The Latest: Out of My Comfort Zone 🤟🧡 😯

Aug 11

👋 Welcome to the August edition of The Latest, which thinks summer went by in a hot and hazy blur. Was this email forwarded to you? Get your own subscription!

This month’s newsletter is only 588 words — a quick 2-3 minute read.

👉 Main Takeaway: Going IN to Think Outside the Box

I attended my first non-academic conference in Dallas last month for Disability:IN, a global nonprofit for business disability inclusion. Being immersed in a corporate-focused environment was energizing and thought-provoking.

Higher education needs to play a greater role in preparing future professionals who contribute to inclusive workplaces. That makes me wonder… how can content from my course Culture of Disability be made applicable to businesses?

The concept of ableism was largely absent. There were lots of references to accessibility and accommodations, and some mention of representation, but not much about ableism.

In-person conferences require a lot of stamina, especially while navigating a new professional space, the Texas heat, and chronic pain. Even with breaks, my body was D-O-N-E by the end of each day.

🤟 Personal highlights? Interacting with so many deaf people and the chance to witness actress/activist Marlee Matlin in conversation on stage with Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Microsoft’s chief accessibility officer.

🧡 New Role for a New Academic Year

I started a new role at The University of Texas at Austin — Associate Chair and Graduate Advisor for the Department of Educational Psychology — and am happy to have this chance to serve and support our masters and doctoral students as they pursue their degrees and dreams!

But I’m also not gonna lie. It’s a LOT, as it is any time we take on service above and beyond our regular roles. How do we balance the new responsibilities with existing demands? (And make dinner every so often?!)

📚 Book Recommendation: The Money Tree

What do I appreciate about The Money Tree: A Story About Finding the Fortune in Your Own Backyard by Chris Guillebeau?

It uses a narrative approach to coach the reader through the many things to think about when starting a new business or entrepreneurial initiative. The storytelling and “this is what one’s personal journey looks like” are compelling and memorable.

I’m researching ways to write my next book, and there are many. This one really stands out!

🌀 The Wrap-Up

🍪 Drop the cookie cutter! That’s just one thing I shared when I was interviewed for a recent profile by the Office of Instructional Innovation about my teaching practices.

♿️ ICYMI: We published two new infographics for disabled college students and higher ed faculty. They have the best tips from the Collaborative and are ready to print (and post!) or download (and email)! Don’t start your fall semester without checking them out.

✅ A complex topic I explored in a keynote speech last year is now the subject of a newly-published chapter I coauthored on deaf students with learning disabilities.

😯 What a surprise! I now have over 1100 followers on LinkedIn. It’s a social media platform that has been supportive in my professional evolution — a revelation, really, since so many other platforms don’t seem worth the time. I’m grateful to be making connections and enjoying the presence of so many others.

📆 It’s that time of year! I’m already getting a flurry of requests about applying to graduate school. That’s why I wrote 6 Steps to Find a Program that Fits Your Future — to compile all of my answers to all of those FAQs from prospective students in one easy-to-email link.

😅 Last but not least: AERA 2023 submissions are done. Whew!