Some very famous people born in April had disabilities that
you may not have heard about before. Most notably,
Leonardo da
Vinci (April 15, 1452-May 2, 1519), the quintessential
"Renaissance Man" who excelled in painting, botany, music,
mathematics, sculpture, engineering, architecture and
anatomy, is also believed to have had epilepsy! Hans
Christian Anderson, (April 2nd, 1805-August 4, 1875) , the
author of famous children's stories like "The Little
Mermaid," "Thumbelina," and "The Emperor's New Clothes," had
dyslexia. Some other more recent celebrities that you
may know include Hugo Weaving (4 April 1960), who played
"Agent Smith" in the Matrix movies, "Elrond",
the elfin king, in the Lord of the Rings movies, and
the voice of "Megatron" in Transformers, has
epilepsy; Jessica Alba (April 28, 1981) had OCD, pneumonia
4-5 times a year, and collapsed lungs twice during
childhood; and Jim Eisenreich (April 18, 1959), a former
major league baseball player, has Tourette syndrome and
founded the Jim Eisenreich Foundation for Children with
Tourette Syndrome in 1996.
The origins of
the name for the month of April are obscured in the past.
Some believe that April was named for the Latin word
aperire, "to open," because the trees and flowers all
begin blooming. Others claim that the month was named
after the Greek goddess, Aphrodite. Regardless, today
April's children claim the diamond as their birthstone and
the daisy and sweet pea as their flower. April is also
notorious in the United States for the ever-impending tax
day on April 15th. For you procrastinators out there,
Benjamin Franklin said it most famously, "In this world
nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
As an additional bit of morbid trivia, Abraham Lincoln was
also assassinated on the 15th of April, 1865.
April is Disability Awareness Month here at Austin Peay!
The Office of Disability Services has several events lined
up to promote awareness among students about disabilities.
On the 7th, Mr. Voorhees will be hosting the STAR Access
unit here on campus. The APSU community will have the
opportunity to tour The Star Access Express Bus parked at
the UC Plaza between 10am and 2pm to expand awareness of
this mobile assistive technology program.
There will be free food and a free T-shirt available to
those who tour the bus with a valid APSU student ID.
On the 15th, Disability Services will host the
"Wheelchair, Blind, Crutches Relay" around the Library Bowl.
The event is designed to demonstrate how challenging it can
be to travel using a wheelchair or crutches, or while
visually impaired. Come and get a free T-shirt, drink
and snack while enjoying the show, or join in the relay to
learn what it can be like to have a mobility related
disability!
On the 22nd, at the Student Organization and Leader
Awards Assembly Disability Services will recognize all the
outstanding note-takers who volunteered this year. And
on the 24th, an autistic artist named Derrick Freeman will
present his works from 10am-3pm at the African American
Cultural Center.
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The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is one of
the leading medical research centers in the United States.
Many of the research they do revolves around people from the
local community, like you. Many of the studies offer a
money reward or gift certificates for people who
participate. There are all kinds of research topics
currently being studied: dyslexia, ADHD, learning
disabilities, low vision disabilities, epilepsy, and even a
study for women who are pregnant. In addition to these
studies, there are over 21 studies currently examining
adults with disabilities. If you or someone you know
might be interested in helping doctors understand more about
a certain disability, visit the
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center website for more details.
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"My wife and I were in a motel in
Roanoke, Va., on our way home from three months at the
Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania, where she had been
convalescing after being crippled in a car accident. It was
our first night away from the skill and comfort of the
nurses we had come to depend on, and so far, so good. Then
we woke up and smelled something. It smelled like a bowel
movement. I lifted up the sheets. It was a bowel movement,
and it was in our bed.
We knew we had a lot to learn, but we had no idea how much.
Hearing the word paraplegic had made us focus on the big
thing, the fact that Linda could no longer walk. Less
anticipated were the smaller humiliations and
inconveniences, like bowel movements in bed or on the way to
a party, sores that came out of nowhere and took months or
years to heal, and inaccessible restroom stalls that caused
Linda to have to catheterize herself in the public area
where people were washing their hands and talking......."
To find out how this inspirational story
ends, visit
the New York Times site below and read the whole
article. The above article selection entitled "In
a Charmed Life, a Road Less Traveled," by Layng Martin Jr.
was published on March 6th, 2009, in the New York Times.
To read the full article visit the following link to the
New York Times.
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You never know where life might lead... we are all at
risk for every-day sounding disasters like car accidents and
food poisoning, and here in Clarksville there is also the
possibility of winter weather related emergencies,
flash-flooding, terrorist attacks on Ft. Campbell or
Nashville, and tornadoes. Don't be caught unprepared
when these simple steps could save your life!
1. PLAN!
-Add ICE (in case of emergency) to your cell-phone contact
list. Paramedics and emergency responders look for ICE
in your cell-phone contact list so they know who/what number
to call in case of an emergency where you are unconscious or
incapacitated.
-Make sure you have a radio to alert you in case of an
emergency.
-Consider what special needs and equipment you need and make
sure you have enough food, water, batteries, and equipment
in your home to support yourself and your family for 2
weeks.
-Make an evacuation plan (where to go and how to get there),
in case you have to leave your home.
2. Gather Emergency Contact Information
-Collect names, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and email
addresses for family members, friends, doctors, and
equipment vendors into one location or even one sheet of
paper.
-Identify at lease one agreed upon contact 100 miles outside
the area, in case local phone lines are down.
-Make a list of important information, including emergency
contacts, medical history, special accommodations needed,
instructions for safely moving self or equipment,
medications, and allergies.
-Keep this list near your phone and in your wallet and share
with trusted friends or family.
3. Gather Important Legal Documents (and store them
with your list of contacts and important information from
step 2 above!).
-Health insurance and copy of card
-Bank and account numbers
-Copy of prescription drug plan card
-Copy of social security card
-Copy of important papers such as marriage and death
certificates, stocks, passports, and insurance policies.
4. Share Location of Critical Information with a
Trusted Person.
-Critical information includes your emergency contact list,
important information list (from step 2), evacuation plans,
emergency supplies, and emergency utility shut-offs.
-Ask a trusted person to check on your well-being after an
emergency.
5. Gather Disaster Supplies.
-Including: enough bottled water for everyone in the
household for 2 weeks, flashlight and extra batteries,
portable radio and extra batteries, cell phone and charger,
first aid kit, hand operated can opener, enough
non-perishable food for everyone in household for 2 weeks,
essential prescriptions and over-the-counter meds for
everyone in the household for 2 weeks, durable medical
equipment (bandages, catheter) for 2 weeks, backup equipment
necessary for survival (generator, manual wheelchair), extra
cash, blanket, whistle on a string, toilet paper or wipes,
soap, small shovel or plastic garbage bags for disposing
waste, matches stored in a waterproof container, pet food
and supplies (if applicable), dust mask, paper and pencil or
pen, rain coat or plastic tarp, extra supply of clothes and
shoes.
-Ideally you should store all of these items together in a
few boxes that you can easily access or transport quickly if
needed.
6. Practice Telling Others Your Needs.
-If you need to leave your home and have items that must
come with you, know in advance exactly what you must
communicate to those there to help you. Example:
"Please bring my medicines. They are in the bathroom
on the bottom shelf in the closet."
7. Know How to Respond.
-Think about what you will do if there is an emergency.
-Stay calm!
-Listen to the radio for instructions.
-Check in with your support system.
-Put your plan in action by seeking shelter in place or
evacuating.
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A student comes to a young professor's
office hours. She glances down the hall, closes his door,
kneels pleadingly, and says, "I would do anything to pass
this exam." She leans closer to him, flips back her
hair, gazes meaningfully into his eyes, "I mean..."
she whispers, "...I would do...anything." He
returns her gaze, saying "Anything?" "Anything," she
says. His voice softens, "Anything??" She
answers, "Absolutely anything." His voice turns to a
whisper, "Would you... study?"
Dumb (but real) Tennessee Laws: You
can't shoot any game other than whales from a moving
automobile. It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a
fish. Stealing a horse is punishable by hanging.
Hollow logs may not be sold. It is legal to gather and
consume road-kill. And more than 8 women may not live
in the same house because that would constitute a brothel.
And a few funny April Fools Day pranks
from the online
Museum of Hoaxes:
In 1996, the Taco Bell Corporation
announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it
the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called
the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell
was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only
calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it
was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when
White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the
sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln
Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said,
as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.
In 1998, Burger King published a full
page advertisement in USA Today announcing the
introduction of a new item to their menu: a "Left-Handed
Whopper" specially designed for the 32 million left-handed
Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper
included the same ingredients as the original Whopper
(lettuce, tomato, hamburger patty, etc.), but all the
condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their
left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued
a follow-up release revealing that although the Left-Handed
Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into
restaurants to request the new sandwich. Simultaneously,
according to the press release, "many others requested their
own 'right handed' version."
In 1992, National Public Radio's Talk
of the Nation program announced that Richard Nixon, in a
surprise move, was running for President again. His new
campaign slogan was, "I didn't do anything wrong, and I
won't do it again." Accompanying this announcement were
audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech.
Listeners responded viscerally to the announcement, flooding
the show with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only
during the second half of the show did the host John
Hockenberry reveal that the announcement was a practical
joke. Nixon's voice was impersonated by comedian Rich
Little.
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Apr 2 Visual Performing Artist:
Richard Hight 11:30am-12:30pm, MUC Lobby
Apr 7 STAR
Access, 10am-2pm, UC Plaza; Game Show: "Are you
Smarter than a Freshman?" 5:30pm at Einstein's, MUC
Apr 10 Good Friday- NO
CLASSES!
Apr 14 Global Govs
Recognition Banquet (invitation only), 5pm MUC Ballroom BC
Apr 15 Wheelchair, Blind,
Crutches Relay, 11am-1pm, Library Bowl; Movie: "Saving
Private Ryan" 6pm, MUC303
Apr 21 Speaker:
Dr. Mel Mayfield, APSU Professor Emeritus, WWII Veteran,
"Experiences during WWII in France and Germany", 11:30am,
Red Barn (Memorial Health Building Gym)
Apr 22 Student
Organization and Leader Awards, 6pm,MUC
Ballroom
Apr 24 Eyes of Faith
Artwork Presentation by Derrick Freeman, 10am-3pm, AACC
Apr 29 Last Day of
Spring Classes!!
Apr 30 Spring Fling, 2-6pm, MUC
Plaza
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We want YOU! If you have a piece
of artwork, comments about a previous newsletter article, a
photograph, a poem, a story about how you overcame a
challenge, a favorite recipe, a tech. tip, or an
announcement that you would like to publish in
the Advocate, please send it via email to ODSTESTS@apsu.edu
with the subject line "Advocate submission", or drop your
submission off at the ODS front desk. Don't forget to
include your name, contact information, and any special
instructions. And please make sure your submission is
typed and legible.
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All APSU Students including ODS
registered students have access to the Assistive Technology
located in the the library (first floor-- JAWS and Kurzweil
3000) and ODS Access lab (second floor JAWS, Kurzweil
3000/1000, ZoomText, CCTV and Dragon Naturally Speaking) and
MUC114 ODS AT Lab (Closed Caption Television (up x60
enlargement), Zoom Text Magnifier, JAWS Screen Reader,
and Kurzweil 3000/1000). Further description of ODS
Assistive Technology is available through the
Services for Access and
Assistive Technology link on the
ODS web.
For an orientation explaining the assistive
technology ODS provides, please come to an open AT
orientation— for dates and times go to the link
Announcements and Events on the ODS web site.
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The Office of Disability Services (ODS)
primary mission is to ensure equal access for students with
disabilities to all curricular and co-curricular
opportunities offered by Austin Peay State University. ODS
is also committed to provide leadership to the campus
community to ensure compliance with legal requirements for
equal access.
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