Spring 2011 UCLA

NEW HORIZONS

UCLA Office for Students with Disabilities

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

1. A Word from the Director: Kathy's Korner by Kathy Molini
2. Dr. Leah Silverman, OSD's Newest Learning Disabilities Specialist
3. Annual Evaluation of Services
4. Attention Returning Students with Priority Enrollment
5. Congratulations to Our Graduates
6. Speaking of Graduation...
7. Campus Construction Spring 2010
8. News around the the OSD
9. OSD Giving Opportunities
10. Have You Moved?
11. Alternative Formats Available
12. OSD Welcomes submitted material.

A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR

Kathy's Korner

I hope you are having a great spring quarter and that you have fabulous plans for the summer. Also, congratulations if you are graduating. What a great achievement and all of us at the OSD wish you the very best in your next steps.

Breaking News – I am excited to tell you that the OSD is moving into a whole new area for us – the area of Gift Opportunities. Look for a more detailed article about our new endeavor in this issue of New Horizons.

Have a great summer!

Kathy

Dr. Leah Silverman
OSD's Newest Learning Disabilities Specialist

We are pleased to introduce our newest Learning Disabilities Specialist, Dr. Leah Silverman. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Leah moved to Los Angeles to attend Occidental College, where she received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She then went on to receive her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute. Leah was always interested in working with individuals with disabilities, but it was her internship at Los Angeles Harbor College and her dissertation "Strength Based Group Treatment for Young Adults with ADHD" that truly solidified her passion for working with college students with disabilities.

Annual Student Evaluation of Services

We encourage all of you to take a few minutes to complete an evaluation of services for 2010-11. You should have received your copy in the mail already. Please contact us at (310) 825-1501 if you haven't.

Attention Returning Students with Priority Enrollment:

Priority Enrollment (PE) for Fall 2011 classes takes place June 15-19 – after you have finished your finals for Spring 2011. The OSD will be sending reminders to those OSD students who qualify (undergraduates, permanent disabilities, care takers or classroom assistants, mobility issues, etc) for PE in early June. If you do not hear from us by June 1, please contact Ed at either emcclosk@saonet.ucla.edu or (310) 267-2004 to ensure we have your correct email address and that you are on the PE list.

Congratulations to Our Graduates

The OSD currently (as of 4/26/11) has 966 registered students that are seniors or graduate students. The following students gave permission to be recognized:

Lauryn Salazar, Ph.D. – Ethnomusicology
Mayra Alejandra Perez, BA – Anthropology
Allen Huang, BS – Electrical Engineering
Michelle Horak, BA – World Arts and Cultures

Here is more from Michelle: "I have been working a lot with the Cystic Fibrosis foundation (which is the disease that I have which is why I am registered). I will definitely be continuing to work with the organization in the future! "Thank you for everything OSD has done, it has truly helped me get through UCLA. Whether it be signing up to get notes when my health is not doing so well, or sending notes to professors explaining my situation I'm so thankful that I had the office as a resource! "

We wish all of you the best in your future endeavors.

Speaking of Graduation...

If you will need accommodations to participate in your commencement or graduation ceremony, please contact the OSD as soon as possible. We can work with you and the Coordinator of your events to ensure full participation.

If your guests will need accommodations, please check out the disability services section of www.commencement.ucla.edu

Campus Construction Spring 2011

The Northwest Housing In-Fill Project continues. The area of impact is primarily Sproul Hall, De Neve Plaza and De Neve Drive. There is no vehicle access to the Sproul/Sunset turnaround during this three year project. Additionally, De Neve Drive is one way (North and Northeast) from C.E. Young Drive (near De Neve Plaza and Sproul). The sidewalk along the south side of Sproul and Covel is closed as is the on-street parking in this section of C.E. Young Drive. More information on this and other projects at the Residence Halls can be found at www.housing.ucla.edu/construction.

The renovation of Pauley Pavilion is underway. Fencing is in place around Pauley for the next three years. Some of the sidewalk of Bruin Walk has been taken away and the pedestrian exit/entrance to Lot 7 near on Bruin Walk has been reconfigured.

Construction of the Court of Sciences Student Center continues. There is fencing around the area of what once was known as the Bomb Shelter. The area is accessible with wide sidewalks on all four sides; however, there are times that flag persons may need to temporarily halt pedestrian traffic for construction vehicles to enter or exit the site near the south west corner.

Ground was broken for the Wasserman Building at the corner of Westwood Plaza and Stein Plaza. This 6 story building, when completed in 2014, will house facilities for eye research and post-surgery rooms. The east side sidewalk of Westwood Plaza is closed from the Campus Express stop to the vehicular intersection of Westwood and Stein Plazas. Additionally there is a large, temporary wheelchair ramp just north of the Campus Express waiting area. The ramp is in place to guide pedestrians to use the signaled cross walk at Westwood Plaza between the Semel Institute and Ronald Reagan Hospital.

The renovation of the ground and first floors of the Charles E. Young Research Library is nearing completion. The Library is open during this project; however, access routes, fences and barriers may change frequently. Similarly, some collections and services will be relocated within the Library. The Library has updates at www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/researchlibrary under the Research Library Renovation heading.

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.

News Around the OSD

On May 1st, Ed McCloskey was appointed the ADA/504 Coordinator. Ed will continue to work in his office at the OSD, however, some of the time he will be doing ADA/504 issues. Ed looks forward to serving an even larger number of persons with disabilities as the ADA/504 Office works with UCLA faculty, staff, non-matriculating students and visitors.

Christian Limon will assume coordination of the note taking and van service.

Dan Levitt has been named the Associate Director for the Office for Students with Disabilities.

OSD Giving Opportunities

Pursuing an education is an admirable goal, if not a necessary one in today's world. At the same time, it can also be a very challenging one, especially for students with disabilities. A disability can present a variety of obstacles as well as financial considerations without help from the educational institution.

The goal of the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) is to support the educational success of students with disabilities by offering the services and programs that will provide a pathway to educational success and preparation for life after UCLA.

Since the 1940's, UCLA has assisted people with disabilities in completing their educational goals. UCLA's Office for Students with Disabilities has been recognized as a national leader in providing academic accommodations to students with permanent and temporary disabilities. OSD's assistance, along with several UCLA scholarships targeted for students with disabilities, has led to educational success and meaningful careers for many students.

Over the last twenty years, UCLA has experienced a substantial increase in the number of students with disabilities attending UCLA. With this growth, have come new challenges. Especially with the cutbacks in state funding, offering a robust and meaningful array of services to our disabled students has become more difficult each year.

In the next few months, OSD plans to bring you and former OSD students information on what has been happening at the OSD for students with disabilities. We would also like to hear about what you have been doing in your life. In the meantime, if you would like more information about the Office for Students with Disabilities or how to make a gift in support of the students served by the OSD, please contact Kathy Molini, Director (310-825-1501) or Richard Mintz, Development Director (310-794-6936). Your gift will make a difference in the lives of UCLA students with disabilities.

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.

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.

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