1. The Blind, Deaf, Lame and Mute – Embracing the Differently Abled: Perspectives From a Legally Blind Chemist Baldwin Community Day 2014 Diversity and Inclusion: Social Justice and Social Responsibility Notre Dame of Maryland University Presented by Alfred T. D’Agostino, Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry

2. OVERVIEW What are the obstacles that the differently abled face in becoming fully accepted and engaged in society? Misconceptions about “disability.” Why are ADA and EEOC still operating? The consequences of bias and discrimination. Accessibility through assistive technologies / adaptive strategies. The societal impediments that the differently abled encounter, and what we might do to eliminate barriers to personal fulfillment, achievement, and inclusion.

3. VERY HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT OF BLIND / DEAF PEOPLE For working age adults reporting significant vision loss, only 37.7% were employed in 2012. [Erickson, W., Lee, C., von Schrader, S. (2014). Disability Statistics from the 2012 American Community Survey (ACS). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute (EDI).] For people with hearing loss disability (ages 18 – 64) only 40.1% were employed in 2012.

4. THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT: CIVIL RIGHTS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES WHAT IS THE ADA? The ADA is a federal civil rights law for people with disabilities, comparable to civil rights law passed in the 1960s for other minorities. It covers employment, state and local government services, public accommodations, and telecommunications for the deaf. WHY DO WE NEED ADA? 43 million Americans have physical or mental disabilities. Too often they are excluded from the mainstream of American life by attitudes and inaccessible environments. 67 percent of all people with disabilities are unemployed, even among college graduates. The ADA benefits all of us. Each of us has a 20 percent chance of becoming a person with a disability and a 50 percent chance of having a family member with a disability. (from Council on Disability Rights)

5. PROVISIONS OF ADA WHO DOES THE ADA COVER? All people with disabilities, visible and hidden, including: a person with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life functions (eating, breathing, caring for oneself, working, walking, etc.), OR a person with a record of such an impairment (even if that record is inaccurate), OR a person who is regarded as having such an impairment. TITLE I - ENPKLOYMENT WHAT EMPLOYEES ARE COVERED BY THE ADA? In general, the ADA prohibits discrimination against a qualified person with a disability. There are no affirmative action requirements in the ADA. An employer can still hire the most qualified person for the job as long as the disability is not used to disqualify a person. A "qualified person with a disability" is one who is able to perform the essential functions of a job with or without a reasonable accommodation. "Reasonable accommodation" is defined by the ADA by example and must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Examples in the statute include: making facilities physically accessible; job restructuring; acquisition or modification of equipment or devices; adjustment or modification of examinations, training materials or policies; providing qualified readers or interpreters; and other similar accommodations.

6. ADA AND EDUCATION TITLE III – PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS WHAT SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS MUST PUBLIC ACCOMMODATIONS PROVIDE? Auxiliary aids and services, including: sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices and headsets, brailled, large-print, and taped texts, TV decoders, and TDD/TTY (text telephone for the deaf, hearing and speech impaired). Physical access requirements of the ADA Access Guidelines (ADAAG). ARE THERE SPECIAL CRITERIA FOR PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATIONS AND COURSES? The ADA specifically requires that any organization which offers examinations or courses related to secondary or postsecondary education, professional or trade purposes (e.g., SATs, law boards, CPA examinations, GREs) must offer them both in an accessible location and in an accessible manner. Title IV – Telecommunications for the Deaf What must be provided under this Title? Any provider of local or long distance telephone service must provide a relay service for people who are deaf. Under this service, people with TDD/TTYs who are calling a party without a TDD/TTY, and vice versa, can make the call through a relay service, which will transmit the call via TDD/TTY or voice, depending on need.

7. Services for LNDL Users with Disabilities France-Merrick Digital Media and Adaptive Technology Lab JAWS JAWS (Job Access With Speech) is a computer screen reader program for text-to-speech output. Kurzweil 3000 Reads aloud web based, digital or scanned print material, converts web based, digital or scanned print materials into mp3 to provide audible output. TextHelp Read & Write Gold A many featured application to help with dyslexia and other reading and writing impairments. It includes text to speech, spell checking, image label reading and file conversion. ZoomText Software for screen reading and magnification. Scanners For OCR (Optical Character Recognition) To create searchable PDF documents that can be read by text-to-speech software. CCTV For display and magnification of documents making them viewable on a television screen. Braille Embosser Prints documents in Braille from interfaced computer.

8. MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING 1. EVERYONE WITH HEARING LOSS USES SIGN LANGUAGE AND READS LIPS. 2. TALKING LOUDER WILL HELP A PERSON WITH HEARING LOSS TO UNDERSTAND. 3. HEARING AIDS AND COCHLEAR IMPLANTS RESTORE HEARING TO NORMAL. 4. PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS ARE STUPID, MUTE AND UNSUCCESSFUL. 5. PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS TEND TO BE OLDER ADULTS. 6. PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS ARE DEFINED BY THEIR HEARING LOSS. 7. HAVING HEARING LOSS IS SHAMEFUL. 8. WHEN PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS MISS SOMETHING, IT’S OK TO TELL THEM, “IT’S NOT IMPORTANT,” OR “I’LL TELL YOU LATER.” 9. PEOPLE WITH HEARING LOSS ARE RUDE AND PUSHY.

9. MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND 1. BLINDNESS IS A TRAGEDY. FOR PEOPLE WHO SUFFER FROM BLINDNESS LIFE HAS LOST ALL MEANING. 2. PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED ARE MENTALLY SLOW OR LESS INFORMED. 3. PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED ARE HELPLESS AND REQUIRE SUPERVISION IN THEIR DAILY ACTIVITIES FOR SAFETY'S SAKE. 4. MOST BLIND CHILDREN GO TO PRIVATE SPECIAL SCHOOLS. 5. BEING BLIND MEANS HAVING NO VISION AT ALL. 6. A BLIND PERSON'S OTHER SENSES (HEARING/ TOUCH) ARE MORE ACUTE. 7. BLIND PEOPLE NEED TO BE SPOKEN TO VERY LOUDLY OR THEY WON’T KNOW YOU ARE ADDRESSING THEM. 8. BLIND PEOPLE ARE EXCELLENT MUSICIANS. 9. ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED KNOW BRAILLE. 10. ALL BLIND PEOPLE USE EITHER A WHITE CAN OR USE A GUIDE DOG. 11. ALL PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED WEAR DARK GLASSES. 12. BLIND PEOPLE CAN ONLY BE EMPLOYED DOING SIMPLE NANUALWORK.

10. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION It is not primarily the issues of providing accessibility to the disabled that leads to exclusion; rather, it is bias, prejudice, and discrimination that leads to unfair treatment and creates barriers.

11. IF WE ACT JUSTLY … Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. Isaiah 35:5-7 (NIV)

12. Where to get information National Federation of the Blind www.NFB.orgwww.NFB.org American Foundation for the Blind www.AFB.orgwww.AFB.org National Association for the Deaf www.NAD.orgwww.NAD.org Hearing Loss Association of America www.HEARINGLOSS.orgwww.HEARINGLOSS.org Association on Higher Education and Disability www.AHED.orgwww.AHED.org

13. Community Day 2014 Notre Dame of Maryland University Diversity and Inclusion: Social Justice and Social Responsibility Workshop Abstract What are the obstacles that the differently abled face in becoming fully accepted and engaged in society? During this interactive workshop we will explore and discuss misconceptions about “disability,” accessibility through assistive/ adaptive technologies, the societal impediments that the differently abled encounter, the consequences of bias and discrimination, why ADA and EEOC are still operating, and what we might do to eliminate barriers to personal fulfillment, achievement, and inclusion.

14. Activities used during the workshop “The Blind, the Deaf, and the Lame” – an activity with 3 student volunteers illustrating aspects of exclusion and disability (in conjunction with large group activity about people who are blind and deaf). “Access and Barriers” – in small groups (organized by “disability”, participants explored accessibility features and barriers to access. “Symbology” – individual and large group activity to uncover the accessibility opportunities for people who are differently abled. “Do I Know the Disabled? / How Do I Respond?” – concluding individual/large group activity exploring attitudes and the social justice/responsibility response to inclusion of the disabled. “How to Include Others” – a handout providing recommendations about how to interact with people who have a disability.

17. Biography Alfred D’Agostino was born in Brooklyn, New York. Due to his low vision, he was placed in the “Sight Conservation” Program in the New York City Public School System. At age 11 he decided that he would become a chemist. His interest in chemistry grew through high school and he attended Fordham University and received his B.S. in Chemistry. He pursued graduate work at Rutgers University where he recognized his vocation as a teacher and made it is goal to obtain a faculty position in higher education. After receiving his M.S. degree in Chemistry, he met his future wife, Karen. After Karen finished her degree, they were married and moved to Utah where they continued graduate studies and began their family. Upon completion of his Ph.D. in physical chemistry, Alfred took a Post-doctoral Fellowship at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. He has held faculty positions at Rutgers, University, University of Maine, and the University of South Florida. Alfred and Karen have been married for 34 years and have four children. Alfred and Karen are 20-year members of St. Ursula parish where he has been a CCD teacher. Alfred has been active in Boy Scouts of America for 30 years. He has been Scoutmaster of Troop 16 in Baltimore for over six and one-half years. Alfred T. D’Agostino, Ph.D. is Professor of Chemistry at Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore. Over the past 20 years he has served as department chairperson (15 years) and he has served multiple times on all major academic and governance committees. Dr. D’Agostino’s research is in the areas of interface and surface science and he has served as a NASA Faculty Research Fellow at the John Glenn Research Center and at Goddard Space Flight Center and has collaborated with a colleague at Johns Hopkins University through NSF Research Opportunity Awards; he has written a variety of publications. Professor D’Agostino teaches lab-based chemistry to non-science majors, nurses, and to majors at the upper-level, using active teaching and learning practices and methods. His teaching scholarship is in the areas of pedagogy and assessment and he is currently doing research involving determining the connection between chemistry subject matter and clinical nursing practice and also the relationship among teaching methods, assessment instruments, and general education learning outcomes in chemistry courses; he has presented at MAALACT ACS and POGIL meetings. Professor D’Agostino attended workshops on reflective teaching and use of educational cards at the two most recent International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning conferences. As a new venture, he incorporated a service-learning project into a chemistry course for non-majors and is enhancing the physical chemistry laboratory course he teaches by using Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning.