June 6 Webinar: Ensuring Access & Inclusion in Higher Education

FREE WEBINAR

Ensuring Access & Inclusion in Higher Education: Rights, Rules, & Responsibilities

When:
Wednesday, June 6, 2012

3 p.m.–4:30 p.m. ET
(2 p.m. CT; Noon PT)

Presenters:

Julia Graff, Esq., is an attorney at the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, DC, where she develops and litigates groundbreaking cases to advance the rights of adults and children with mental disabilities and to reform public systems.

Lisa St. George, M.S.W., CPRP, is Director of Recovery Practices at Recovery Innovations and has been instrumental in the planning, development, and startup of a wide range of peer-run programs since September 2000.

Dori Hutchinson, Sc.D., is Director of Services at the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University where she oversees supported education programs that help students with psychiatric challenges gain and retain their rightful roles as students so that they can successfully navigate college life, graduate, and live their lives fully.

Overview:

“Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.”1

– Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa and Nobel Laureate

“The secret in education lies in respecting the student.”2

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet

The significant disparity in education and literacy levels for people with mental and substance use disorders compared to the general population is a matter of serious concern. For people with mental health and substance use disorders, access to and inclusion in higher education is a central issue in achieving social inclusion.

Access to education impacts the individual in terms of personal satisfaction, wellness, financial stability, and overall opportunity. The community also benefits when people with mental health and substance use problems have access and support to pursue education, graduate, and secure meaningful and rewarding work that contributes to their becoming full participants in the life of their communities.  The statistics show the need for action. Only 35 percent of persons with mental illnesses have a high school diploma, 24.8 percent have completed some college education, and 9.5 percent hold a bachelor’s degree or more. These data represent the lowest educational attainment levels of any disability group.3

Ensuring proper access for students calls for a proactive approach from the entire higher education community. Most students with these challenges need more than the “reasonable accommodation” offered by the current model of disability services.  Administration; faculty; student services, especially those related to disability; and mental health care providers need a proactive person-centered approach that focuses on how to keep students in school and fosters a system of outreach and support. This outreach and education, along with enforcement of the law, positively impacts the system, supports students in need, and contributes towards moving to a more inclusive society.

During this webinar you will learn about the administrative, legal, and personal issues related to access and inclusion in higher education for students with mental health and substance use problems and about one university that is leading the way in ensuring that students have the comprehensive supports they need to stay in school and pursue their vocational goals. You will hear how education has made a difference.

Learning Objectives:

• To learn how efforts within the legal system are working to reduce discrimination and ensure that necessary accommodations as provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act are available to all who need them.
• To hear about an innovative university program’s person-centered approach that is having great success in helping students stay in school, graduate, pursue their vocational goals, and secure fulfilling roles in the community.
• To understand from a first-person perspective how one person was able to move out of poverty and realize her dreams by pursuing further education which led to achieving personal wellness and working to assist others in realizing their goals.
• To develop an increased understanding of the disparity in education and literacy levels for people with mental and substance use disorders compared to the general population and the significant impact of these disparities on poverty, health, and well-being.

Target Audiences:

• People in recovery from mental health, substance use, and trauma-related challenges
• Higher education administration, faculty, and service providers
• Student services organizations
• Offices of disability for colleges and universities
• Current and prospective students
• Families, especially those of current or prospective students
• Policymakers or public officials
• Leaders of community-and faith-based organizations

Questions:

If you have any questions, please contact the SAMHSA ADS Center at 1-800-540-0320 or by e-mail at promoteacceptance@esi-dc.com. 

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^[1] Mandela, N. (2003, July 16). Lighting your way to a better future; speech delivered by Mr. N. R. Mandela at launch of Mindset Network [Online transcript of talk presented at the Planetarium of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa]. Retrieved from Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory Web site at http://db.nelsonmandela.org/speeches/pub_view.asp?pg=item&ItemID=NMS909&txtstr=education%20is%20the%20most%20powerful  

² Emerson, R. W. (1909). Education: An essay and other selections by Ralph Waldo Emerson. In Suzzallo, H. (Ed.), Riverside Educational Monographs. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

³ Erickson, W., & Lee, C. (2008). 2007 disability status report: United States. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics.