April was Disability Awareness Month here
at Austin Peay. Thank you to all the volunteers and
members who participated in our events and who helped out
throughout the year with note-taking! We still have a
few t-shirts left, so if you couldn't make it to our WBC or
Star events, feel free to stop by the office to get a free
shirt!
We wish everyone a fun and safe summer!
And for those not taking classes this June, we hope to see
you again in August for the fall semester!
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After two strokes, he was completely blind, dependent on
his cane and his wife's arm to safely walk down the street.
But researchers had a hunch: They suspected that,
unconsciously, the man might be sensing the world around him
through his eyes better than anyone realized.
So the neuroscientists devised a simple experiment: They
asked the man to walk down a long hallway unaided by his
cane or anyone else -- without telling him they had turned
the corridor into a makeshift maze by randomly placing
boxes, chairs and other objects in his path.
To their astonishment, the man deftly maneuvered past
every obstacle. Then he turned around and did it again,
prompting the stunned researchers to burst into applause.
"We were so excited," said Beatrice de Gelder, a
cognitive neuroscientist at Tilburg University in the
Netherlands and Harvard Medical School, who reports the
experiment today in the journal Current Biology. "It was
really quite amazing to see."
The first-of-its-kind case is providing doctors with new
insights into how vision works, suggesting that even when
the brain's primary vision centers have been destroyed,
signals entering the eyes are still registering. Although no
one thinks the findings could help make the blind see, they
do indicate some blind people may have hidden
capabilities....
.... To read the rest of this
amazing article published in the Washington Post, visit the
link to the article,
Experts Show That a Blind Man's Eyes Can Help Him Navigate.
This article was written by Rob Stein and published December
23, 2008, in the Washington Post.
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In 2006 the Tennessee Disability Coalition helped pass the Autism Equity Act,
legislation that helped begin coverage of Autism Spectrum
Disorders. A new bill
in state congress expands Autism treatment even further by requiring
health insurers to provide sufficient levels of coverage to
meet the needs of children for speech, occupational,
behavioral and other therapies.
Senate Bill 1789 by Herron and
House Bill 2105 by Shepard are both going through the
approval process here in Tennessee. Show your support
by writing or calling your legislator. Visit the
Disability Action Network for more information on
upcoming disability related legislation in Tennessee.
To search for other legislation visit:
http://www.capitol.tn.gov/
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Mark your calendars for May15th and 16th and come out to
Vanderbilt University to participate, volunteer, or
watch the Tennessee Summer Games! Events include
Aquatics, Bocce, Horseshoes, Tennis, Power-lifting, and
Volleyball. Good times will be had by all! For
more information, contact the Montgomery County
representative, Jerry Nass, at 931-647-7288 and
bossnasstn@juno.com, or the TN Games and Competitions
Director, Meg Takahashi, at 1800-383-8502 and
mlsotn@aol.com.
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MAY 1-7 Final Exams
MAY 2 Cinco de Mayo FUN RUN, Gulch
District in Nashville, proceeds benefit the Autism Society of Middle TN,
for more information contact Jason Brown at 615-385-2077, ext. 3 and
visit www.irunfortheparty.com.
MAY 8 Commencement Ceremonies
MAY 15-16
Tennessee Special Olympics, Vanderbilt
University
MAY 15 Application Deadline
for Summer Semester
MAY 18 "MayMester" 1st
day of classes
MAY 25 Memorial Day,
University Closed
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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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