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A Place to Know More About Ability
While I was looking for interviewees, one of the professors that I know at University of Minnesota introduced another professor. Her name suggests she may be a Japanese person and I was very excited because I never expected to meet a Japanese researcher in Minnesota! I emailed her and got a reply very soon. Surprisingly she also uses wheelchair (Moon Rider) !
Thanks to my friend’s introduction, I got a chance to visit “Interact Center” in St. Paul, Minnesota where people with disabilities work on visual and performing art. I could meet various kinds of disabled people such as down syndrome, deaf, blind, mental health, and wheelchair users. They all welcomed me with beautiful smile.
During my research trip in Wisconsin last month, I could go back to my school, University of Wisconsin River Falls (UWRF). When I was a student and had problems with my wheelchair or other issues related to my disability, I always visited Mark Johnson who is the office coordinator at Student Ability Services. Fortunately I could meet him again which we both never ever expected!
Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services (EOIRS) is a place which provides reasonable accommodations for staff and faculty with disabilities who work at Syracuse University. I had an opportunity to interview Dana Butler (Leaves and Disabilities Accommodation Coordinator) and Aaron Hodukavich (the Director and ADA/503/504 Coordinator).
The Office of Disability Services (ODS) is a place which provides reasonable accommodations and services for students with disabilities. In Syracuse University, approximately 1,300 students registered with this office. The majority of their disabilities are unobservable, such as learning disabilities, ADHD, and mental health. I had an opportunity to interview the Director, Paula Possenti-Perez.
I visited on of public elementary schools in the community the other day. It is the smallest public school with 420 students in the district. There are 75 students with disabilities. Most of them have learning disabilities. All students with disabilities learn with students without disabilities in the same classroom. There are special education teachers and teaching assistants to support teachers to help student to learn, since students with disabilities sometimes have a hard time to speak, write, or understand in class.