February is Black History Month, and a
month for lovers! For more information about
Black History Month events here at Austin Peay, see our
Dates to Remember article
below. Those born in February
claim the amethyst for their birthstone and the primrose and
violet for their flower. Famous people
born in February include: Abraham
Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, Hattie
Caraway (1st woman in the U.S. Senate), Charles Lindbergh,
George Washington, Ronald Reagan, Charles Darwin, Galileo
Galilei, Thomas Edison, Charles Dickens, George Frederick
Handel, and "Buffalo Bill" Cody, to name a few.
But did you know that six of the
individuals listed above had disabilities?
Lincoln, Galileo, Dickens, Handel, Darwin, and Edison each
overcame significant difficulties in their lives and
continue to enrich our lives through their outstanding
accomplishments. One of our greatest presidents,
Abraham Lincoln, had chronic depression. And
believe it or not, the father of astronomy, Galileo Galilei,
had eye problems for much of his life and went
blind before he died. Famous British novelist, Charles
Dickens, and brilliant German composer, George Frederick
Handel, both had epilepsy. Charles Darwin,
ground-breaking evolutionary scientist, stuttered and
had obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). And
last but certainly not least, famous American inventor, Thomas Edison, struggled with
hearing loss and deafness after a childhood bout of scarlet
fever.
"We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers,
stereotypes, and discrimination.... to ensure that
everyone has a chance to get the education they need and
live independently as full citizens in their
communities."
-- Barack Obama, April 11, 2008
President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden have
a comprehensive agenda to empower Americans with
disabilities. By becoming a signatory to (and having
the Senate ratify) the UN Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities and by pursuing the four following
goals, they plan to reclaim America's global leadership in
the pursuit of rights for citizens with disabilities.
First, they plan to increase educational opportunities by
funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act,
supporting early intervention for children with disabilities
and universal screening, improving college opportunities for
high school graduates with disabilities, and making college
more affordable.
Second, they plan to end discrimination by restoring the
Americans with Disabilities Act, increasing funding for
enforcement, supporting the Genetic Information
Nondiscrimination Act, ensuring affordable health care for
all, and improving mental health care.
Third, they plan to increase the employment rate by
implementing regulations that require the federal government
and its contractors to employ people with disabilities,
providing private-sector employers with resources to
accommodate employees with disabilities, encouraging
employers to use existing tax benefits to hire more workers
with disabilities, and supporting small businesses owned by
people with disabilities.
And fourth, they plan to support independent living for
Americans with disabilities by enforcing the Community
Choice Act, creating a voluntary, budget-neutral national
insurance program to help adults who have functional
disabilities to remain independent and in their communities,
and streamline the Social Security approval process .
Summarized from the Office of the White
House web site. For more information, visit:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/disabilities/
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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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Disabled veterans, the Department of
Labor has identified the top ten reasons employers should
consider hiring you, but you already know why! You
have the proven ability to learn new skills and concepts in
real world situations, you have leadership experience, you
know how to work on a team, you have learned to work
side-by-side with individuals regardless of race, gender,
ethnicity, religion, or economic status, you perform well
under pressure, you know the value of rules and regulations,
you often have technological expertise, you have integrity,
you are trained and aware of health and safety standards,
and you have triumphed over adversity.
The Dept. of Labor's "HireVetsFirst"
initiative (
http://www.hirevetsfirst.gov/ ) is here to help get the
word out to your potential employers and provide you with a
job search database. Visit
http://www.earnworks.com/providers/success/index.asp
for additional employment opportunities and
information about becoming a speaker and advocate for other
veteran's with disabilities.
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Feb 2
Ground Hog Day! And African American Cultural Center (AACC) Monday
Sundae "Sagging Doesn't Live Here Anymore" at Woodward Library 3rd
Floor, 6pm
Feb
2-7
Coming Home Banner Contest, All Week in the MUC Lobby, winner announced
at Feb.7th Men’s Basketball Game
Feb
3 Guest
Speaker: Simon Deng “Crisis in Sudan” 5 p.m. , MUC 303-305; and "What's
My Line?" at AACC, 6pm
Feb 4
African American Cinema Day 9am-4pm, AACC
Feb 5 Last day
to apply for May 2009 Graduation, and NAACP Black History Knowledge Bowl
MUC307 at 7pm; and "Coming
Home Megaphone Giveaway" (first 200 students), 7:30pm at the Dunn Center
Feb 6
Afro-Centric Friday Young Entrepreneurs Series, "Starting a
Small Business", 1 pm, AACC; and AACC Cooking Show:
Guyana, AACC, 6pm
Feb 7 Coming
Home T-shirt Giveaway (first 200 students), 4:45pm at the Dunn Center
Feb 9 Monday
Sundae "Black Students Revealed", 6pm, AACC
Feb 10 Nashville Career Fair,
Tennessee State Fairgrounds, 10am-3pm, visit
http://www.nashvillefairs.org/
and
http://www.apsu.edu/careers/cfair/cfjobseekers.htm for more
information; and National Pan-Hellenic Council HIV/AIDS Awareness,
MUC303, 9-4pm
Feb 11 Unity
Celebration Dinner, MUC Ballroom, 6pm
Feb 12 NAACP
Birthday
Feb 13 National
Pan-Hellenic Council Valentine's Day Dance, Foy gym Courts
A&B, 7pm
Feb 16 Guest
Speaker: Kabahita presents “Save our Sisters, Save our Nation" 4 p.m. ,
MUC Ballroom, BC; and AACC Cooking Show: Jamaica, 6pm
Feb 17 Citizen
Poster Project 10-12pm and 2-4pm; and "What's My Line?",
AACC, 6pm
Feb 18 Poster
Exhibition and Reception for Amos Kennedy, Woodward Library
Entry Level, 6pm, followed by a discussion and film at
7:30pm
Feb 19 Visiting
International Music Artists: Toby Foyeh & Orchestra Africa,
Co-sponsored by African American Cultural Center 6 p.m., MMC Auditorium
Feb 20
Afro-Centric Friday University Splash Art Workshop 1-3 pm
Feb 23
Monday Sundae Film Screening: "Brick and Brack", 1pm and 3
pm, AACC; and "Aligning Yourself to Work in the White
House", Woodward Library 3rd Floor, 6pm
Feb 24
Date Night- “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist”, 7pm at the Clement
Auditorium; and African Coffee Tasting 9-11am; and African
American Read-In, 5pm
Feb 25 Heritage
of the Buffalo Soldiers, 4pm, AACC
Feb 26 Last day
to drop with an automatic “W”; and AACC Essay Scholarship Reception,
6pm, AACC
Feb 27 “Dance
Marathon” to benefit the Monroe Carroll Jr. Children’s Hospital at
Vanderbilt, contact the SLL office at 221-7431 for more information on
how you can help; and AACC Cooking Show: Nigeria, 6pm, AACC
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Chocolate Fondue (Romantic &
Super quick for busy college students!)
Use this recipe for dipping fresh
strawberries, sugar cookies, fortune cookies, or
mini-croissants!
Makes 2-4 servings (depending on how hungry you are)
and takes about 15 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. Half and Half or Cream
1 Tbsp. Butter
8 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet
chocolate (chopped)
Directions:
In a small saucepan bring half-and-half
and butter to simmering (you can use a microwave to do this
also, just use a glass, micro-wave safe dish instead of a
saucepan). Remove saucepan
from heat; whisk in chocolate until melted.
If necessary, whisk in an additional tablespoon of
half-and-half to make a better dipping consistency. Transfer
the chocolate mixture to a small fondue pot or a 10-ounce
custard cup. Serve hot with fresh strawberries, cookies, or
croissants for dipping, or your favorite ice-cream.
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LeRoy Parks Civitan Scholarship
The LeRoy C. Parks Scholarship was
established by the Civitan Club to honor Mr. Parks service
as 1999-2000 International President. The Civitan's main
focus is to assist individuals with disabilities.
Deadline is 31 March 2009. Check
http://www.apsu.edu/disability/Scholarships.aspx for
more information.
The Cameron Ford Watts
Scholarship
The Cameron Ford Watts Scholarship was
established in 1993 in memory of Cameron Ford Watts. His
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rip Watts of Clarksville, Tennessee,
established this endowed scholarship as a way to positively
impact other individuals with disabilities.
Deadline is 31 March 2009. Check
http://www.apsu.edu/disability/Scholarships.aspx for
more information.
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Would you like to win $5,000 or $3,000
dollars? If you have an idea about how to make
technology more accessible for people who are aging or who
have disabilities, this competition is for you! First
you have to register at
www.imaginecup.com
. You can register individually or with
some friends to make a team. In order to qualify for
the first round of the contest, you must submit a 500 word
summary of your proposed solution and an electronic image
demonstrating your idea (via PowerPoint, Microsoft
Expression, or a JPEG/GIF). If your idea makes it to
the second round, you also have to submit a prototype of
your proposed solution!
These are the dates for the
competition:
|
ROUND
|
START DATE
(all times 12:01AM GMT)
|
END DATE
(all times 11:59PM GMT)
|
|
1
|
January 15, 2009
|
March 31, 2009
|
|
2
|
April 15, 2009
|
June 15, 2009
|
Visit the
Imagine Cup Accessibility Award Website for more rules
and information.
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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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