Discussion Topic for 10/20

The topic for Discussion this Sunday is about how we talk about disability, the role of the university in disabled people’s (and disabled students’) lives, and about whether disability should be included in our discourse on diversity.  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) outlines the following on disability:

“The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. It also applies to the United States Congress. To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability. An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered.” (A Guide to Disability Rights Laws)

Reading: 

• “Peek Inside My Son’s Head“: David Mitchell, the author of Cloud Atlas, on why he translated a The Reason I Jump by a 13-year-old Japanese boy with autism.
• Jon Stewart interviews David Mitchell about The Reason I Jump 

• “They just looked startled to see Storme zoom in“: A disabled A-level student’s experience trying to find a drama department
• The case of the therapy dog in a dorm: “Federal Case Over Banning a Student’s Therapy Dog Illustrates Thicket of Disability Rules”  and “Judge: University housing subject to Fair Housing Act“
• “Why Is Disability Missing From the Discourse on Diversity?“