Ollibean Think Tank

Ollibean Think Tank2012-06-27T10:32:21+00:00

Intersection of Law, Education and Civil Rights

As a deaf-blind student with very limited sight and hearing, Haben Girma '13 learned that you must be a self-advocate and come up with creative solutions to the problems you face. If that fails, she says, then the law can be a strong ally.

Amy Sequenzia: Does it matter?

Should it matter that some of us are labeled intellectually disabled? Read the definitions, look at us in a realistic way and ask yourself; Does it matter? Aren’t we all worthy?

Because I Stood With Henry

Because I stood with Henry I am happier today and you should too. Henry not only got his rights, he proved that presumption of competence should be the default for every student.

  • Change Leader in pink capital letters. AMY SEQUENZIA in brown capital letters with brown line on top and bottom of text. poet. advocate. human. lower case text

Change Leader: Amy Sequenzia

"Presume competence. The same way I want people to assume I am competent, I also assume that others are competent".

  • ollibean think tank. tim villegas. inclusion

The Case for Inclusion Part 3: Sea Change

The longer there is a strong distinction between general and special education the worse it is for students who are labeled with a disability. It perpetuates the language of Us and Them...

Changing the Paradigm

Sir Ken Robinson on education reform. "Changing Paradigms in Public Education" covers the importance of thinking differently about human capacity , recognizing the benefits of collaborative learning, and changing the culture of our institutions.

Open Letter To Jon Stewart

When I met Jon Stewart I was very disappointed by his lack of knowledge and sensitivity toward autism. During a recent interview, while still a bit condescending, his views seem to have evolved. This is my open letter to him.

  • “I can’t speak for my friends, but labels hinder my life. I reject labels. I am just me.” Amy Sequenzia

Amy Sequenzia: “Just Me”

Amy Sequenzia writes about rejecting society's many labels. Perceptions such as “super spectacular” autistic and “low-functioning” are equally harmful .

Senator Harkin Delivers Speech in ASL Upon ADA Passage in 1990

Upon passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 13th, 1990, Senator Tom Harkin delivered a speech on the Senate floor in American Sign Language. Harkin, whose brother Frank was deaf, was the lead Senate author of the ADA, which was enacted later that year. His speech is the first in American Sign Language to be delivered from the Senate floor.

Krip-Hop Nation: Music, Advocacy and Education

"Where were the other people who looked like me as a Black disabled young man? With this continuous question of race and disability along with my love of poetry and music, I started to question the arena of music and performance around the representation of musicians with disabilities, especially disabled musicians of color." - Leroy F. Moore, Jr.

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