Category: Week Two

For this blog post, I decided to write about something that happened a few years ago but still bothers me to this day.  A few years ago, Tom Brady’s reputation was tarnished by the media.  It all started when the New England Patriots played the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship in 2014.  During that game, at halftime, some of the Patriot’s footballs were tested and found to be under-inflated.  This lead to the “DeflateGate” Saga.  In which, Tom Brady was suspended for four games the following season and the Patriots were fined.

The reason I care about this so much is because of how the media handled the situation, it then led everyone to believe Tom Brady was guilty before any of the facts were even released.  Once the facts were released due to the Media leaking false information, the majority of the public already believed Tom Brady was guilty of having the footballs deflated.  Now years later, Brady is still labeled a cheater by many.  Due to the fact, the media and the NFL had a witch-hunt against him.

The tweet that caused the rushed judgment of Brady was by Chris Mortensen.   Who incorrectly tweeted that 11 out of 12 of the Patriot’s footballs were two PSI under the limit.  Which later was found to be inaccurate.  However, Mortensen never bothered to issue a correction to the tweet or an apology for such a big mistake.  His tweet caused a snowball effect, which then led everybody to believe that the balls were, in fact, two pounds under the limit.  When in reality, they were only under by .5 pounds.

This topic maybe a few years old.  However,  I still have people who try to argue that Tom Brady is a cheater because on the impact of that tweets and how the rest of the media covered it.

There are many reasons why a college student may request and be granted an accommodation. These reasons range from physical disability, such as using a wheelchair or other mobility device or having hearing or vision impairment, to a learning disability, such as dyslexia or ADD, to mental health accommodations, such as those for anxiety or PTSD.

I became the Accommodations and Accessibility Specialist at Victoria College in February 2019, in addition to my role as Instructional Technology Specialist. Before this, I received a small taste of what it is like to receive accommodations in a college course. (Let me note that this did not occur at Victoria College where I work.) In August 2017 I sustained a knee injury. The start date of classes was pushed back at that time due to the hurricane, so I decided that after those few days of rest I could tough it out with a knee brace and crutches and stay enrolled. I had two face-to-face classes and they both happened to be on the third floor of a building that had only barely functioning elevators – and because I worked full time during the day, they were both evening classes so the campus was relatively empty. I was none too happy to discover on the first day of classes that the elevator was broken, and those three flights of stairs were very daunting. Although I didn’t feel that I needed accommodations, my professor encouraged me to request them, mostly in hopes that it would give the university the motivation to keep the elevator in good working order. Imagine my surprise when the Accessibility advisor’s office was on the second floor of the same building – with no working elevator! It was beyond frustrating but I did eventually get several accommodations put in place that allowed me extra time to get to class, the ability to use a e-book in class so I only needed to carry a lightweight tablet, and special seating. They were also very quick to fix that elevator once I complained.

All that being said, I’m lucky that my disability was relatively temporary and most of the people that I met along the way were happy to help and advocate for me. As I began work in my new role, I have learned that not everyone’s experience is as positive as mine was. I have made it my mission to not only help the students that come through our college but to help correct the (unfortunately sometimes valid) stigma that colleges only begrudgingly accommodate individuals with disabilities. In fact, most colleges are happy to make accommodations and work very hard to ensure that we level the playing field without giving an unfair advantage. Part of correcting the stigma becomes actually correcting the problem by helping to educate other Disabilities Offices.

In the media, I actually haven’t found too terribly many people with negative things to say regarding accommodations in college courses. Recently, I had a gut reaction to be upset when I saw this video “The Case Against Assistive Technology” but as I watched it, I realized the title is misleading and that it actually refutes any naysayers regarding assistive tech. However, I would like to change the narrative to shine a more positive, encouraging light and switch from simply showing that colleges are doing what is required by law, to show that colleges are actively working toward inclusivity for individuals with disabilities (and honestly all individuals!)

I couldn’t possibly list all the resources that I use for information about accommodations and assistive technology but I follow numerous listservs, blogs, and publications. Many blogs are run by assistive tech companies so I have to be careful to weed out their biases. WebAIM and CAST are great resources. Educause and AHEAD are also invaluable. In addition, I am currently studying for my IAAP certification using the Deque University self-led curriculum.

Growing up, I was known as the “tree hugger” in my friend group, a title I proudly embraced. I asked for the DVD of Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” for Christmas back in 2006 when I was 13 years old. I remember the anger I’d feel while hearing the news of another shrinking glacier and would talk about the dangers of climate change with anyone who would listen. Even while I was young, I was acutely aware of just how important caring for our climate is.

Fast forward to today. We’re quickly approaching another Democratic presidential primary and subsequent general election. Despite President Trump’s continued attempts to deny the reality of climate change and its imminent threat, Democratic candidates are building their platforms on issues like climate change.

For many Americans, including myself, the climate change crisis is an important issue that must be addressed by 2020 candidates. However, with 20 candidates still in the race as of today, digesting all of their individual climate change plans can be daunting.

Because of the significant role it will play in the upcoming election, I’ve chosen to explore the top 5 Democratic presidential candidates’ plans for combatting climate change.

I will dive into the outlines featured on their websites (such as Bernie Sanders’ Green New Deal) and will evaluate their responses to questions on climate change during upcoming debates. By the end of my research, I hope to gain a thorough understanding of the top candidates’ climate change proposals, and hopefully, a little hope for the future of our environment.

Hello Again to Everyone!

For this week, I will be discussing a topic that is near and dear to my heart that I hope people will be able to relate to.  For many years, my husband and I have fought an uphill battle to be involved in the life of his biological son/my stepson.  Unfortunately, this has not been a situation where we or even he has been openly invited to share in his child’s life no matter how much he fights for that right.

Prior to being involved in this situation, I worked in various aspects of the legal field but was never truly aware of the issues that plague child custody or family law issues.  While these topics would be too broad with too many working parts and never-ending logistics, I have chosen to focus on the area and state that I follow for reform.

That being said, I will choose to take a look at how media treats child custody issues in the state of Indiana, more specifically, when it comes to alienated parents.  I know this topic may sound like a bit of a dud to most but I truly think there is a lack of media coverage, leading to what I believe is less reform when it comes to family courts.  For now, my resources have been parent equality pages on social media, articles that are either for or against the movement, and family court laws in Indiana.

My hope is that I can do this topic justice and show how it is treated in the media.

Thank you so much for reading as usual and until next week!