Spring 2005 Disability Services Newsletter

DYA President Hillary Jorgensen Receives 20th Annual Equity and Excellence Award

Disability Services takes great pride in announcing that Hillary Jorgensen is the recipient of the 20th Annual Equity and Excellence Award. This prestigious award is given to the CU-Boulder student who has best demonstrated outstanding service to the university community. Hillary is a model student leader and, as a student with a disability, she has made a significant contribution to both the disability student leadership and the nondisabled underrepresented student leadership on our campus.

Ms. Jorgensen's service highlights at CU include membership in the following diversity groups, which are committed to improving the climate for all students:

• Coalition of Chancellor's Committees on Underrepresented Populations
• Underrepresented Student Group Council
• Chancellor's Program Accessibility Committee
• Student Outreach and Retention Center for Equity Advisory Board, Chair (Senior Year)
• Disability Services Student Liaison (Junior and Senior Years)
• Women's Resource Center Advisory Board (Junior and Senior Years)
• Discover Your Abilities Student Organization, Co-Founder (Junior Year)
• UCSU Diversity Commission, Chair (Sophomore Year)
• CUPD Student Liaison Committee

During her undergraduate career, Hillary has demonstrated a passion for leadership and diversity awareness. She served as a National Youth Leadership Network Resource consultant and a member of the esteemed National Council on Disability-Youth Advisory Committee.

As co-founder and co-coordinator of the Discover Your Abilities organization for students with disabilities, Hillary established a pilot Ally Training Program, which enabled the disability community's voice to be heard and be part of a larger conversation on campus involving underrepresented populations.

As testimony of the respect she earned from the campus student leadership for her efforts on diversity issues, she was invited to participate on a student leadership panel during the 10th Annual Diversity Summit. She also organized and served as moderator for a student discussion on the climate for women on campus in an event sponsored by the Chancellor's Committee on Women.

Her academics certainly have not suffered as a result of her cocurricular and extracurricular activities. She will graduate this May as an English Literature major with a current 3.5 GPA, and will be attending the Seattle University School of Law this coming fall. Hillary plans to use her law degree to work on social justice issues on the behalf of marginalized populations.

Writing Lab Is Helpful!

Writing can commence in many forms. This is apparent at CU here as students are assigned to write poems, short stories, dramas, philosophy papers, research papers, and other analytical papers. Some of these are chores,others are labors of love. The writing chore can be a daunting one, filled with fears, doubts, unclear thoughts, and spelling and grammar mistakes, resulting in a clouded, confused piece of writing. However, when writing becomes convoluted and confusing there is always the Writing Lab.

I tend to have fears about many analytical papers I write. Filled with what I like to call "creative spelling and grammar" I sometimes need a critical eye to help me spot my mistakes. With fragmented sentences and unclear ideas plaguing my work, I walk up the dim, dusty, concrete staircase of Willard Hall, assignment in hand, to the writing lab. The Writing Lab is a place were I have learned how to find and fix the grammatical errors I make. I am also able to talk about my thesis and paper, which gives me a clearer idea of what my paper is lacking and how to improve it. An hour later I exit through the dimly lit concrete stairway with more confidence than I had before.

Sometimes I return a second time to the lab. The end result is a well-written, clear paper. The writing lab has helped me retune my papers so that they are grammatically clear and have a clear form. When you look at your paper, or have doubts about your work, I urge you to consider seeking the one-on-one attention in the quiet welcoming atmosphere of the Writing Lab.

An Intern's Experience

Photo – Intern Anne Marie Morgan interpreting in the Disability Services staff meeting.

This semester I have had the incredible opportunity to intern as a sign language interpreter at CU-Boulder. Here I am at CU, with some of the best interpreters in Colorado.

Even though my education at Front Range Community College's Interpreter Preparation Program prepared me well, transitioning from practicing in a controlled classroom environment to interpreting in a university setting was a huge step. During the first week, I observed the work of the professional interpreters. In the ensuing weeks, I teamed with them and gradually became more comfortable as I honed my skills.

One of my favorite things about interning at CU is working in a learning environment. Coming from an educational background–I worked previously as the office manager at Nederland High School–I love the academic setting.  And I particularly enjoy taking advantage of learning new things, from the various classes I interpret in, and from the interpreters who mentor me. They are committed to providing exceptional services for their Deaf consumers here at CU, and they show their dedication to the interpreting profession by mentoring interns who are entering this exciting field.

I still have a lot to learn, but my internship experience at CU has helped me prepare for the next step in my new career.

Specialist Cindy Bedell attended the Learning Disabilities Association of America Conference in Reno March 2–5, 2005.

General sessions and specific workshops were presented by speakers with expertise in education, psychology, and learning disabilities. Some of the topics included Reading Fluency Interventions and Systematic Decoding Strategies, Multi-sensory Techniques To Enhance Memory, and The Correlation Between Post-secondary Sudents' Academic Self Regulation and Achievement. There were also workshops about empowering strategic learners and preventing or reversing learned helplessness.

Gaston Caperton, the two-term governor of West Virginia, spoke about "Dealing with Dyslexia: The Power of High Expectations."

Introducing New Specialist, Raymond Carleton

I am very honored to be the newest member of a great department, Disability Services, at a wonderful university. Working in the field of psychology for the last 18 years has offered me a wide range of professional development. I hold a master's degree in clinical psychology and have worked with people in many different stages of human development, from toddlers to the terminally ill. As a result, I particularly like to use a developmental model in addressing people's needs. Through the years, and with the discovery of my own learning disabilities and attentional deficits some 14 years ago, I have been steadily drawn to the field of diverse learning. Now, having the opportunity to work exclusively in the field, I see a new chapter in my professional development beginning. Thus, I wish to bring a unique and effective style of working with students over the course of their academic careers here at CU. My personal interests include expression through art, astrophysics, and exploring the societal impact of the growing culture of violence and death. I love to travel, especially if it involves scuba diving or skiing. I'm looking forward to becoming a Buff fan.

Three Deaf students and a hearing professor from Ehime University in Matsuyama, Japan visited the CU-Boulder campus to observe the interpreting, captioning, and notetaking services in the classroom. They had the opportunity to interview graduate and undergraduate Deaf CU students. The students had unique experience communicating between two different sign langauges.