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Show Features New perspective on disability WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5 2011 # % Disability Students Students WSU addresses "invisible disabilities" By Rebecca Kibler features reporter I The Signpost The Services for Students with Disabilities office at Weber State University might be a larger program than students are aware. The SSD office serves many students, including those with noticeable disabilities as well as those with hidden disabilities. Students who fall into the noticeable disabilities category might be those with hearing or seeing disabilities or those in wheelchairs. Hidden disabilities include emotional or learning disabilities. The SSD of"Accommodating fice is prepared to provide expertise and assistance to students with students in either category. Students wanting to disabilities in the learn more about "invisclassroom may ible disabilities" can atthis year's Diversity be more a matter tend Conference. The theme of common sense of the conference is "Unpacking the Knapsack of than a change in Invisible (And Not So Invisible) Disabilities." This teaching style or is the 13th annual Divercurriculum." sity Conference hosted by WSU. It goes through Oct. - SDS Handbook 6-7 and kicks off at the Davis campus with a panel discussion about autism. Keynote speaker Laura Mona will be addressing the topic of "Understanding Disability and Identity" at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 7 in the Shepherd Union Ballrooms. The SSD office provides help with accessibility around campus, as well as American Sign Language interpreters and testing accommodations for those who need them. According to the SSD office handbook, "accommodating students with disabilities in the classroom may be more a matter of common sense than a change in teaching style or Learning Disability Emotional/Psychological ADD/ADHD Mental Condition Hard of Hearing LD - Math Asperger's/Autism Medical/Other Neurological Head Injury -TBI Blind Deaf Visually Impaired Intellectual Communication Disorder Drug/Alcohol Wheelchair User Orthopedic Developmental Disorder 212 194 180 93 47 32 26 24 22 21 13 9 9 8 4 4 4 3 2 Visible Hidden 202 705 23.37% 21.39% 19.85% 10.25% 5.18% 3.53% 2.87% 2.65% 2.43% 2.32% 1.43% 0.99% 0.99% 0.88% 0.44% 0.44% 0.44% 0.33% 0.22% ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ 22.27% 77.73% GRAPHIC BY HADEN HAMBLIN I THE SIGNPOS curriculum. Meeting with an SSD adviser is simply common sense for any disabled student. SSD is where the student will find a sympathetic ear and knowledgeable replies - based upon decades of combined experience - to all their questions." University policy is in accordance with state and federal laws requiring that students with disabilities are provided with effective accommodations based on needs. If a student with a disability approaches a faculty member for certain accommodations, that faculty member works with both the student and the SSD office to implement any aides necessary to that student. This way, students with disabilities may be allowed to participate in all programs and activities on the same basis as students without disabilities. "I still need to function within the law and the academic standards," said Colt Mortenson, aWSU student and WSUSA senator. "They have been accommodating. Like when the weather is really bad, and I'm in my wheelchair, and I just tell them, 'Hey, I'm sorry I was late, but this is the reason why I was late. I was having a difficult time getting up the hill.' I haven't met a professor who hasn't been helpful in that way." Along with these accommodations, students can expect confidentiality. When students contact the SSD office about getting accommodations for their classes, everything is kept private between the student and the SSD office. "When a student brings in documentation - students need papers explaining their disability to acquire services, and it's all checked to make sure it's legal - we make a photocopy and give the original back to the student," said Don Guthrie, director of the SSD office. "The copies are then kept on file in a locked cabinet that only has one key." Students can find out more information about the services offered by the SSD office by visiting it in the WSU Student Services Building, Room 181, or visiting its website at http: / /www.webetedu/ssd. Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com . A new year WSU Jewish professors celebrate a new Rosh Hashanah By Jerrica Archibald features editor I The Signpost Ogden City is home to Brith Sholem, Utah's oldest continuously operating Jewish congregation. The congregation is part of Ogden's long standing Jewish heritage. While the Jewish community is small in Utah, being less than 1 percent, the history of Jewish people in Ogden goes back as far as 150 years. Around 45 families from the Ogden area attend the services at Brith Sholem. "The Jewish community of Ogden goes back to the 1860s, so it's very long," said Erik Stern, vice president of Brith Sholem and professor of dance at Weber State University. "That's because Ogden was the polyglot city of Utah. Ogden came into existence because of the intercontinental railway that's going to bring indigent workers and merchants." Five WSU professors are members of the congregation. This past week, they and other members of Brith Sholem observed the holiday Rosh Hashanah. It is considered the Jewish New Year celebration and literally means "head of the year." The holiday lasts two days, beginning and ending at sundown as per the Hebrew calendar. This year, Rosh Hashanah began on Sept. 28 at sundown and ended Sept. 30 at nightfall. One of these professors, Vikki Vickers, associate professor of history, canceled her Thursday classes to observe Rosh Hashanah. "It's both a celebration for me, and a time of reflection on the previous year," Vickers said. "I think a lot of introspection about the things I wish I hadn't done or said, and how to change those behaviors that I might not be so proud of. I have to think of those people that I See Rosh page 10 Get to know Raeid Alsaigh Saudi Arabian student adjusts to Weber State By Emily Freshman correspondent I The Signpost Thousands of miles away from home, far from friends and family, far from a lifestyle many at Weber State University are accustomed to, in an unfamiliar country-not knowing the native language these are the types of things WSU international students go through every day. Raeid Alsaigh is one such international student from Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Alsaigh is currently enrolled as a fulltime student at WSU and is in the Learning English for Academic Purposes program. Alsaigh was originally born in Tennessee, where he lived for two years, until he and his family moved back to Saudi Arabia. There, he grew up and went through his education. Preparing to come to the United States, Alsaigh studied three years in Saudi Arabia at King Saud University; he also studied a year and a half in Indiana. He came to WSU to complete the LEAP program and to raise his GPA so he can continue his studies in business administration in California. Having only been in the Ogden area for about five weeks, Alsaigh and his cousin haven't yet experienced the Ogden lifestyle. They only have commuted from their home to school. Alsaigh's schedule is a full day. He starts class at 9:30 a.m. and goes until 2:30 p.m. The rest of his time is spent doing homework. The scholarship that allows him to be enrolled at WSU doesn't allow him to have a job and requires him to be a full-time student with 12 credits. All of Alsaigh's classes are developed for the LEAP program. This program is built for international students who speak English as a second language. Ada J. Revera-Aponte, an employee of the LEAP program, explained that the LEAP program's aim is to prepare people who don't speak English as their first language for academic classes. Revera- PHOTO BY AIMEE SMITH I THE SIGNPOST Raeid Alsaigh moved from Saudi Arabia to Utah to complete his degree in business. Aponte noted how inspiring it is to watch the international student go from needing a translator to having fluid conversations in a year's time. Alsaigh came to the United States knowing just a little English. "The LEAP program is seven levels, and each level is seven weeks," Aslaigh said. "I came and took a placement test, and I attend Level 2." While he was in Indiana, he finished all seven levels, but is still taking ESL classes. Aslaigh said he also has to adjust to a new writing style. Having been raised in Saudi Arabia, he explained how students are taught to read and write from right to left. Alsaigh said he only gets to see his family three times a year. He said the one thing he misses the most is his family. When he is back at home, he sets aside time to spend with his family and friends every day. He compared his home to big cities like Chicago or NewYork. "The driving here is much easier," Alsaigh said. Alsaigh said that driving the same distance from Ogden to Salt Lake City in Saudi Arabia would take almost four hours because of traffic. Alsaigh said he likes the United States, but experienced culture shock when he first got here. Alsaigh had a hard time getting used to American food. He says he doesn't like steak, mashed potatoes or hamburgers. In Saudi Arabia, he said they think it is strange to eat pork just as people in the United States think it is strange they eat camel. Alsaigh is accustomed to eating rice as a main dish with a type of meat. When he and his family eat dinner, he explained how See Student page 10 |