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April 2022 Edition of Inside Equal Access

Alison and AmandaA NOTE FROM THE EDITORS: FINISHING SPRING 2022 WELL

We’re just gonna lay it out there, folks. It’s that time of year (semester). Literally everyone is having a rough time. Your inbox is the electronic equivalent of a dumpster fire. You tore out all the April and May pages in your agenda so that you can stay in denial. You’re not sleeping enough, exercising enough, or eating healthy enough. 

And it’s not just that it’s the end of the semester. It’s not just that spring break was SO DARNED LATE. It’s global wars, it’s won’t-go-away COVID, it’s political unrest. We need to be aware that all of these things take up room in our psyches' holding tanks. And when we’re “running on full” all the time, the littlest tough thing can send everything spilling out. 

But here’s the good news: the littlest GOOD thing does the opposite. It can clear out some room. It lowers the temperature, keeps us from boiling over, and motivates us to believe in ourselves and even pass that goodness along. 

We talk about capacity a lot in disability discussions. Conditions severe enough to warrant federally protected status aren’t just “hard”. Every day, a person with disabilities wakes up with a lot of that mental holding tank already taken. Because coping takes energy. Functioning takes energy. Trying to understand a world created for typical people takes energy. There isn’t a lot left for patience, perseverance, and goal setting. Every day is marked with elements of plain old survival. 

This time of the semester, we ALL experience that. We all can know how it feels. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others. Be flexible. Be patient. Life is a marathon not a sprint. And sometimes that cup of water someone hands you at mile twenty is just what you need to keep going. 


Register for April 6 Marketing Trainings watch @kentstatedsa for 2022 Sage Honorees Register for April 21 SEssion of ACcessible Documents
 

  • INTERSECTION ALLEY: ADHD + WOMEN OF COLOR

    INTERSECTION ALLEY: ADHD + WOMEN OF COLOR

    Types of marginalization collide

  • BIAS BUSTER: The Danger of Inspiration Porn 

    BIAS BUSTER: The Danger of Inspiration Porn 

    Disabled people aren't here to inspire you. 

  • STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: DEVIN NOLAND

    STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: DEVIN NOLAND

    Devin Noland is a graduate student in Speech Pathology.

  • EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT - DANIEL SHONK

    EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT - DANIEL SHONK

    Daniel Shonk is an Associate Director in University Housing


Advice Column: One Student to AnotherAccommodations have allowed me to function well on my own. Accommodations make my work load more manageableI wish I'd had someone tell me that I needed to just talk through my school issues with an SAS advisor. I should have done that before my first semester even started.
 

  • TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Built-In Accessibility Checkers

    TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Built-In Accessibility Checkers

    Start with Microsoft's features

  • Help Topics

    Help Topics

    Learn best practices for digital accessibility.

  • The Equal Access Academy

    The Equal Access Academy

    Preview and Sign Up for Equal Access Academy Trainings

  • Student Accessibility Services (SAS)

    Student Accessibility Services (SAS)


ACCESSIBILITY: The practice of making information, activities, and/or environments sensible, meaningful, and usable for as many people as possible.  Bridging the Knowledge Gap: Accessibility versus Accommodations  The legally required minimum adjustments or aids that provide access to individuals.

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