News Display: Disability Awareness, Monday, 10/26 - Friday, 10/30

The Everett Cafe features thematic news displays on a wide range of educational topics, in addition to daily postings of headlines from around the world. Stay tuned into current events and reflect on how the media influences teaching and learning.

• Disability Awareness, Monday, 10/26-Friday,
  10/30


"Well, I'm sort of a person on the outside and when I look at this person with a wheelchair experience [there’s] a kind of fear … how do I interact with this person, what do I say to him, if I say do you want to go up the stairs and he might say, what are you an idiot, of course I want to go up the stair, idiot -- look for special people on the top of the stairs that would help, because I could not carry him up, he's a big guy … how do I solve this problem … so I don't know how to socially interact with this person, I'll give you a minor special experience ...there was a person with MS that I was called to wheel around and so, I never pushed a wheelchair before so I felt unskilled. And she had to give me all kinds of directions, how do you get into the elevator without bumping something, and how do you get into the doorway and I think I bumped her at 1 point so it is not easy for 1 person to -- I'd say this there is this fear of inadequacy, and how to relate to people with disabilities."
-- Transcription from "Challenging Abelism: A Socratic Conversation"

These anonymous words show depth of emotion and thought as they speak to the challenges of disability, hidden and not so hidden, from both sides of the spectrum – at a certain level, the one who is physically challenged, and at the next, the one trying to help. The experience calls to greater mind our responsibility as individuals, educators, and citizens in providing and promoting access and service to persons with special needs. In support of Disability Awareness Week, we will examine coverage of the issues in major media, as we continue to ponder how we should think, talk, feel, and act regarding disabilities.

Be sure to check out additional activities, including the slide show on disability awareness; book talk with Christoph Keller; film screening of Moon Sun Flower Game, and next Socratic conversation, What Can People with Disabilities Help Us Learn About How to Live Well?



• Freedom of Speech, Monday, 9/28 – Friday, 10/2


Despite our free exercise of religion, speech, the press, peaceful assembly, and government petition, debates remain over censorship, often deeply and hotly contested. Is it permissible to censor books, television, the Internet; burn the flag; be un-politically correct? Can censorship be helpful rather than harmful? Where do educators, citizens, parents, artists draw the line?

In recognition of Banned Books Week, the Gottesman Libraries is featuring compelling stories about the freedom of speech and the issues surrounding the First Amendment, an important part of the Bill of Rights.


• World Teachers Day, Monday, 10/5


UNESCO inaugurated World Teachers Day on October 5, 1994 as a way to foster awareness, understanding, and appreciation for teachers making a difference in education and development. Today more than 100 countries participate in the annual celebration, with campaigns being launched that highlight the many contributions of the teaching profession, as well as the needs of future generations.

With a call for "sustained investment," this year’s theme is entitled, "Build the Future: Invest in Teachers Now!" It focuses on the global teacher shortage and the challenges facing teachers today.

On October 5 the Gottesman Libraries will display newspaper stories featuring the history and significance of World Teachers Day, as well as headlines about achievements in the field of international education development.


• Nelson Mandela Receives the Nobel Peace Prize, Thursday, 10/15


Quoting Nelson Mandela during his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, "We stand here today as nothing more than a representative of the millions of our people who dared to rise up against a social system whose very essence is war, violence, racism, oppression, repression and the impoverishment of an entire people" (Nobel Prize Internet Archive).

A symbol of resistance to apartheid, Nelson Mandela is arguably one of the most influential of all statesman. Refusing to compromise his deep political beliefs for his freedom, Mandela was tried for treason, banned, sentenced to life imprisonment, incarcerated, released, and eventually elected as president of the African National Congress and the new South Africa. His autobiography, A Long Walk to Freedom, describes his journey and struggle through apartheid.

Concomitant with the publication of his book, Mandela established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a unique and model commission that sought to reveal injustices of the previous government. The work was accomplished through three subcommittees (Human Rights Violations; Reparation and Rehabilitation, and Amnesty) and served to help transform the country to a full and free democracy.

In honor of Nelson Mandela, the Gottesman Libraries will exhibit stories about his life and achievements, including his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.


• Edison Invents the Light Bulb, Wednesday, 10/21


On October 21, 1879, Thomas Edison used low current electricity, a small carbonized filament, and an improved vacuum to produce a reliable and long lasting source of light, primarily for home use: the incandescent light bulb. In December that year, he demonstrated his invention by illuminating the Menlo Park laboratory and he went on essentially to create the electric industry, starting with creation of the first commercial power station on Pearl Street in New York City.

See the exhibit on Thomas Edison as portrayed in major newspapers and read about this great inventor’s long-lasting contribution to the field of science. Headlines will include stories about the growth of Edison General Electric and Con Edison, one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States.


• First Oscar Night, Thursday, 10/29


"The Envelope, Please." These familiar words echo in the hearts and minds of movie lovers and all those connected to film. The Academy Awards, more popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize the excellence of professionals in the film industry, including actors, actresses, directors, writers, producers, and technicians. The Oscar statuette (reputably named by Bette Davis after her husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, band leader) depicts an Art-Deco knight brandishing a sword as he stands upon a reel of film with five spokes symbolizing the several kinds of recipient.

The first Academy Awards were held on May 16, 1929, hosted by Douglas Fairbanks, actor, and William C. deMille, director. The first televised ceremony in black and white took place in 1953; in 1966 came color broadcast. In the last decade the Oscars were shown in more than 100 countries.

The next Oscar Night is expected to air around the 7th of March 2010. Thinking ahead to the lavish star-studded ceremony, the Gottesman Libraries will display headlines portraying the annual celebration.