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Spring 2009 UCLA
NEW HORIZONS
UCLA Office for Students with Disabilities
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
- A Word from the Director: Kathy's Korner by Kathy Molini
- Congratulations to Our Graduates
- ...Speaking of Graduation...
- Managing the Swing Shift , Bipolar Support Group
- AD/HD Support Group
- Spring Finals are coming!
- 2007-2008 Annual Report
- Construction Update
- UCLA Committee on Disability
- My Summer Plans
- 2008-2009 Student Evaluation of Services
- Have You Moved?
- Searching for Scholarships?
- ADA/504 Compliance Office
- Alternative Formats Available
- Contribute
- Contacting OSD
A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
Kathy's Korner
The close of academic year 2008-09 is just around the corner. I hope it has been a successful one for all of you. I imagine many of you are beginning to make your plans for the summer. Some of you will most likely travel and others may seek employment. If you travel, please consider writing a brief article about your adventures for our Fall 2009 newsletter. We'd love to hear about your experiences. If you are planning to work and have questions regarding the disclosure of your disability, we would like to point out that the article entitled Disclosing Your Disability in the Employment Process, by Cynthia Thomas at UCLA's Career Center is on our web site.
Have a great summer!
Kathy
Congratulations to Our Graduates
The OSD currently has over 700 registered students that are seniors or graduate students. The following students gave permission to be recognized:
Louis Stanley
Vanessa Maynard
Yvette Fisher
It is with mixed emotions that we say goodbye to our graduating students. We wish you well in all your future endeavors and congratulate you on all your achievements while at UCLA. You will be missed.
...Speaking of Graduation...
If you, as a student, will need any accommodations to participate in Commencement Exercises please notify the OSD at least one week prior to your celebration.
Please call (310) 825-1501.
"Managing the Swing Shift",
Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Hello, OSD Student!
This is just a reminder that "Managing the Swing Shift" meets every Wednesday from 12-1:00pm in Room A244 in Murphy Hall. It is a support group for students who have (or may have) Bipolar Disorder. If this applies to you, we would very much like for you to come join our group. It is a great place to be heard, understood, and appreciated.
Please email me, Halle Aten, at haten@saonet.ucla.edu with any questions.
I look forward to meeting you.
All the Best,
Halle Aten
AD/HD Support Group
The AD/HD Support Group now takes place on Thursdays, from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm in Murphy Hall Room A244. Come meet other students with AD/HD and share and learn strategies for coping with AD/HD. There's no need to register; just show up and enjoy the discussions.
AD/HD Support Group
Thursdays, 12:00-1:00
Murphy Hall, Room A244
Contact: Celeste Phelps,
Office for Students with Disabilities
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Spring 2009 Finals are coming!
Mark your calendar!
If you need exam assistance or test proctoring, your request needs to be made at the OSD Resource Room in 181 Powell no later than Monday, May 25th by 4:00 pm. If we already have your test-taking request but there are changes to your exams, please notify us by email Monday the 25th of May.
Linda Stolt, Assistant Director/Proctor Coordinator
lstolt@saonet.ucla.edu
Tony Buffo, Assistant Proctor Coordinator
tbuffo@saonet.ucla.edu
The 2007-08 Annual Report is available at the OSD and on our web page.
www.osd.ucla.edu
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Construction continues on the replacement UC Police Department at the corner of Westwood Plaza and C. E. Young Drive. There is no sidewalk for pedestrians on the west side of Westwood Plaza from just north of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Hospital and the Strathmore Building.
Rieber Residence Hall is closed for upgrades and repairs. This project is scheduled to be completed in about 18 months. There is very little, if any, impact, to access to Rieber Vista or Rieber Terrace.
The construction of the New Aquatic Center near Sunset Rec Canyon and the Sunset Village Parking Structure is going swimmingly. The east side of the sidewalk of De Neve Drive starting at the corner of the Sunset Rec Turn-Around going south to the entrance to the Sunset Village Parking Structure is closed.
A new major construction site is that of the Life Sciences Replacement Building near Manning Drive and C. E. Young Drive what once was Hershey Hall. The sidewalk on the east side of C. E Young Drive from Manning Drive to the Botany Building is closed.
Check out the Capital Programs frequently-updated web site for construction impacts: www.capital.ucla.edu click on Construction Impacts under Projects.
If you have any questions about specific construction projects or access to any building or area on campus, please call the OSD at (310) 825-1501 for detailed information.
UCLA Committee on Disability
The UCOD, formerly the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Disability (CACD), was established in 1982 as an advisory group by the Chancellor to create and maintain a more accessible campus environment. The COD is comprised of student, faculty, staff, alumni, community, and ex-officio members.
The Committee's charge is to analyze and identify problems, propose solutions, and make recommendations on matters of particular concern to persons with disabilities.
Meeting Times: The 2nd Tuesday of each month
(except August & December) 2-4 pm
Faculty Center
For more information contact the ADA & 504 Compliance Office at
(310) 825-2242 (voice) or (310) 206-3349 (tty).
The following is a submission from one of our students:
My Summer Plans
Hello,
My name is Marilyn Van Dyke, and I'm a doctoral student in the Psychological Studies in Education Division of UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Systems, under the mentorship of Dr. Jeffrey James Wood. My research interests include the effect that co-morbid anxiety disorders have on social communication in elementary school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders. I am very honored and lucky to have been awarded a Summer Graduate Student Mentorship to work with Dr. Wood on analyzing data that he collected on his federally funded National Institute of Mental Health grant studying the effects of modified cognitive behavioral therapy used to treat anxiety disorders in children with high functioning autism.
I am very excited about the study and my summer research mentorship, and as a parent of an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder, I know that I will need to develop and implement a plan of self-management to help organize my time, keep me on task, and ensure consistent motivation and effort, in addition to handling my own anxiety. Living with my own disability of ADHD, I know firsthand about struggling with slower auditory processing, difficulty with attention, impulsivity, time management, and disorganization. I also know first hand about co-morbid anxiety disorders, such as Social Phobia, and the debilitating effects they can have on one's self-esteem, motivation and drive. I think the most challenging issue that I have faced, though, is coming to terms with an additional disorder that I most likely have, Complex Trauma Disorder. This is a mental illness involving repeated trauma and poor attachment to primary caregivers across childhood. It affects one's ability to trust and form bonds and relationships with people. Originally I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, another anxiety disorder, but I kept trying to figure out what the increasing anxiety, lack of trust, and anger was all about. PTSD just didn't seem to cover it all.
I'm just beginning to fully come to grips with the Complex Trauma Disorder, however. Complex Trauma Disorder is a tricky condition that looks like ADHD, Social Phobia and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder all wrapped together in one disorder. I'm quite fearful of negative evaluation from others in social situations to the point that I withdraw, avoid, and shut down completely in an effort to appease the anxiety that comes from a fear of negative evaluation by others. This avoidance seemed to work for awhile, but then the anxiety got much worse, and along with it came anger, too. I get very threatened if I perceive that someone is going to take away another's attention from me, particularly authority figures. I feel unworthy and guilty at times, very guilty, and have pretty low self-esteem. I now know that these are some of the hallmarks of the disorder. I have a tough time with emotion regulation. And I don't always know why these things happen or what triggers them. It all goes back to attachment, though, early attachment. With counseling and continued work now, I'm slowly beginning to figure some things out, step by step, one day at a time. I'm beginning to see some slow gains from a very individualized program. I'm slowly beginning to trust people, and slowly open up to them.
I never knew, never truly understood the impact that mental health, poor mental health can have on an individual, even though I have been so very lucky to be mentored by a top expert in this very subject. Mental health issues oftentimes begin very early in life, and there is such a large need for evidence-based treatments to be disseminated into the public school systems to address the many children who are being educated today who could do even better if they were able to receive training and tools to improve their mental health.
Evidenced-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy used in the Building Confidence Program developed by Dr. Wood at UCLA to treat childhood anxiety disorders in elementary school-aged children, should be disseminated to community-based practitioners to treat children who would not otherwise receive access to these vital services. These programs can help so many unidentified children who have fears caused not only by ordinary childhood fears, but also those fears caused by trauma and neglect.
Some of you may wonder, just what is cognitive behavioral therapy? Cognitive behavioral therapy involves first learning to identify what it feels like when you start to get anxious, the physical sensations. Next, one learns to use something like mindfulness to pay attention to the negative thoughts that arise along with the physical symptoms, and to challenge the negative thoughts with calm, positive thoughts. Relaxation techniques and strategies are important, too when facing anxiety. The hallmark of cognitive behavioral therapy, though, is to gradually expose yourself to the things that are causing the fear. Reward yourself for each little step that you take.
By doing this very slowly, in small steps, in an individualized treatment program, I know that I can slowly build my confidence again and regain some self-esteem. I am beginning to slowly face fears that in the past I would have avoided at all costs. And now, I'm ready to challenge myself to finish my work on my Graduate Student Summer Research Mentorship by summer's end. I know I will do it. Will it be easy? Not always, but by knowing what I have, and being armed with the best tools, motivation, and support from my very special friends, my mentor, and the OSD, I know I will succeed. I hope that all of you will have a great, productive, and healing summer, too.
Marilyn Van Dyke, M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech language pathologist
Doctoral Student
Psychological Studies in Education
UCLA/GSEIS
The 2008-09 Student
Evaluation of Services
was mailed out May 1, 2009. You should receive your copy very soon. Please complete the survey and send it back to us. If you do not receive your copy please let us know. Your opinions matter to us. Many of the changes and upgrades we have made over the years were a result of responses and comments made on these surveys.
Returning Students...
HAVE YOU MOVED?
Please remember to let the OSD know each time you change your address in order to continue to receive important mailings regarding priority enrollment, proctoring, van transportation, etc.
Changing your address with the Registrar's Office DOES NOT change your address with OSD.
You can call the office, e-mail us, or come in and fill out a "change of address" slip.
Searching For Scholarships?
Check out our website scholarship/internship section at:
www.osd.ucla.edu/Scholarships.htm
The Scholarship Resource Center is another great source for scholarships. The search for scholarships can be complicated and confusing, but the Scholarship Resource Center (SRC) is here to help guide you through the maze. The SRC maintains a scholarship database and library, and provides workshops and counseling. The SRC is located at 233 Covel Commons (206-2875).
The SRC also offers the U.S. National and British Merit Scholarships and workshops to provide UCLA students information about national scholarships such as the Rhodes, Churchill, and Truman Scholarship programs.
A great way to become familiar with the process is to sign up for one of the Free Scholarship Search Workshops.
Check the SRC website for times and locations.
ADA/ 504 Compliance Office
- Monitors and coordinates compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibits discrimination based on disability in all University activities;
- Offers guidance and evaluates efforts to provide access to campus facilities and programs;
- Develops procedures to identify and correct access deficiencies;
- Disseminates information regarding compliance-related issues and recommends appropriate remedial actions;
- Coordinates the implementation of the ADA Transition Plan; and
- Fields complaints alleging campus noncompliance with the ADA and Section 504.
The Compliance Office is located in Murphy Hall,
Room A-239.
For more information please contact:
(Voice) 310-825-2242, (TTY) 310-206-3349, (FAX) 310-825-3688.
New Horizons is available in Braille, on tape cassette and on the OSD web site. Contact the OSD to request a copy in an alternative format.
I hope you enjoyed reading this issue of New Horizons.
Please let us know if you would like to contribute an article or if you would like us to cover a particular topic by contacting Deb Owen at dowen@saonet.ucla.edu.
Come by the OSD to say hello and to let us know how things are going. We are here to assist you. Have a great summer!
Contacting OSD
Halle Aten
Learning Disabilities Specialist
haten@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 206-9160
George Auletta
Programmer Analyst
gauletta@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 794-5723
Chana Bell
Learning Disabilities Specialist
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(310) 825-1501
Tony Buffo
Alternative Format/ Assistant Proctor Coordinator
tbuffo@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 825-2651
Dan Levitt
Assistant Director/Coordinator of the Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students
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(310) 825-1501
Christian Limon
Administrative Assistant
climon@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 794-5725
Maria Martin
Payroll/Personnel Administrator
memartin@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 794-5731
A.J. Mason
Resource Room Assistant
amason@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 825-2860
Ed McCloskey
Assistant Director - Services and Relations
emcclosk@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 267-2004
Kathy Molini
Director
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(310) 825-1501
Julie Morris
Coordinator, Learning Disabilities Program
jmorris@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 794-5732
Deb Owen
Budget Analyst/Supervisor of Technology, Planning & Training
dowen@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 825-1501
Celeste Phelps
Learning Disabilities Specialist
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(310) 825-5835
Linda Stolt
Assistant Director/Proctor Services Coordinator
lstolt@saonet.ucla.edu
(310) 267-2008
OSD Information Line (310) 206-2737
Powell Resource Room (310) 825-2651
FAX (310) 825-9656
TDD (310) 206-6083
Van Line (310) 825-2263
Web page www.osd.ucla.edu
New Horizons is published quarterly by the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). The views expressed in this newsletter by individual contributors are not necessarily the views of the OSD. The OSD welcomes material submitted for publication which may be of interest to its readers such as brief articles, essays, or poetry. We reserve the right to edit the material as needed. Contact the OSD for deadline information.
(310) 825-1501
A-255 Murphy Hall, Box 951426,
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1426
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