Six Wednesdays, September 2 - October 7.
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Each workshop will include time for community building, in-session writing practice, space for sharing your writing, and time for questions.

Sept: 2 Writing for social media
Sept 9: The power of poetry for telling your story
Sept 16: Letter writing to policy makers
Sept 23: Starting petitions
Sept 30: Op-eds
Oct 7: Creating campaigns for change

The series is free and will be offered via Zoom, but space is limited!

California residents only. ASL will be provided.

Registration Deadline: 8/28/2020

To register, email brianna@ilrcsf.org. Please include:
-Your name
-Age
-Phone number
-Email Address
-Any access needs you have
-Proof of parental permission if under 18.

You will be contacted by our organization to do an intake via phone. Individuals who have completed the intake will receive an email with the Zoom link to join prior to the workshop.

The Crip Camp Impact Campaign is proud to announce Crip Camp: The Official Virtual Experience! In these unprecedented times, there is no one better to think outside of the box and deliver community building right to your home. They are inviting all grassroots activists and advocates to join them this summer for a virtual camp experience featuring trailblazing speakers from the disability community. All are welcome, you do not need any activism experience to participate.

When: Every Sunday at 2 pm PST/5 pm EST from May 17th to August 30th for one and a half hours each.

Please note all times on the Zoom link will appear in your local timezone. Online workshops will occur via Zoom and are ASL interpreted with Deaf Interpreters plus captioning. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. We encourage you to attend all, or as many sessions as possible. They will send Crip Camp 2020 swag materials to everyone who attends 14 out of 16 sessions.

Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_96VjUdB0T92Es9y4q1Vdvg

The University of California is drastically relaxing its fall 2021 admissions standards for applicants who are currently high school juniors, including suspending the requirement that they take standardized tests and allowing pass/fail grades for this spring’s classes affected by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a university announcement Wednesday.

The dramatic action came in response to the cancellation of testing by the SAT and ACT this spring and to the widespread disruption at high schools in California and nationwide during the health crisis. However, UC officials emphasized that the dropping of standardized tests for this upcoming year does not imply a permanent change and said the UC, which has nine undergraduate campuses, will continue to debate that contentious matter in the future.

The one-year change about testing “is intended to reassure students and families who have to make decisions in the coming weeks about fall 2021 applications, and is consistent with actions taken by other colleges and universities. It is intended as an accommodation and not a permanent policy shift, and does not foreclose future (UC Regents) Board policy actions with respect to the use of standardized tests in University admissions for fall 2022 applicants and beyond,” a university policy statement approved by the UC regents said.

Critics of standardized testing hope the steps could be a trial run for a more permanent end to the use of SAT and ACT scores in admissions. The UC regents were expected in May to vote on whether to keep the tests as requirements, drop them or possibly reduce their weight in admissions decisions.

Students applying for fall 2021 can still take tests and send scores to UC if they are able. Doing so can support their  UC eligibility and help fulfill some university graduation requirements. But campuses must ensure that “no student is harmed in admissions selection should they not submit a test score,” according to the UC statement.

The 23-campus California State University system is reviewing whether to follow UC and drop its own testing requirement for 2021 admissions. “A final decision on how CSU will adapt its admissions process” is expected in the near future, according to a CSU statement Wednesday.

Given the chaos surrounding online education in high schools, both UC and CSU will not require a letter grade for the mandatory so-called A-G courses taken in high school this year in winter, spring or summer. That affects current high school seniors as well. Seniors already have received their acceptance or rejection letters from UC and CSU campuses but in normal years acceptances can be revoked in the summer if students’ grades significantly drop in the spring.

“We want to help alleviate the tremendous disruption and anxiety that is already overwhelming prospective students due to COVID-19,” said John A. Pérez, chair of the Board of Regents, the governing board for UC. “By removing artificial barriers and decreasing stressors – including suspending the use of the SAT – for this unprecedented moment in time, we hope there will be less worry for our future students.” The regents’ action was authorized under special procedures allowed for emergencies between regular meetings.

The A-G courses are the set of 15 year-long high school classes that applicants have to complete with at least a 2.0 or C grade in each to even be eligible for the UC and California State University systems. In normal years, California residents must earn at least a 3.0 grade point average across those classes to be considered. Then students’  academic records must put them in the top 9 percent of students statewide or in their own high school.

However, that does not guarantee them a spot at the most competitive UC campuses, such as UCLA or Berkeley, but will get them a place somewhere in the system. In some cases, they might be offered UC Merced, the youngest UC campus, even if they did not originally apply there.

A faculty report released in February said UC should continue to require that applicants for undergraduate admission take standardized college admissions tests like the SAT and ACT.  That report says that standardized exams remain good predictors of students’ success at UC at a time when grade inflation in high schools makes it harder to choose potential university freshmen. In fact, the report insists that test results actually help identify many talented Latino, black and low-income students who otherwise might be rejected because their high school grades alone were not high enough.

But opponents say they will continue fighting the testing mandate both in court and at the UC Board of Regents. And they appear to have won at least temporarily due to the coronavirus.  Critics say that the exams are biased against Latino and black applicants and hurt their admissions chances at UC’s nine undergraduate campuses, in part because they may not have access to expensive test preparation coaching.  Civil rights and education advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit against UC in late 2019 in Alameda County Superior Court, seeking an end to the testing mandate.

Audrey Dow, senior vice president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, an advocacy and policy group that seeks a permanent end to testing requirements, praised UC’s  moves for 2021. “The decision to go test-optional for the Fall 2020 application cycle positions the UC as a national leader in protecting college opportunity. The UC is moving with rightful urgency to meet the moment and to ensure no student is denied their rightful seat because of limited testing opportunities, instruction, or guidance resulting from the COVID-19 crisis,” she said in an email.

The CSU joined UC in accepting grades of “credit” or “pass” as fulfilling “A-G” requirements for high school courses completed during winter, spring or summer 2020 terms. But CSU officials warned that all previous coursework must be graded and a grade of C- or better must be earned for the course to satisfy that system’s requirements.

The UC deadline to accept an offer of admission and send a deposit for enrollment will remain May 1 for freshmen and June 1 for transfers. But now students who need additional time, or who need a deferment of a deposit, will be allow to seek a delay and UC campuses will be expected to offer flexibility, under the new policy. Eight of CSU’s 23 campuses have extended those deposit deadlines from May 1 to June 1 so far.

Transfer students received some other relief in the UC and CSU announcements. UC will temporarily suspend the cap on the number of transferable units with Pass/No Pass grading applied to their community college courses.  CSU will allow transfer students to submit Pass/Fail grades in the required community college courses in English, math and other general education requirements taken this winter and spring. Transfer students do not have to submit standardized test scores at either university system.

UC and CSU application numbers are enormous.

UC received 172,099 freshmen applicants for fall 2020.  Each of those applicants likely applied to several UC campuses. However, with demographic changes, the numbers have been declining somewhat- a 5.4 percent dip since 2018, according to UC statistics.

CSU says it has not finished compiling its 2020 application numbers. In 2019, the CSU system received applications from 363,478 students, a 2.3 percent decline from the year before.

 



WASHINGTON, DC – The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is proud to announce its new initiative, the Fannie Lou Hamer Leadership Program. This program is designed for young (ages 18 – 30) Black disabled advocates who are committed to boosting voter registration and civic engagement across Black communities leading up to the 2020 elections.

Since 2016, AAPD has worked alongside local and state partners through its REV UP Campaign to foster civic engagement and advance voting rights of Americans with disabilities. Despite advancements in civil rights protections, youth, people of color, seniors, and people with disabilities experience higher levels of voter suppression and inaccessibility. The United States’ voting population in 2018 was the most racially and ethnically diverse ever for a midterm election. The 2018 midterm election saw major upticks in voter participation across all marginalized communities, with the disability and Black communities leading the way at 14.2 million ballots cast and 15.3 million ballots cast respectively. AAPD recognizes that in order to continue building the power of the disability vote, it is critical to support initiatives that develop the leadership of multiply-marginalized voters.
 
“In the 2018 midterm elections the disability vote surged by 8.5 points. There will be over 30 million eligible voters across the Black and disability community in the 2020 elections, and we are pushing for an even higher increase of voter participation come November” says Keri Gray, AAPD’s Senior Director of Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Communications. “Still, there are far too many who face barriers to the polls. It is our responsibility to continue Fannie Lou Hamer’s work in fighting for the rights of underrepresented voters,” continued Gray.
 
Fannie Lou Hamer is a well-recognized civil rights activist and organizer for voting rights. Her work centered on elevating the rights of Black voters and women, particularly across the state of Mississippi. Hamer had polio as a child and later became physically disabled due to a severe beating in a Mississippi jail. In honor of her legacy and sacrifice, AAPD is proud to launch the Fannie Lou Hamer Leadership Program.
 
Participants will receive a $1,500 stipend and have the opportunity to create a national nonpartisan campaign that promotes voter registration and participation. The program is scheduled to launch in May of 2020 and has three phases:


Political Educations- Participants will engage in 3 trainings with experts across the civil rights community to learn about key political issues and gain guidance on building a voting campaign.
Campaign Preparation- Participants will work creatively as a cohort to build nonpartisan material (ie- flyers, blogs, think pieces, social media content, videos) that can be used online to educate communities on the issues for 2020 and promote voter participation.
Campaign Execution- Leading up to the November 2020 elections, participants will launch their campaign across online and social media platforms.

Applications for the Fannie Lou Hamer Leadership Program are open through April 20, 2020.
Apply here: https://www.aapd.com/advocacy/voting/hamerprogram/
 

NBC casting a real child actor with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)!
We are searching for children from the SMA community to play a character with Spinal Muscular Atrophy in an upcoming TV pilot. We are committed to seeing children from the community who could be right for role. The character is 9 years old, so children who can realistically appear that age are welcome to apply (likely age 7-12). The show will be filming in Chicago between March 11th and March 30th, so the child and a parent/guardian would need to be able to travel to Chicago during that time (not the entire time but exact schedule is TBD). Both boys and girls are welcome…

TO APPLY
Simply take a video, on your phone is fine. Have the young actor read the CHRISTOPHER lines (again, boys or girls are welcome) - with someone reading the other characters’ lines off camera. When you’re done and happy with the performance, please email the video to kargerosssubmissions@gmail.com.

Link to script:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bkunxx8mmn7x6nu/AAB5aukuZQQl7NGjqjR7RaaRa?dl=0&preview=CHRISTOPHER+SIDES.pdf

Take charge of your finances! Learn more about CalABLE Accounts.
CalABLE is a savings and investment plan offered by the state of California to individuals with disabilities.
Individuals, family, friends and employers who qualify can contribute up to $15,000 a year without affecting your current benefits.

Learn more during the CalABLE 101 Webinar
Date: February 26, 2020
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Presenters: 
Dante Allen, Executive Director
Anne Osborne, Program Manager

Topics will include:

• How to open a CalABLE Account


• Features of a CalABLE


• Account Contribution Limits


• Fees        

Here is the registration link:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/974566829623911938
If you have any questions, please contact us at calable@treasurer.ca.gov.   

February-11-2020 from 6:00 PM-8:30 PM UC Davis Mind Institute is hosting their Annual Tools for Inclusion Resource Fair.
The resource fair will include:

• Panel discussion on using AT for disaster and emergency preparation.


• Resource tables giving out information from agencies and organizations that support individuals in our disability communities


• Demonstrations and make-and-take workshops


• Networking and Meeting self-advocates


• Raffle and door prizes


• Light refreshments will be served​

​Event Location: 2825 50th St. Sacramento, CA
Parking:
Parking in Lot 25 is $6.00. Street parking is FREE
For questions please contact: 916-703-0439

 

The American Association on Health and Disability (www.aahd.us) is accepting applications for the Frederick J. Krause Scholarship for undergraduate (sophomore standing and above) and graduate students with disabilities who are majoring in a field related to disability and health. 

Deadline: November 15, 2019 

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM CRITERIA: The AAHD Frederick J. Krause Scholarship on Health and Disability is awarded annually to deserving students with a disability, pursuing undergraduate/ graduate studies (must be at least enrolled as a Sophomore in college) in an accredited college or university. Preference is given to students majoring in a field related to disability and health, to include, but not limited to public health, health promotion, disability studies, disability research, rehabilitation engineering, audiology, disability policy, special education, occupational therapy, physical therapy and majors that will impact quality of life of persons with disabilities.
 
Applicant must have a disability and enrolled FULL TIME as an undergraduate student (sophomore standing and above) or enrolled PART TIME or FULL TIME in a graduate school. Applicant must be a US citizen or legal resident living in the US and enrolled in an accredited US university. Funds are limited to under $1,000.
 
FUNDING INFORMATION: Funds are limited to under $1,000. The AAHD Board of Directors Scholarship Committee will evaluate each of the applicants and make a decision in December of each calendar year. The 2019-2020 Scholarship Award will be awarded January 2020. It is the discretion of the Scholarship Committee to determine how many scholarships will be awarded each year and the amount of each scholarship.
 
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant must provide a Personal Statement, including brief personal history, educational/career goals, extra-curricular activities, and reasons why they should be selected by the AAHD Scholarship Committee. This statement must be written solely by the applicant.
 
Applicant must provide two (2) Letters of Recommendation (One must be from a faculty member or academic advisor). Letters may be sent by U. S. mail or by email attachment as pdf and should include the signature of the faculty member or advisor, and the name of student should appear in the subject line of the email.
Applicant must provide an official copy of college transcript, which should be mailed
to AAHD in a sealed envelope.
 
Applicant must agree to allow AAHD to use their name, picture and/or story in future
scholarship materials.
 
APPLICATION WEBSITE:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHl4_GQSH8qs8hLZmL5FJd_HxyzCAhKiGx1CYqj8fQvxy_Mg/viewform
 
If you prefer, you may download and complete this application form and mail it along with all of your supporting materials, in one envelope, to:
Scholarship Committee
American Association on Health and Disability
110 N. Washington Street, Suite 328-J
Rockville, MD 20850

PDF Form: https://www.aahd.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AAHDScholarship2019-20._fillable.pdf
 


Only completed applications will be considered and must be postmarked and/or received by email no later than November 15, 2019.