming Events

Free Webinar
Sponsored by Mid-Atlantic ADA Center
Serving Customers with Disabilities: A Toolkit
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
11:30 PM Central Time Zone

Register for the Serving Customers with Disabilities Webinar here!

Free Webinar
Sponsored by Great Lakes ADA Center
Access to Cultural Programs and the Arts: Serving Patrons with Disabilities
Thursday, December 11, 2018
1:00 PM Central Time Zone

Register for the Access to Cultural Programs Webinar here!

Free Webinar
Sponsored by Great Lakes ADA Center and the National ADA Network
Accommodating Students with Disabilities Enrolled in Medical and Health Science Programs
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
1:00 PM Central Time Zone

Register for the Accommodating Students in Medical and Health Science Programs Webinar here!

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About Explore Access

exploreaccess.org is a web resource developed through a project of the Southwest ADA Center Regional Affiliate – Arkansas, a program of UA Partners for Inclusive Communities through funding from the Southwest ADA Center (90DP0092).