KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2010 / NEWS
3A
UNEMPLOYMENT
Disabled applicants still experience discrimination
BY SAMANTHA COLLINS
scollins@kansan.com
When Dot Nary sits at a job interview, she knows she will be judged — and not because of what she has on her resume. She sits in a wheelchair, which means her potential employer may think she is incapable for the job.
Investigations made by Jean Hall and Kathy Parker at the University revealed that various federal unemployment programs that were designed to help the unemployed find jobs, such as the Workforce Investment Act, do not equally cater to the needs of the disabled. The major factor that causes this problem is that employers dis
criminate against people with disabilities.
"Those systems are designed as a one-size fits all, regardless of what needs they bring to that system," Hall, associate research professor for the Division of Adult
Studies at the Center for Research on Learning, said.
"These are people who have learned skills to survive and thrive." Nary said. "So it seems that they would have something to offer in the work place."
During the investigation the researchers used "mystery customers" to test various unemployment services. These mystery customers were people with varying conditions ranging from invisible ones like learning disabilities to those that are more apparent like cerebral palsy. The researchers then gauged the employer's ability to accommodate the disabled person. Hall
63 percent of disabled Americans are unemployed, according to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
"It's a vicious cycle. Employers need to use their common sense and treat people like people."
Nary, a doctoral candidate from Lawrence, said one out of every five Americans is disabled. A disability can be any kind of physical emotional or mental limitation experienced by a person. About
and Parker found that many employers need to learn to not discriminate so easily.
KATHY PARKER researcher
"With the economy the way it is, it makes it even harder for them because
they are discriminated against in very subtle ways," Parker, a researcher who worked with Hall, said. "Employers look at a disabled person and think 'they can't do this job'"
the disabled looking for jobs, Hall said. The system is well-prepared for the disabled and the disabled aren't prepared to tell the system what they need. Hall said the disabled believed they weren't getting the support they needed from the systems.
Hall said employers weren't the only people who needed to change their attitudes about the disabled, and over the years American society had developed an idea that the disabled were unable to produce quality work. But the United States government changed its idea of the disabled when it passed the Disabilities Discrimination Act in 1990, which protects the disabled from discrimination in the workplace.
"Our attitudes are lagging behind legislation." Hall said. "That needs to be changed."
With this workplace discrimination comes low self-esteem among
"It's a vicious cycle," Parker said. "Employers need to use their common sense and treat people like people."
Nary said she thought the University should be a student's first look at employment equality to prevent future discrimination against the disabled.
"As a community at KU we need to be sure that equal opportunity is extended to all," Nary said. "The workforce at KU needs to reflect to the student population."
— Edited by Alex Tretbar
TRIBUTE
Dance teacher's life will be remembered at fundraiser
BY STEPHEN GRAY sgray@kansan.com
New York.
Hamburg
The University of Kansas' dance department will host a scholarship fundraiser dedicated to dance professor Janet Hamburg, who died Sept. 4 in
The "Mad for Dance" event will take place on Sept. 23 at the Lawrence Arts Center. The evening will be a production of dance and musical performances, with live jazz, singing and piano featured. Proceeds will support scholarships for students in the dance department.
Several KU faculty, students and alumni will be performing. The performers include Chuck Berg, professor of film
"The planning of this fundraiser has been in the works since last semester. Janet Hamburg was an important part of its shaping," said Patrick Suzeau, dance professor and fundraiser performer. "After the news of her tragic death we decided to go forward with the event in her honor. Throughout the years, she worked with great tenacity in search of contributors to our scholarship funds."
and media studies and jazz saxophonist; dance faculty Muriel Cohan, Heffner Hayes, Jerel Hilding (in a duet with pianist Hurst Coffman) and Patrick Suzeau; Deanna Doyle, Kansas City ballet dancer and KU alumna; Leslie Bennett, assistant professor of theatre and vocalist; and Jordan Wright and Matt Rodriguez, both seniors at KU.
Hayley Mac, a rhythm tap dancer with a long list of professional stage credits, will also be a special guest.
Leslie Bennett, a theatre professor who will sing a short medley of songs for the performance, thinks that the fundraiser is important in honoring Hamburg's legacy.
"One of Janet's ongoing passions was raising money to assist talented dancers to pursue their training both at KU and beyond," Bennett said. "She was deeply cognizant of the numerous challenges facing all artists who need to devote as much time in each day as possible to perfecting their craft and that financial support was essential to that goal."
Michelle Heffner Hayes, chair of the department of dance, said she remembered Hamburg as the first teacher who got her encouraged about the idea of making dance her career.
"Janet was so supportive and passionate about the calling of dance, and she affected me with
her enthusiasm," she said. "It became my life; it was something I realized that wasn't optional. She helped me know myself."
As a professor, Hamburg spent 30 years nurturing and developing dance at the University, helping create the successful dance department within the School of the Arts. She was also internationally known for her groundbreaking work in Laban Movement Analysis and the treatment of Parkinson's disease, as she worked with athletes, with children and older adults in the area of motor development. She received the first Award for Creative Achievement in 2004 for her work from New York's Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, of which she was also named a senior research associate.
A cash bar and hors doeuvres will precede the fundraiser at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are available for $20 at the Lawrence Arts Center, by phone at (785) 843-2787 or online at www.lawrenceartscenter.org.
University dance faculty members are also planning a memorial celebration of Hamburg's life for later this semester. Memorial contributions may be made to the Janet Hamburg Dance Scholarship in care of KU Endowment.
Edited by Kelsey Nill
DIABETES (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
It can also cause patients to become extremely hypersensitive to touch. Dobrowsky said something as minimal as pulling a bed sheet over a DPN patient would cause extreme pain.
The other effect DPN can have on diabetics is the complete opposite. Individuals can lose all feeling in their extremities, such as their hands or feet. So, if they step on a hot sidewalk in the middle of July, they may not quickly tiptoe across it as a healthy person would. In time, these little issues could transform into serious infections. In worst case scenarios, this could lead to toe or even foot amputations.
The mechanisms of how the drug helps alleviate the disease in diabetic mice are still being studied. More analysis is needed on KU-32 before the research team can start studying its effects on humans. Dobrowsky said that although the exact benefits the drug would offer is still unknown, any developments would be helpful.
Edited by Emily McCoy
ODD NEWS
Trickster gets taste of own medicine
JOPLIN, Mo. — A Missouri teenager dressed as a machete-wielding madman to promote a Halloween store was the one who ended up getting a scare.
The teen wore a mask and swung a plastic machete while waving to cars outside the store.
A police officer pointed a gun at the costumed teenager after getting a report that a disturbed person was brandishing a weapon on a city street.
'Police officer' gets law turned on him
WELFARE (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
SELDEN, N.Y. — A Long Island man, Victor Alfaro-Marquez, faces impersonation charges after a driver he pulled over turned out to be a real detective.
Other officers quickly determined the boy posed no threat.
"No Kansan should be faced with having to decide between making ends meet or putting food on the table," Parkinson said in a press release.
Detective William Zambito was driving home when an unmarked car with sirens stopped him. When he told Alfaro-Marquez he was an off-duty officer, Alfaro-Marquez fled the scene, but was arrested at his home.
Lawrence already has several food assistance programs in place to prevent area hunger.
According to the Kansas Food Bank, almost 50 percent of its clients had to choose between paying household bills and buying food. The program also reported that about 17 percent of children went some days without any food.
Month" in Kansas.
"This is what makes Lawrence, Lawrence," Jessica Sheahon, coordinator of Jubilee Cafe and a junior from Salina, said. "We care about our community and volunteering is a way to give back."
Parkinson also made permanent the Kansas Food Security Task, which began in 2006, to help with the hunger crisis. This task force will focus on developing ways to encourage healthy eating habits and raising awareness of the dangers of malnutrition.
Carolyn Ward is internal coordinator of Just Food of the Eastern Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Corporation, or
Associated Press
Edited by Dana Meredith
ECKAN, which serves low-income Kansans. She said Just Food served as the food bank warehouse that stocked food pantries across Douglas County. Without emergency food assistance from this program and other programs across the county, Ward saud, people would not have access to nutritional food.
"Families are just struggling to make ends meet," Ward said.
"The relationships that you make, it's not just your on-campus bubble," Sheahon said. "You really get to know members of the community and get out of your comfort zone."
ECKAN and Just Food help about 25 families a day, which can represent as many as 100 people. Depending on the family size, a family can bring home about 32 pounds of food and as much fresh produce as needed. Ward said that, unfortunately, the food only lasted a few days.
Sheahan said the only way for Lawrence to end hunger was for citizens to take action by volunteering at the various food pantries and services in Lawrence.
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