David Pfeiffer honored at WSSA conference

For the past several years David Pfeiffer has been a co-chair of the Chronic Disease and Disability Section of the Western Social Science Association (WSSA). At the 2004 WSSA meeting in Salt Lake City April 21-24, Gary Linn, Co-Chair, Chronic Disease and Disability Section of the WSSA, will do a tribute to David and his many achievements. Others who will be attending the WSSA this spring are invited to join in honoring David.

"Disability Studies and the University" National Conference

Modern Language Association and Emory University is sponsoring a conference on "Disability Studies and the University," which is the first national conference in the humanities on disability studies. The event will be March 5-7, 2004, at the Emory University Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

This conference is for all who are working to make college campuses and curricula more democratic and inclusive. This conference is designed for those new to the field, particularly administrators, deans, provosts, presidents etc. as well as to bring those with a disability studies background.

The "Disability Studies and the University" conference will follow a two-day workshop from the Feminism and Legal Theory Project March 4-5, 2004 at Emory Law School. Harriet McBryde Johnson, a disability law expert, will be speaking on March 5.

Registration materials and a list of session titles and speakers can be found on the MLA website: www.mla.org. Individuals wishing to serve as moderators of sessions should contact Tom Couser, Chair of the Conference Planning Committee, (enggtc@hofstra.edu).

Anyone interested in presenting disability-related work or participating in the discussions and debates at Feminism and Legal Theory Workshop on "The Subject of Disability", please contact Martha Albertson Fineman at mfineman@law.emory.edu or James Tobias, jtobias@law.emory.edu

CSUN "Technology and Persons with Disabilities" International Conference

The California State University at Northridge (CSUN) will host its 19th Annual International Conference, "Technology and Persons with Disabilities" March 15-20, 2004 in Los Angeles. Speakers, exhibits, and workshops will be presented on technologies across all ages, disabilities, levels of education and training, employment, and independent living.

Vinton G. Cerf, considered one of the fathers of the Internet and senior vice president of Architecture and Technology for MCI, will be the keynote speaker.

For more information, visit http://www.csun.edu/cod.

AAPD Leadership Gala

The 3rd annual American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Leadership Gala will be Tuesday, March 16, 2004 in Washington D.C. Recipients of the Henry B. Betts Award and Paul G. Hearne/AAPD Leadership Award will be honored during this event.

The AAPD Leadership Gala is a forum that brings government, business, and non-profit leaders together to recognize emerging and established leaders within the disability community.

For more information, visit www.aapd.com or call 703-556-4245.

Governmental Affairs Seminar

The Arc, AAMR, the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), United Cerebral Palsy (UCP), and the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) is sponsoring this year's Governmental Affairs Seminar March 21-23, 2004 in Washington, D.C.

The event will include a luncheon with Congressional leaders and Administration officials along with speeches from top experts in the country.

For additional information, contact: AAMR, registration@aamr.org, AUCD, kmusheno@aucd.org, UCP, jstarr@ucp.org, The Arc, GAOinfo@thearc.org, NACDD, epbcddc@aol.com.

PacRim Conference 2004

The 20th annual Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities will be March 29 & 30, 2004 in Waikiki, Hawaii.

This year's theme, "Promises to Keep, Futures to Seek", reflects on the promises and goals made and the opportunities created for persons with disabilities. PacRim 2004 strand topics include Lifelong Inclusion in Education and Community; Technology Across the Ages; Parent Partnerships and Family Supports; Employment and Adult Services; and Body, Mind and Spirit.

In honor of the 20th Anniversary of the Annual Pacific Rim Conference, the Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii's senior U.S. Senator, has agreed to serve as the honorary chairman of PacRim 2004.

Keynote Speakers will be Dr. Patricia Morrissey and Dr. David Braddock. Dr. Morrissey, Commissioner, Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, oversees four discretionary grant programs authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Services and Bill of Rights Act of 2000.

Dr. Braddock is Associate Vice President of the University of Colorado (CU) System. Dr. Braddock has contributed to cognitive disability research, public health and social policy for more than 35 years. Dr. Braddock was at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) from 1979-2001 as Professor of Human Development and Public Health, as the founding head of the Department of Disability and Human Development and of its research institute, and as an associate dean.

The PacRim conference includes participants from the U.S. Mainland, Alaska, Pacific Islands Nations, Japan, Australia, the Philippines and numerous other countries. Persons with disabilities, family members, researchers, and service providers join policy-makers and nationally recognized speakers in the field of disabilities at the conference.

For more information, visit http://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/

YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities Conference

The YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities will have its 25th Annual International Conference May 3-7, 2004 in New York City. This year's conference is "The Keys to Success in Developmental and Learning Disabilities" and will feature over 300 speakers including Dr. Larry B. Silver presenting a workshop Friday, May 7.

YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities is a network of not-for-profit health and human services agencies serving 20,000 people with developmental and learning disabilities daily in more than 350 community-based programs throughout the New York metropolitan area.

For more information contact Aimee Horowitz at 212-273-6255 or Abbe Wittenberg at 212-273-6193, awittenberg@yai.org. Visit its website at: www.yai.org.

Washington Internship Funding for Students with Disabilities

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminar announces a new initiative to help increase employment opportunities for students with disabilities through an academic internship program.

The Washington Center will provide a total of 50 competitive scholarship awards for students with disabilities interested in working in the executive, judicial or legislative branches of the federal government during the fall 2004 semester.

The application deadline for the fall 2004 semester is June 15, 2004.

For more information and an application visit: www.twc.edu or contact info@twc.edu or 1-800-486-8921.

York University Offers Master's of Arts in Critical Disability Studies Program

York University in Toronto, Canada, recently began a Master's of Arts in Critical Disability Studies program, which explores issues of disability in relation to social policy, social justice, human rights and social movements in Canada and beyond.

The program is open to graduates of recognized universities as well as international students. Applications are due in May 2004.

For more information on the program, contact its director, Marcia Rioux, at Marcia.Rioux@mail.atkinson.yorku.ca. For general information, the program's web site is: http://www.yorku.ca/grads/cal/disa.htm.

Teacher's College offers a new MA program in Disability Studies in Education

This program is for those who want professional teacher certification and students seeking a Master of Arts in Disability Studies in Education. Certification seekers must enter with an initial teaching certificate to teach students with disabilities). The program includes both agency-based and school-based change projects as well as methods of postpositivist research.

In addition to work in education, students will select nine credits of electives in one relevant field such as social policy (politics, economics, rights activism, advocacy, and legal issues), cultural studies (history, anthropology, film and other media, sociology, and diversity issues), religion (Jewish and ecumenical studies, comparative religion), technology (computers, universal design, assistive technology), or the arts (visual, performing, and literary).

For more information, Contact: D. Kim Reid, PhD., Program Coordinator Phone: 212-678-3038; TTY: 212-678-3853; Email: dkr10@columbia.edu Teachers College web site: www.tc.columbia.edu

Dr. Susan Daniels, deputy vice president of Rehabilitation International, won the Henry B. Betts award in December for her long-time national and international advocacy. The Betts award honors leading rehabilitation physician, Dr. Henry Betts. It is a juried award, selected from a committee appointed by the American Association of People with Disabilities.

Corbett O'Toole, Director of the Disabled Women's Network, received the Women of Valor awarded by Educational Equity Concepts in New York. She was "honored for her life-long advocacy on behalf of women and girls with disabilities. She has been a champion of disabled women's rights and health issues, nationally and internationally," according to Educational Equity Concept. For more information on Educational Equity, visit www.edequity.org/welcome.htm.

National Federation of the Blind has named Dr. Betsy Zaborowski as the Executive Director of its new Research and Training Institute located in Baltimore, Md. She was a clinical psychologist in Baltimore and taught in the Graduate School of Education at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Dr. Zaborowski received her doctorate in psychology from the University of Denver and her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Menomonie.

Michele A. Leahy, SDS attendee 2003, has been crowned "Ms. Wheelchair Pennsylvania 2004." It is now her yearlong job to promote disability awareness throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. During this year she will spread her message of "Say Yes To Access" through speeches and personal appearances.

Applications Invited for Endowed Chair in Disability Studies at Toledo

The University of Toledo invites applications for a tenured position (full or associate professor rank) in Disability Studies beginning fall 2004.Salary is commensurate with qualifications. Ph.D. required.

The successful candidate must be a specialist in Disability Studies, preferably with a strong background in disability rights activism. In partnership with the local independent living center, The Ability Center of Great Toledo, the endowed chair will oversee the continued development of the interdisciplinary minor in Disability Studies, collaborate with faculty in the Law & Social Thought Program to strengthen and develop the proposed concentration in Disability Studies, and contribute to the development of The Regional Disability History Archive. Other duties will include teaching in disability studies and pursuing a research agenda with the potential for external funding.

The University of Toledo and the Ability Center of Greater Toledo have come together to create a unique Disability Studies Program based on the value of independent living for people with disabilities and focusing on the contributions, experiences, history and culture of people with disabilities, nationally and internationally. Disability is understood as a social construct, not a medically defined condition.

The University of Toledo is a student-centered public metropolitan research university with approximately 21,000 students, eight colleges, and is located on a wooded 200-acre campus. The Ability Center of Greater Toledo is a non-profit independent living center, which has served the Toledo community for over 80 years.

Send letter of application, vita, reprints and papers, three letters of reference, and statements of teaching, research, and activism interests to: Associate Dean Marietta Morrissey, College of Arts & Sciences, University of Toledo, Mail Stop #906, Toledo, OH 43606-3390.The review of applications will begin on February 1, 2004 and continue until the position is filled.