September 28, 2006

 

1.  ODS Director Retires – Interim Director Appointed

2.  OSU Disability Voter Coalition Kick-Off:  Tuesday, October 3, 4-6 p.m

3.  Research Project on The History of Disability at OSU On Display

4.  Career Connections at ODS every Thursday from 12:00 to 1:45

5.  Wuhan University in China Seeking ODS Student Input

6.  Dancing Wheels Dance Company Seeking to Hire Wheelchair Dancers
7.  The Next Chapter Book Club Looking for Volunteers


1.  ODS Director Retires – Interim Director Appointed

“Farewell Patty” - After 22 years of working at the Office for Disability Services, Patty Carlton, Director, retired on August 31.  During that time, Patty assisted many students, faculty and staff in disability service provision at the Ohio State University.  She will be missed but we are happy to see her move to the next phase of her life---retirement.  We wish her well and many more Saturdays (since she says being retired is like having a Saturday everyday).

 

Lois Burke, Assistant Director, is now the Interim Director for the office beginning Autumn Quarter 2006.  Lois has vast experience in the field as well having worked at ODS for 21 years.  She will continue to see students who are already on her caseload.  New students to ODS will be seen by the other 4 counselors in the office-Chris, Sean, Caity and Mary.


2. OSU Disability Voter Coalition Kick-Off Set For Tuesday, October 3rd, 4-6 p.m.

 

The OSU Disability Voter Coalition will host its kick-off party from 4 to 6 p.m., Tuesday, October 3 in the Memorial Room, Ohio Union. The event will include food, drink, door prizes, and a raffle.  Speakers will talk about the importance of registering to vote and the voting rights of people with disabilities as well as answer questions. Accessible registration forms will be available during the kick-off.  The OSU Disability Voter Coalition is a group dedicated to informing students with disabilities about their voting rights and trying to help remove some barriers people with disabilities face in registered to vote, getting to the polls, and voting.

      

The event is open to all. We encourage everyone to attend the event and enjoy a fun evening with spirited discussions about voting rights.  This event is co-sponsored by OSU Votes.   For more information on this event or the O.S.U. Disability Voter Coalition, contact Jennifer Smith at smith.4971@osu.edu.  For more information about OSUVotes, contact Keiran Broida, broida.5@osu.edu.

 


3.  Multimedia Website Documents the History of Disability at OSU

As a part of the Research on Research program sponsored by Technology Enhanced Learning and Research (TELR) Professor Brenda Brueggemann and Karla Kmetz collaborated to create a multimedia history of disability at the Ohio State University. The website documents this history by including key people, events, offices and programs. The research began the during the Summer of 2006 and will be a continuing project. The website was designed to be compatible with accessible technology and also includes captioned video in order to be completely accessible to people with disabilities. Please view the project at this web address: http://digitalunion.osu.edu/r2/summer06/kmetz/.



4.  Career Connections at ODS every Thursday from 12:00 to 1:45

Worried about your major? Career? Finding a Graduate school?  Don't forget Kimberly Hendry from Career Connections will be at ODS Thursdays, from 12:00 to 1:45.  Call Mary Koeninger to schedule an appointment, or just walk in.


 

5.  Wuhan University in China Seeking ODS Student Input


Representatives from Wu Han University in China will be touring our office on October 19th, from 8-12.  They would like to create an office for disability services division at their university and would like input from students.  Interested in talking with them?  Call Mary Koeninger.


 

6.  Dancing Wheels Dance Company Seeking to Hire Wheelchair Dancers

America's premier integrated Modem Dance Company is seeking wheelchair dancers to join the company for the 2006/2007 season. Dancing Wheels is seeking to hire athletic, strong and proficient wheelchair users who are interested in a full-time position as a dancer, able to locate to Cleveland and are able and willing to travel throughout the nation and parts of the world.

 

Interested applicants need no prior experience. We will train. The work hours, when not on tour, are from 10 am until 3 pm Monday through Friday. Salary is on a full-time annual contract with vacation time included. All travel expenses are also paid. Check out our website at www.dancingwheels.org. Please contact Mary Verdi-Fletcher, President/Founding Artistic Director, to set up an appointment or schedule an informational interview at vfletcherl@aol.com or call 216-432-0306.

 

7.  The Next Chapter Book Club Looking for Volunteers

 

Have you been looking for a way to give back to your community?  Do you have about one hour to spare each week?  The Next Chapter Book Club is for you!  The Next Chapter Book Club is an exciting program of the OSU Nisonger Center that promotes literacy, social connectedness, and community inclusion for adolescents and adults with intellectual disabilities.  Book clubs meet weekly for one hour in bookstores and coffee shops such as Borders and Caribou Coffee.  We are looking for volunteers to serve as group facilitators.  A current facilitator reports, "We have all become real friends and to a great extent, have positively changed each other's lives."  As a volunteer facilitator, you will be provided with training and ongoing support.  If you would like to volunteer or learn more about the Next Chapter Book Club, please contact Program Coordinator Jillian Ober at ober.7@osu.edu or visit our website at www.nextchapterbookclub.org.