Hello again.

We have quite the newsletter for you this month. In honor of March being Disability Awareness Month, we have asked our colleagues in the American Sign Language and Less Commonly Taught Languages Department to spread some awareness about the history of ASL and National Deaf History Month which takes place in April. We hope you enjoy the article as much as we did in helping to bring it to you. (And thank you to the folks at ASL/LCTL for their contribution!)

Along with that we have a new DRS staff profile, some programming updates, and a number of events and job/internship opportunities. Finally, we'd love to hear how you are spreading disability awareness this month. 

Here's a wish for you to have a good month!

See you next time.

Please log in to the Student Portal to request accommodations, exams, and appointments with your disability specialist.

Alternative Testing Requests: For students who plan to take exams in the testing center, all exam requests must be submitted at a minimum of three (3) business days before the date of the exam (seven business days for finals). Business days exclude weekends and University observed holidays. Please note the Alternative Testing process is for in-person on-paper exams only. See: Alternative Testing Request Instructions for Students. If you have any questions, please contact DRS!

March is Disability Awareness Month.

March 5 through 12 is Spring Break!
(The DRS office will be closed on March 10 for the Spring Recess.)

March 1: International Wheelchair Day
March 6: World Lymphoma Awareness Day
March 10: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
March 12 through 18: World Glaucoma Week
March 21: World Down Syndrome Day
March 24: World Tuberculosis Day
March 25: National Cerebral Palsy Day

March 16th 4:10 to 5:10 PM - FREE
Private 1 hour tour of the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History. You must sign up via the emailed link in advance to participate.

Eye to Eye is a national mentoring program that pairs college students who have learning disabilities/ADHD with middle school students who have learning disabilities, and uses an art-based curriculum to create a safe space to facilitate discussions about skills such as metacognition, self-advocacy, and to celebrate our unique strengths as people who learn differently. On campus, Eye to Eye is also a way for students and their allies to connect as a community and raise awareness about learning with a LD or ADHD by hosting events and fundraisers. If you would like to request additional information, please email eye2eyepitt@gmail.com or reach out directly to Meera Shamiyeh and Lydia Blazey. H2P!

March 15th 3:00 to 6:00 PM
Delta Alpha Pi and DRS will be tabling in the Towers Lobby to promote Disability Awareness Month. Stop by and say hello!

Wednesday, March 8, 2023   l   11 am to 4 pm ET

Hosted By Equal Opportunity Publications (EOP)

• An efficient way to meet with recruiters
• Save time and meet with recruiters online
• Event is free for job seekers to attend
• All career disciplines and experience levels

Sponsors: Fable, Deloitte, FINRA, Federal Reserve Board

Register Today

For details: 770-874-7807 or EOP@careereco.com

BroadFutures serves young people who:

• Are between the ages of 18 and 26
• Have diagnosed learning disabilities and/or ADHD
• Have a high school diploma and are either headed to college, in college, or taking a break from academics
• Are highly motivated
• Are vaccinated against COVID-19

Program Details:
Initial Training: 2 weeks of Initial Training focuses on workforce preparedness, professionalism and communication. Our unique curriculum is highly interactive, meeting the needs of our unique learners by integrating the arts as well as mindfulness and yoga.

Paid Internships: 7-10 weeks of paid internships A minimum of 20 hours a week, generally Monday through Thursday

Friday Trainings: Reinforce skills learned in initial training & discuss areas of success and opportunities for growth.

Program Dates: June 5 through August 4
Application Deadline: March 6, 2023
Program Cost: $6,325
*Full and partial need-based scholarships are available.*

Internships available: Center for Strategic & International Studies, Brookings Institute, American Institutes of Research, Warner Brothers Discovery, and more.

Apply through the BroadFutures website.

How long have you worked in Disability Services (at Pitt and beyond):
I have been working with individuals with disabilities for over 15 years, but this is my first position within a collegiate program. I am very new to the Pitt DRS family having started November 2022.

What drew you to DRS?
The opportunity to return to my alma mater (shout out to the Rehab Counseling program!). Also the desire to help others to be successful in their educational/vocational pursuits. I’ve always enjoyed helping others reach their full potential by assisting with the removal of physical and attitudinal barriers.

What’s your top tip for students requesting accommodations?
The earlier the better! Don’t wait until right before a big test/project (when it might be too late!) or after you’ve been having difficulty for weeks. Set yourself up for success right out of the gate and you will save yourself a ton of stress!

How many pets do you have and what are their names? (This is most important!)
I have one 8 year old dog named Kiki (a rescued mixed breed). She is an 65lb firecracker that always keeps us on our toes!

by Airza Bosley, ASL faculty

Here in the United States, roughly 11.5 million Americans are deaf and hard of hearing, which ranges from those who are able to use their hearing and spoken language to those who use American Sign Language. The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) declared National Deaf History Month (NDHM) April 1st to April 30th in 2020 to recognize several historical milestones made by Deaf people. It is not to be confused with National Disability Awareness Month which occurs in the month of March. Our Deaf trailblazers got us to where we are today. We give tremendous thanks to them for recognizing the need to preserve our language, our culture, and our way of life.

Here are a few of our trailblazers who have hugely impacted on our lives and made significant contributions to our community:

Laurent Clerc: in the early 1800’s, Laurent Clerc was a Deaf instructor from France who brought French Sign Language (LSF) to the United States as well as his academic knowledge. LSF combined with First Peoples Hand Talk, and Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language to become what we know today, American Sign Language (ASL). Laurent Clerc, with other people, founded the very first Deaf school in the United States, American School for the Deaf on April 15th, 1817.

George Veditz: in 1880, American George Veditz recognized the changes happening within the Deaf community. After the Milan Conference in Italy where educators of the Deaf gathered to make a decision to ban sign language in the field of education, George Veditz immediately began filming himself and others to preserve our language for the future generations to come.

“As long as we have deaf people on Earth, we will have signs… It is my hope that we will all love and guard our beautiful sign language as the noblest gift God has given to deaf people.” - George Veditz, 1913

Dorothy Sueoka Casterline & Carl Croneburg: In 1965, these two researchers, along with William Stokoe were able to prove that American Sign Language (ASL) is indeed a bona fide language. ASL, like any other language, has its own syntax and grammar rules. Despite it being called American Sign Language, ASL DOES NOT follow any of the English rules and structure, it is a separate language from English. It is also the third most common language used in the United States.

I. King Jordan: On March 13, 1988, I. King Jordan became the very first Deaf president of Gallaudet University. Gallaudet University was founded on April 8th, 1864, the only Deaf college in the world. In 1988, the university was looking for a new president. It came down to 3 finalists, 2 Deaf (I. King Jordan being one of them) and 1 hearing. The board selected the only hearing candidate (who didn’t know any sign language, wasn’t familiar with Deaf Culture and was not involved with the Deaf community). After 124 years of hearing presidents and the Deaf members not getting their voices heard, the students, staff, faculty struck back. They rallied, protested, and demanded for things to change at Gallaudet. Finally, after a week, the change was made, and I. King Jordan became the first Deaf president of the only Deaf university in the world. The aftermath of the protest also led to many other changes in the US. ADA law was established shortly after the protest.

Hopefully you can see why NDHM is so important to celebrate. These are only a few examples of the trailblazers in our community. There are many more who have made a significant impact or continue to make an impact in our community. Without them, American Sign Language and the Deaf Culture would not exist. Come take an ASL class and learn our language and about our history and culture!

Sources Cited:
The statistics for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Americans can be found through several websites: (the statistics is currently a bit outdated [2020 is the latest], so the word approximately is added before the number.)
      RIT: https://infoguides.rit.edu/deafemploy/demographics
      Gallaudet University: https://gallaudet.edu/international-affairs/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-employment-statistics/
      NIDCD: https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-hearing
      CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/hearing00-06/hearing00-06.pdf
      US Census: https://www.census.gov/topics/health/disability.html
      
Bios of different Deaf people mentioned in the article: https://edurank.org/uni/gallaudet-university/alumni/

That's all for this month!