Winter 2008

NYSUT Comes to the Aid of Student Disability Awareness Newsletter

connectablity As reported in the Sept. 6, 2007, state edition of the New York Teacher, the UFT’s statewide affiliate, the New York State United Teachers, has rescued a student publication, Disability Awareness Newsletter, from elimination. A special project of a New York State agency, the newsletter featured articles by children and educators in grades 8-12 that was relevant to people with disabilities. (The newsletter was included as an online resource for teachers in the winter 2007 edition of Educators Unlimited.)

Last year, as the New York Teacher reported, the high school students published their 10th and supposedly final edition of the newsletter when funding was eliminated.

But in August, NYSUT came to the rescue. Student writers and editors assembled at the NYSUT conference center near Albany to resurrect their paper. Rory Harte of Guilderland HS, who was looking forward to this year as editor, reviewed the book about a teenager with Aspergers syndrome, Mark Haddon’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” The book provided understanding of the syndrome and Rory worked with writers who are autistic.

The newsletter, now renamed as Connect-Ability, is filled with articles, poems, artwork, plays, and fiction dealing with students and people with disabilities. The circulation is impressive; 50,000 teachers and students receive it.

NYSUT was most supportive. “We look forward to a great partnership,” said NYSUT Vice President Maria Neira. Furthermore, NYSUT President Dick Iannuzzi lauded the project as “near and dear” to union aims of strengthening education for all and expanding opportunities for students. This will certainly be a win-win for students, teachers and union.

(NY Teacher, September 6, 2007, Page 24)