This Little Light of Mine

Those of you who know me, know that I'm a big believer in giving back.  Whether it's volunteering someplace, helping someone in need, or contributing something to the community, my motto has always been to try and leave the world a little better than I found it.  Which is why I'm both humbled and honored to announce that I have been accepted to join a mission team traveling to Restoration Gateway (RG) in Northern Uganda in late May!

To say I'm excited would be an understatement.  Out teams' primary role will be to run a camp for 100+ orphans that live at RG during their term's break.  We are eager to love and serve these kids by providing fun and solid programming for them, as well as serve and encourage the long-term missionaries that live at RG.  If you are interested in learning more about RG and seeing where I'll be living for a few weeks, you can go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fXNyld9eBs

So in light of the good news I've been blessed with this week, I'll go easy on you.  My question for you this week is, "What causes or issues do you support?  How are you making your corner of the world a little brighter?"  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, March 4th, 2015.

Want to start changing the world on Spring Break?  You can find out more information on the opportunity Olive spoke about in class last week here: http://www.alternativebreaks.org/fergusonasb/

Movin' On Up!

Last week in class, I was asked about gentrification at the end of class, so I decided to make it this week’s blog topic.  What is gentrification you might be wondering?  Webster’s defines it as “The process of renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas, which often displaces poorer residents.” 

The reality is, you don’t need to read Webster’s to see find out how gentrification works – you can see the effects right here in Indianapolis.  According to Governing: State & Localities, gentrification in Indianapolis has quadrupled since 2000.  Areas like the Wholesale District which suffered from high unemployment rates, and abandoned buildings during the Great Depression is now a premier entertainment and cultural district, home to the Indianapolis Symphony  Orchestra, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Local Oil Stadium.  Gentrification of Massachusetts Avenue in the 1990’s propelled the area from one of squalor to one of the city’s most fashionable addresses.  It may seems as though gentrification creates more livable cities, safer streets and more economic opportunities – and to a certain extent it does.

However, there is a downside to gentrification which displaces poorer residents, usually to less hospitable neighborhoods.  Oftentimes, large corporations inject large amounts of financing into a city to refurbish an area for the affluent, while neglecting the poorer resident’s needs.  Property taxes soar, the wealthy move in, and the poorer residents get pushed out to neighborhoods that see more crime, with failing schools, and crumbling public facilities.

Many of you, like myself have enjoyed the effects of gentrification so I’m interested to know where you stand on the issue.  My question to you this week is, “Do you think gentrification helps or hurts a city?  Is it the government’s job to work to curb the effects of gentrification for poorer residents, or is it just an accepted result of being poor?”  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, February 24^th, 2015.

 

I'm a Survivor!

A couple of weeks ago, I like many Americans, was watching the Super Bowl.  This year, in the midst of all the funny and big budget commercials was a public service announcement about domestic violence.  They played an actual 9-1-1 call during the commercial, which you can watch here: http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/02/us/super-bowl-ad-911-call/index.html

This past Sunday I watched the Grammys (as I’m writing this post I’m realizing I watch too much television!)  They too had a domestic violence victim speak about her experiences.  What was even more unusual was that President Obama appeared via satellite to also speak about domestic violence.  You can watch what he had to say here: http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2015/02/08/23101885/

I’m sure we’ve all heard the statistics:

• Every 9 seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten.
• Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women – more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.
• 1:4 women will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime.

I’ve shared in the past that I grew up in a violent home.  Domestic violence has affected the woman that I am today more than any other influence in my life, short of my faith.  My heart breaks for the thousands of families who are suffering through abuse.  So my question to you this week is, “Why do you think domestic abuse often goes unreported?  Should there be harsher penalties for abusers?  You must answers all questions for full credit.  Answers are due no later than Wednesday, February 18^th, 2015. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE and talked to a trained counselor 24/7.

 

 

Guest Post!

I’m super excited this week!  For the first time in the six years I’ve been operating this blog – I’m hosting a guest blogger!  This week’s post comes to you directly from Tim Vermande – which many of you may have had as a teacher right here at the Art Institute of Indianapolis.  We are fortunate to have Tim speak about his real-life experiences with the Americans with Disabilities Act and I want to publically thank him for sharing his story and for agreeing to write this post!  And now without further ado….

Y’all recently read a blog post about customs in conflict in Saudi Arabia. I’d like to ask you to think about another area of conflict today, one that is closer to home. The Americans with Disabilities Act is twenty-five years old this year. It provides legal protection for a variety of civil rights related to people with disabilities.

The Census Bureau states that 1 in 5 people live with a disability. This number may be low—many people do not want to consider themselves “disabled.” Sometimes this is because a chronic illness, such as asthma, does not interfere with life most of the time, or can be controlled through medication. Similarly, conditions such as poor eyesight, readily corrected with glasses or contacts, don’t cross our radar as disabilities. And some people just don’t want to be labeled that way because of perceived social stigma.

The ADA has meant a lot to me. I was a difficult birth (will it surprise those of you know me to find out that I have been difficult?) and then apparently contracted polio. When I was older, I was in accident that injured my back. Yet I have been a photographer (including for several fire departments), photo lab manager, and have attended college and graduate school. Now I teach at the famous Art Institute of Indianapolis (and the less-famous United Theological Seminary). These days, people who do such things get media coverage that goes viral on Facebook or YouTube. But many of us were doing these things long before they became fashionable.

Some of these activities have been a struggle. I ended up attending a local college, even though several top-ranked colleges sought me out—but that was before the ADA, and the invitations disappeared when I asked about stairs and the like. Even after the ADA was passed, schools dragged their feet on physical accessibility. One listed the ability to carry 50 pounds up a flight of stairs as an essential part of being a professor (and thus not subject to accommodations). Another wouldn’t take me on to teach history because the position also required coaching football (even though that wasn’t stated in the announcement).

And it continues. As I’ve often remarked in my classes, laws just show the points of need—they don’t change hearts. And, something I’ve mentioned in my classes: there are often unintended consequences. I have an example of each that we’d like to ask you to comment on.

The first is with businesses that continue to be slow about accommodations—or don’t have their heart in it. You may have heard of “serial” lawsuits, where a lawyer and person with a disability file several lawsuits in a particular geographical area. While these are presented as overblown or picky, how would you feel if you went to board an airplane and were either denied boarding (after paying for a non-refundable ticket), forced into a seat assignment that you can’t physically get to, or find that your wheelchair was damaged by handlers, and the airline refuses to pay for the repairs? Or, rather than being seated in a convenient front area of a restaurant, you’re herded through a maze-like trail to a seat next to the take-out door and kitchen? Or you need to use the restroom and can’t get through the door? Just to finish the sequence, then your shuttle comes—and you have to crawl in because it doesn’t have a lift. All of these have happened to me. And it’s been 25 years—will a police officer let you out of a ticket because the speed limit changed 25 years ago?

An emerging problem is with service animals. The ADA provides that service animals may go anywhere their human does. Yet I hear every week of someone who is denied entry to some business because of their dog (and by the way, the law does specify dogs, you can’t claim a snake or rat as a service animal).

Yet what happens if I should someday need a service dog (they can pull wheelchairs, pick things up, carry bags, and so on) and one of you in the class is allergic to dogs? Or, since no documentation or certification of status is required, what if someone buys a fake service dog vest on the internet and shows up in class?

Managing conflict and dealing with unexpected consequences are important skills in life. How can we best handle them?