Disability Awareness Month 2017

Looking for materials to help you with next month's Disability Awareness campaign? The Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities is offering posters, bookmarks and stickers that can help you with your event. You'll also find a library of resources to help make your event a success.

Order your kit now at www.IndianaDisabilityAwareness.org.

Literature and disability

"Literature and Disability introduces readers to the field of disability studies and the ways in which a focus on issues of impairment and the representation of disability can provide new approaches to reading and writing about literary texts. Disability plays a central role in much of the most celebrated literature, yet it is only in recent years that literary criticism has begun to consider the aesthetic, ethical and literary challenges that this poses." -publisher

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Civil disabilities: Citizenship, membership, and belonging

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But how much have we achieved? Civil Disabilities urges us to reconceptualize disability and citizenship in order to secure a fully inclusive place for people with disabilities in our society. Essays from leading scholars in a diversity of fields offer critical perspectives on current citizenship studies.

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check it out or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

March is Disability Awareness Month

During the month of March, the City of Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD) will showcase artworks by Stone Belt clients to celebrate March as Disability Awareness Month. Works are created in a variety of media, including what has become Stone Belt’s signature style, the mixed-media mosaic.

The exhibit will be on display March 1 – 31.  Exhibition hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, as well as additional evening and weekend hours when City Hall is open for meetings. A reception will be held on Friday, March 6, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., which is free and open to the public. In addition to being on display, the Stone Belt artwork will be available for purchase. Stone Belt artists will be in attendance to meet the public, discuss the artwork and answer questions.

(Un)learning disability: Recognizing and changing restrictive views of student ability

(Un)learning disability: Recognizing and changing restrictive views of student ability offers concrete ways that students, schools, and teachers can unlearn disabling behaviors. It illuminates how social processes of disablement take place, rather than simply describing their influence and looks at settings where students encounter more flexible ideas of ability and intelligence. -from the book description

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Schizophrenia awareness

Ever wonder what it's like to constantly hear voices in your head? Anderson Cooper was recently subjected to an experiment in schizophrenia awareness where he did just that. Cooper used earphones to listen to people whispering and shouting at him while being asked to perform simple commands. It's a powerful exercise in empathy.

Want to see the video from CNN? Watch it here:
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/06/09/ac-dnt-schizophrenia-simulator.cnn.html

Disability awareness from the U.K.

From the U.K. comes a series of one-minute ads meant to end the awkwardness that sometimes happens between people with and without disabilities. Those without disabilities can sometimes seem downright offensive to people with disabilities without even knowing it. In addition to the ads, there is also a quiz to find out just how awkward you are with someone with a disability.

Want to read the article and view the videos? Please visit: http://www.vox.com/2014/5/8/5694742/are-you-a-jerk-to-people-with-disabilities-without-even-knowing-it

CCA Announces Activities for Disability and Accessibility Awareness Months

Bloomington, Ind. – March and April offer many opportunities to consider how welcoming our community is to people with disabilities. Bloomington joins communities across Indiana in observing March as Disability Awareness Month and April as Accessibility Awareness Month.

The City of Bloomington's Council for Community Accessibility (CCA) has put together a  calendar of activities that will take place in Bloomington, including events on the campuses of Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College, during March and April. Individuals with disabilities, family members, service providers and fellow community members are encouraged to participate in the listed activities. The calendar is available at https://bloomington.in.gov/cca.

To submit additional items for the calendar or for more information about the Council for Community Accessibility, please contact Special Projects Coordinator Craig Brenner at brennerc@bloomington.in.gov or 349.3471.

Don't Call Me Inspirational

From the book description:
"In her empowering and at times confrontational memoir, Don't Call Me Inspirational, Rousso who has cerebral palsy, describes overcoming the prejudice against disability--not overcoming disability. She addresses the often absurd and ignorant attitudes of strangers, friends, and family.

"Rousso also examines her own prejudice toward her disabled body, and portrays the healing effects of intimacy and creativity, as well as her involvement with the disability rights community. She intimately reveals herself with honesty and humor and measures her personal growth as she goes from "passing" to embracing and claiming her disability as a source of pride, positive identity, and rebellion."

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Catherine's Story

Catherine's story is a book about a special little girl. But what makes Catherine so special? She can't talk, and she can't walk very well, but she can do some special things. This beautifully illustrated and simply told story is about a girl with an unspecified disability who offers much love and happiness.

Want to check it out? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Disability in the Christian Tradition: A Reader

From the book description (Disability in the Christian Tradition):
"For two millennia Christians have thought about what human impairment is and how faith communities and society should respond to people with perceived impairments. But never has one volume collected the most significant Christian writings on disability. This book fills that gap.

Brian Brock and John Swinton's Disability in the Christian Tradition brings together for the first time key writings by thinkers from all periods of Christian history - including Augustine, Aquinas, Julian of Norwich, Luther, Calvin, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Bonhoeffer, Barth, Hauerwas, and more. Fourteen contemporary experts in theology and disability studies guide readers through each era or group of thinkers, offering clear commentary and highlighting important themes."

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Challenging Ableism

Looking for a sourcebook that moves disability from a medical or economic concern to a social justice concern? Challenging ableism, understanding disability, including adults with disabilities in workplaces and learning spaces might be just the ticket. The authors present the perspectives of individuals with disabilities, service providers, parents, and teachers and offer analyses that range from the personal to the broadly political.

Want to know more? Send us an email at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title or use worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Bloomington's Disability Awareness Month Activities

Looking for events to attend for Disability Awareness Month and/or Accessibility Awareness Month? The City of Bloomington, Indiana, has put together an online calendar of events related to March's Disability Awareness Month and April's Accessibility Awareness Month. To view the entire calendar, please visit: http://bloomington.in.gov/disabilityawarenessmonth

Speak Out for Understanding

The film Speak out for understanding is a disability awareness documentary produced by a high school student. It's goal is to promote communication, understanding, and equity for people with disabilities.The DVD also contains a Facilitator's Guide and pamphlet.

The documentary involves a dynamic service-learning project titled Speak Out for Understanding, where a group of high school students with varying abilities learn to speak out for themselves and others. The students decided to create this film to raise awareness by telling their own stories to selected audiences for the purpose of bringing about change.

Interested? Send us an email at cedir@indiana.edu to check it out, or try worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

The Hearing World Around Me

The film The Hearing World Around Me is a "one deaf woman show" with stories told by Trix Bruce in American Sign Language and in voice by Kenan Pekoz. Bruce shares stories of her life as a deaf woman and how being deaf has colored her world. She highlights her most embarrassing moments, learning experiences, greatest challenges, and growing sense of pride.

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this title, or try worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Mr. Positive

Carl Bentson is Mr. Positive. In fact, his favorite word is, "Yeah." This kind gentleman is famous in his neighborhood for his positive attitude and his amazing bike. Explore Carl's world as he goes about his daily life giving and receiving support from his neighbors and friends.

Interested? Email us at cedir@indiana.edu to check out this video. Or try worldcat.org to find it in a library near you.

Seizures & you

From the Epilepsy Foundation of America comes a disability awareness training kit called Seizures & you: Take charge of the facts: An epilepsy awareness program for teens. The kit includes everything you need to conduct a training: a facilitator's guide, slide printouts with presenter notes; matching worksheet; epilepsy fact sheet; student quiz, "Building on take charge of the facts" which is a guide for extending learning and deepening awareness about epilepsy. It also comes with a CD-ROM which includes a PowerPoint presentation, epilepsy fact sheet, matching worksheet and student quiz.

Eight quick read booklets round out the kit: Children & seizures, Driving & you, Questions & answers, Seizures & first aid, Seizures & safety, Seizures & sleep, Treatment & you, True or false? along with two quick guides: First aid for seizures; Recognise common symptoms of seizures.

Interested? Contact us!

Aimee Mullins on the Colbert Report

Last Thursday, April 15th, model, actress, and former paralympian Aimee Mullins appeared on the Colbert Report. Mullins appears in minutes 15 through 21 of the show to speak about what constitutes a "prosthetic" or "disability" (Quote: "Pinups have more prosthetics in their breasts than I do in my entire body, but no one calls most of Hollywood disabled").


You can watch the full episode on Comedy Central at http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=271365.

Disability Awareness Poster Contest

Modified from the Bloomington city website:

Help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act by entering the Council for Community Accessibility's disability and accessibility awareness poster competition! The competition begins in April and runs until the first of June.

Prizes will be awarded to selected entries and announced at the July celebration of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

All poster entries should highlight a disability and/or accessibility issue and can include graphic design, drawing, painting, and/or photography.

All entries must include this registration form: http://bloomington.in.gov/media/media/application/pdf/6729.pdf

Information about the competition and hard copies of the registration form are available at the Community & Family Resources Department, Suite 260, City Hall, 401 N. Morton Street, Bloomington.

For information, contact Craig Brenner at 812-349-3471 or brennerc@bloomington.in.gov.

"Television with a Conscience"

The Television Academy of Honors will pay tribute to eight TV episodes "with a conscience" on May 5th, 2010. The criteria for the selection was, broadly, demonstration of the "power of television to change attitudes and lives...These programs concern vital issues ranging from capital punishment to racism, prescription drug abuse and trafficking, autism, the military escort for fallen service members, physician-assisted suicide and important disability issues."

Here are the eight episodes announced, with plot synopses.

CSI, "Coup De Grace": The team investigates the accidental shooting of an off-duty cop by another cop, officer Danny Finn, whose unabashed racial bias raises the possibility that the shooting was no accident

Glee, "Wheels": Glee advisor Will Shuster challenges the club members to spend a week without walking to better understand their fellow member Artie, who has paraplegia. The group takes it one step further and prepares a full song and dance number in wheelchairs. A student with Down Syndrome is also selected for the cheerleading squad, whose usually caustic coach has a sister with the same condition.

Grandpa, Do You Know Who I Am?: An HBO documentary that tells five stories of children, ages 6-15, who are coping with grandfathers or grandmothers suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Explorer, “Inside Death Row”: An episode in this National Geographic expose interviews three inmates in Huntsville, Texas as their dates of execution draw near, and follows the stories of their families and loved ones as they deal with death firsthand.

Private Practice, "Nothing To Fear": Pete and Sam of Oceanside Wellness struggle with the issue of assisted suicide, as a former colleague with stomach cancer faces a slow, painful death.

Taking Chance: Another HBO movie, this film is based on the journal of Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, who volunteered to escort the remains of fallen Marines to their homes in the United States.

Unlocking Autism: Discovery Health will air this documentary on April 6th. Unlocking Autism will "voyage into the lives of some of autism's most fascinating characters and learned more about the challenges and successes of overcoming the still mysterious disorder known as autism."

Vanguard, "The Oxytocin Express": Jouranlists venture to the "main source of an illicit prescription drug pipeline." The documentary tracks the trail of the potent narcotic from Florida to Kentucky, where overdoses and addiction run rampant.

You can view some of these episodes online from the official station websites. Here are links to Wheels on Fox and The Oxytocin Express on Hulu.