December 2023 Meeting | U-M Council for Disability Concerns

12/12/2023

Opening quotation
- “As the Disability Visibility Project declares, ‘Access is Love’. We want to feel that our city that we love so much, loves us back.” - Carly Findlay
Agenda:
- Year in Review:
  - 2023
    - What topics were the most beneficial?
    - Which topic would you like to see in 2024?
      - Service animals on campus
        
        Also emotional support animals
        
        Remembering Jack Bernard’s talk on service animals / ESAs a couple of years ago
      - Neurodiversity conference being planned – they could come talk to us!
      - Neurodiverse space in Engineering (John Muckler happy to share) in a few months when it is 6 months old
        
        1695 Beyster
      - Invite Annie Urasky, the director from the Division on Deaf, DeafBlind, and HoH regarding their work, resources, etc.
      - DC@U-M presenting (summer/early Fall?)
      - Adaptive Sports and Fitness
        
        Community outreach at local middle and high schools
        
        Community Health Services supporting program
        
        Two new roles
        
        Parapanamerican games in Chile 2023
        
        Multiple medals
        
        Disability Network – getting offices for coaches
        
        Within paratransit service area
- Proposal to send a Google poll out with the meeting summary
Announcements
- The US Census Bureau has proposed a new disability survey instrument that will significantly reduce the official count of people with disabilities in the US. This change would potentially affect funding allocation, research and resources dedicated to disability in the US. The Census Bureau is accepting public comment until Dec 19.
  - https://www.science.org/content/article/how-many-americans-are-disabled-proposed-census-changes-would-greatly-decrease-count
  - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/10/20/2023-23249/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-to-the-office-of-management-and-budget-omb-for
Discussion
- Potential for more accessibility education at Michigan Athletics re: Stadium Tour
  - Disclaimer about inaccessibility of the tour potentially sent
  - Part of the tour to the press box was accessible
    - Megan Marshall ([email protected]) can pass info to the athletics department
- Issues with captions during Michigan football games
  - Potentially have athletics department talk to CfDC
- Reach out about the current accessibility status of MBus.
  - The hydraulics aren't used consistently and the lighting can be too much at night and the stops aren't always read.
    - Megan Marshall ([email protected]) will be a good contact.
- Paywall for accessible parking: staff and faculty must pay Blue parking prices to get accessible parking
  - LTP says student funding (students get free Blue with state accessible parking permit) comes from a different fund
  - Medical campus parking needs accessibility improvements
  - Signage for potential danger for accessible parking that does not accommodate lowered floor vehicles.
    - Potentially invite the people who run parking on campus.
- SAAS happenings from Feranmi
  - Adaptive sporting in middle school PE classes
    - Wheelchair rugby, tennis, basketball
  - Internally grant funded roll from Community Health Services to expand school-based program
  - Hiring 2 positions
    - Community Programs Coordinator
    - Monitoring and Evaluating Coordinator
  - Looking for coaches in Wheelchair basketball, strength and conditioning
  - SAAS (ASF) x Peloton - ASF included in Peloton x UMich campaign
    - Logan Aldridge with Peloton
  - Shoutout to the GSSA postings for disability culture
- Some notes from Ava:
  - If anyone is interested in joining Disability Culture at U-M, please email me at [email protected]
  - Check out this Video: University of Michigan Adaptive Sports & Fitness partners with Ann Arbor schools for new initiative
- GSSAs for Disability Culture
  - Posted on Careers page