What's New and Updated at The Shining Lamp?

By Theresa Vargas: In the heart of Washington, D.C., a remarkable and overlooked chapter in civil rights history unfolds through the tireless advocacy of Louise B. Miller. Faced with the segregation of Black deaf children in the nation's capital, Miller took a stand, challenging an unjust system that forced these children to travel far from home for education. Despite her significant role, Miller's name is often omitted from discussions of civil rights activists. Now, Gallaudet University aims to correct this historical oversight with a fundraising campaign, recognizing Miller's impactful…

Embark on the remarkable journey of Zach Anglin, a resilient quadruple amputee who dedicated himself to removing barriers on his path to becoming a pilot. Born without hands or feet, Anglin faced rejection from numerous flight schools, persisting in his unwavering pursuit. Securing a spot at the Spartan College of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he encountered multiple rejections from the Federal Aviation Administration. With determination and support from his mother, Anglin successfully removed these barriers, graduating from flight school and now sharing his expertise as an instructor. As…

Embark on a compelling exploration into narratives that expose the profound struggles of disabled individuals grappling with the pervasive problems of inequality and exclusion. In the first impactful account, delve into the life of Tanni Grey-Thompson, a Paralympic wheelchair athlete. Witness her 50-year journey reflecting the evolving perspectives on disability worldwide. From enduring early challenges in Wales to facing similar, if not more severe, obstacles in India, Pakistan, Ghana, Nigeria, Brazil, and New Zealand, Tanni's story is a stark portrayal of shared experiences, unwavering…

Recent experiments in describing dance, like the film “Telephone,” approach it not just as an accessibility service but as a space for artistic exploration. by Siobhan Burke Embark on an immersive journey that transcends the boundaries of conventional dance experiences, as recent experiments in audio description redefine accessibility as a space for profound artistic exploration. In the bustling landscape of New York City's large theaters, dancer Krishna Washburn, who is blind, recalls a pivotal moment attending a performance with audio description. Rather than feeling connected to the…

If you are creating any kind of document that uses one or more forms to collect information, it is critical that you follow the International Accessibility Standards when creating your forms. Some important considerations are: Labeling Controls Grouping Controls Form Instructions Validating Input User Notifications Multi-Page Forms Custom Controls Time Limits Avoiding CAPTCHA Here are some of the top resources for creating Accessible Forms that will help you learn how to handle each of these things correctly so that they will be Accessible: WCAG International Accessibility Standards Forms…

The author, Sarah Pfohl, shares her experience of being disabled and how society's perceptions and comments have shaped her views on parenthood. Throughout her life, she encountered the repeated message that, due to her disabilities, she shouldn't want to have children. These beliefs were reinforced by medical professionals, educators, friends, and family, leading her to believe that being a parent would be unfitting for her. As a child, she was told that she would never want to have children, and as she grew older, she internalized this idea. She worried about her physical limitations in…

In this TED Talk, Andrew Leland, a man with glasses, discusses his experience with blindness. Despite having some remaining vision, he identifies as blind due to his degenerative retinal condition called retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Leland shares that his vision loss started as night blindness in his teens and progressively affected his peripheral vision in his early 30s, leaving him with severe tunnel vision. He explains that the brain quickly adapts to this limited view, making it feel like a new normal. Leland delves into the paradoxical nature of defining blindness, drawing a comparison…

Free Self Paced On-Line Course at The University of Kansas Culture is a term that refers to a group of people who share common experiences that shape their understanding of the world. Culture can include the groups people are born into, such as race, gender, religion, or class, as well as those they join or become part of. It is essential to understand culture when building relationships and working with people from diverse backgrounds. Culture influences people's views, values, humor, hopes, loyalties, worries, and fears. While people see the world differently, they all have similarities and…

A generation of Americans still can’t escape the threat of COVID. By Yasmin Tayag The COVID-19 pandemic has changed life for older adults in many ways, causing significant social implications for this demographic. Although vaccines offer some protection, older adults are still at greater risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, and many suffer from long-term symptoms. Furthermore, the pandemic has resulted in severe isolation and caregiver shortages, compounding the issues that many older adults were already facing, such as poverty, loneliness, and inadequate personal care. The…

By Courtney Knapp Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam conducted research on social capital in diverse communities and found that culturally homogeneous communities tend to have more social capital than diverse ones. He suggests creating public destinations in communities to encourage meaningful interaction across ethnic lines, which can lead to more social capital. Project for Public Spaces also promotes parks, plazas, markets, civic buildings, business districts, and neighborhoods to bring people together and create vibrant multicultural communities. Different theories have emerged to explain…

by Alan S. Gutterman, PhD, JD, DBA, MBA, CPG The article discusses the challenges faced by people with disabilities, particularly at the intersection of age and disability. Approximately 15% of the world's population has some form of disability, and an additional 190 million people experience serious difficulties in functioning normally on a daily basis. The incidence of disability increases significantly as people get older, and rates of disability are higher in developing countries. While the number of persons with disabilities is large, their experiences are diverse, and not all people…

A brief published by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) The global population of older women, including those with disabilities, is increasing and they contribute to formal and informal economies as well as within families. However, they face discrimination, bias, and marginalization, which is further compounded for those with disabilities. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened their situation, with gender-based violence increasing and anecdotal evidence suggesting that older women and women with disabilities are more affected. The brief…

By N. Jamiyla Chisholm The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted 30 years ago in July to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities. The ADA is seen as an important law, but disability justice advocates argue that there is still a lot of work to be done to advance the cause of disability justice. Disability justice is where deaf and disabled Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) individuals come together and recognize their shared experiences of oppression. Disability justice advocates contend that disability rights and the ADA are just the beginning of the…

Nanette Goodman Michael Morris Kelvin Boston With a Foreword by Donna Walton Donna Walton discusses the triple jeopardy syndrome, which African American women with disabilities face due to race, gender, and disability biases in society, and how it affects their employment stability and financial stability. She emphasizes the need to increase awareness of the intersection of race and poverty on the challenges faced by people of color with disabilities, and encourages social service systems to approach disability and poverty from an integrative paradigmatic model that removes barriers and…

from: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Adults with Disabilities: Ethnicity and Race The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have highlighted significant health disparities among people with disabilities from various racial and ethnic groups. Non-white individuals with disabilities are affected at a higher rate than white individuals, as evident from the data. For instance, American Indian/Alaska Native has the highest rate of disability, with 3 in 10 adults having a disability, followed by Black, where 1 in 4 adults have a disability. Meanwhile, White has 1 in 5 adults…

by the National Center for Learning Disabilities Significant disproportionality in special education is a concerning trend where students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, and students with disabilities are identified, placed in more restrictive educational settings, and disciplined at significantly higher rates than their peers. This brief discusses the magnitude of this trend, which negatively affects student outcomes, and the need for policymakers to take action to prevent it. The literature and latest research on disproportionality in special education are summarized, and…