The Center for Latino Community HealthEvaluation and Leadership Training a distinguished organization at CSULB.

Recently the NCLR/ Center for Latino Community Health Evaluation and Leadership Training has been getting praises in the media  for the work that their Director Britt Rios-Ellis is doing, at a national level, with HIVand STD prevention and treatment.
 
The center its self is paving roads like it's founder.  Only about 6-years-ago  the center only had 3 employees, today they will be employing about sixty. 

At the NCLR/CSULB Center for Latino Community Health, Evaluation and Leadership Training they develop health programs the  Latino communities, provides technical assistance to organizations already serving in this capacity, and hold research and education needed to facilitate the development of effective health programs and policies in the Latino community.

The need for the Center developed from a long standing relationship between faculty at California State University, Long Beach and leadership of the Institute for Hispanic Health at National Council of La Raza (NCLR). 

 

The center works  hired graduate and undergraduates to research data on nationalissues dealing with  the Latino community,  they host interest group in California, and develop programs for the Latino community.
 
One of their projects is to facilitate the Latino community in becoming more aware of HIV/ STD prevention. 

 For more information visit http://www.csulb.edu/centers/latinohealth/

  

What Are Special Needs?

What exactly are special needs?

Encarta defines special needs as requirements made necessary by challenges: the requirements, especially in education, that some people have because of physical and mental challenges.

There are multiple websits that can facilitate people in today's world wide web to help people in discovering if they fall under special needs. These sites help  answer questions of who and what falls under special needs.
 
Special needs includes people who have allergies, diseases, mental disabilities and physical disabilities. If you have an issue that is severe there is a big possibility that you could be classified as a person with special needs. For example a person with a severe allergy, might not sound like a qualification to be classified under special needs. But if the exposure to the allergy could hospitalize an  individual or cause death then that would qualify them as a person with special needs.
 
 Today being a person with special needs is not something to fear. Their are many laws in place to help people with special needs, wether they needs in their lives at home or  outside in the everyday world. . 

People with special needs are heavily protectd by the law. In the education system special needs is protected by Special Education under the guidelines of IDEA 2004 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

For more information on special needs you can visit http://www.specialneeds.com/

CSULB Professor Working with National Organizations for HIV/STD provention

 Britt Rios- Ellis  is a  true super woman. She juggles a family, career, and now a prestigious  position on the work group for President Obama’s advisory council on HIV and AIDS.

 The Cal State Long Beach health science professor has been elected to the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) CHAC Disclosure Work Group.  Rios- Ellis is also currently a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Health Resources and Services Administration Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment.  

Rios- Ellis will be taking on a prestigious 4-year-long term with CHAC.  In her new role she will advise the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius on policies for HIV and STD prevention and treatment.    

“Serving the government in any of these unique capacities is a real honor. To be able to provide advice and to resonate what my experiencing as a researcher in a health advocacy role, to the federal government,” stated Rios-Ellis.   

One of Rios- Ellis’ upcoming projects entails a HIV treatment and prevention movement called Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

“There are going to be a lot of research and readiness programs to make sure …we are ready to take these protocols on and utilize these prevention mechanisms,” says Rios-Ellis. “Pharmaceutically they are ready but are the communities ready to take them? That is the big question right now.”

While her newly appointed positions require her to meet a couple times a year, at CSULB as Director and founder of NCLR/The Center for Latino Community Health the center requires her constant attendance.  

A strong sense of unity and passion is evident the minute you enter the center. At The Center for Latino Community Health the walls  are painted in orange, purple, green, and white  and everyone praises a “power with, not power over” modo that Britt Rios- Ellis encourages her staff to embrace in order to eliminate hierarchy in the workplace.

 Graduate student, Leighanna Hidalgo, highlights her admires Rios-Ellis for her many accommplishments.

“She is a person with so much passion and drive and she makes it happen. I admire how she balances her career and family. She gives me the example of how you can have both.”  

A passion for her work  fuels Rios- Ellis, “Knowing that we have made a difference in the community every day, I think is what keeps me moving so quickly.”

For the rest of the story visit

Look Ma! I'm A CSULB Graduate and Working for the President!



(Photographer: U.S. Department of Transportation)



Cal State Long Beach graduate Richard Devylder was born without arms or legs. He is now a presidential appointee in Washington, D.C., advising the White House on accessibility policies in the United States.

Devylder also met President Barack Obama at the 20th anniversary of the American Disabilities Act reception and recently finished working on a national policy in September that deals with accessibility and integration for people with disabilities on trains and metros.

As a child, he was placed in the foster care system with his foster family in Whittier.

At 7 years old, he began to realize he was disabled.



"My foster family helped me in accepting my disabilities," Devylder said. "Looking back, I asked my parents to throw away the fake arms in the trash ... they were heavy and they caused my skin to break out in rashes."

Devylder remembers his foster parents as being instrumental in helping him make his own decisions when it came to his disability and learning how to do things on his own without prosthetics.

When Devylder was in the first grade, his parents made the decision to take him out of public school.

"It was more like baby sitting," Devylder said. "There was no structure for learning because it was special education. They didn't have the same curricular as other students. It wasn't an educational opportunity because my issue wasn't learning, it was the physical."

Still, Devylder learned how to adjust to the classroom.

"Kids did it with their hands, and I did it with a pencil in my mouth," Devylder said.

During Devylder's adolescence he developed a love for athletics.

He discovered swimming was his favorite form of exercise, and basketball was his obsessive past time.

 Once Devylder was admitted to CSULB in 1990 from Biola University, Disabled Student Services paved a clear path for success for the new student.Devylder credits CSULB for directing his path he is on today.

At CSULB, Devylder said he was launched into dealing with disability and civil rights.
During his undergraduate studies at CSULB, he began to work with Disabled Student Services, and credits his communication professor for helping him make a decision to work for the Southern California Rehabilitation Services and Independent Living.

 "Having a degree was critical — No. 1 — because I needed to show people I had the intellect, and No. 2 that I had the ability to finish the program," said Devylder, who graduated from CSULB in 1992.

In May  of 2010, Devylder received the call for the position of a lifetime.
"I got a message on my phone, if I wanted to go to D.C. and work for administration," he said.

In his new position as adviser for Accessible Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, Devylder has many opportunities.
"My role is to advise on national policies and proposals to the secretary," Devylder said.

Devylder is a man who has never let adversity get in the way of his dreams.
With a work schedule of about 60 hours a week, Devylder said, "I am going to do this as long as I can. The thrive is that I have one of the greatest jobs in the country, that I can impact transportation and accessibility and equality for people with disabilities."

For the rest of the story visit http://www.daily49er.com/news/alumnus-works-to-extend-accessibility-1.2680770

A Leader at CSULB Disabeled Student Services

California State Long Beach has many exceptional department in it's premisses. Disabled Student Services stands out as one of these magnificant student services that succeeds at meeting CSULB's  high standard everyday. At DSS they assist students with disabilities as they secure their university degree at Caalifornia State University, Long Beach. 




 David Sanfilippo a Director at Disabled Student Services at CSULB tells about how his path in assisting people with disabilities began. 

"I had an opportunity to work with a high school program and they offered a special experience for high school students. I got a chance to work with people with disabilities." 

 

From that a job at a summer camp with kids and adults with disabilities continued for a few summers and a job at community college working with people with disability

  

Sanfilippo is a Director who finds passion in working at DSS here at CSULB.

 The highlights of Sanfilippo’s day are,” making sure students grow and develop…I’m inspired everyday by my students."

 Students come to see Sanfilippo for various reasons: to check up with him, they might be struggling, or they are struggling in class or their disability is getting in their way.

 Sanfilippo admires his students, he says "Our students work hard” 

At the center Sanfilippo worked with student that we deal with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, people who have physiological disabilities, “we deal with a full range,” says Sanfillipo.

  

National regulations and the President of the university are big resources that keep the center going, according to Sanfilippo.

 “The American Disabilities Act signed in 1990 prior to that Rehabilitation act of 1973 required any institution receiving federal financial assisting, to not exclude people with disabilities and make it a required to provide accommodations.” Said Sanfilippo.  

 The President's excellent fund designed at CSULB has also helped the center financially. The program is funded for student success and a $94 fee that each student pays at CSULB funds take.

  

Every year Sanfilippo works on an awareness program.

  

Send Silence Packing David Sanfilippo a Director at Disabled Student Services at CSULB tells about how his path in assisting people with disabilities began. 

"I had an opportunity to work with a high school program and they offered a special experience for high school students. I got a chance to work with people with disabilities." 

 

From that a job at a summer camp with kids and adults with disabilities continued for a few summers and a job at community college working with people with disability

  

Sanfilippo is a Director who finds passion in working at DSS here at CSULB.

 The highlights of Sanfilippo’s day are,” making sure students grow and develop…I’m inspired everyday by my students."

 Students come to see Sanfilippo for various reasons: to check up with him, they might be struggling, or they are struggling in class or their disability is getting in their way.

 Sanfilippo admires his students, he says "Our students work hard” 

At the center Sanfilippo worked with student that we deal with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, people who have physiological disabilities, “we deal with a full range,” says Sanfillipo.

  

National regulations and the President of the university are big resources that keep the center going, according to Sanfilippo.

 “The American Disabilities Act signed in 1990 prior to that Rehabilitation act of 1973 required any institution receiving federal financial assisting, to not exclude people with disabilities and make it a required to provide accommodations.” Said Sanfilippo.  

 The President's excellent fund designed at CSULB has also helped the center financially. The program is funded for student success and a $94 fee that each student pays at CSULB funds take.

  

Every year Sanfilippo works on an awareness program.

  

Send Silence Packing was one of the centers most recent events. Eleven hundred backpacks where placed on upper campus, to raise awareness of the number of students who have died from suicide.

 

Sanfilippo recommend that people go to the DSS website or facebook page in order to keep up to date with DSS events.

  

“There are two things I say I always love about my job. One is passion.  And two I see people grow, developing, maturing,” says Sanfilippo.

  

Wheelchair Users Face Trouble At the Dorms

Some students and faculty who use wheelchairs have decided not to live on campus due to limited wheelchair accessibility at on-campus living sites like Residence Commons and Parkside Commons.

Richard Beaver, a freshman psychology major living at Residence Commons, uses a wheelchair and lives in the Residence dorms. Still, he said he can see how students who are confined to a wheelchair might have difficulties on campus.

The Residence buildings have steep hills, few elevators and minimal ramps.

According to Carol Roberts-Corb, director of housing and residence life at Cal State Long Beach, the most recent on-campus buildings were constructed about 30 years ago and all of the sites meet the Legal Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for buildings of the time.
"We try to work close with DSS, making sure we are legally up to code, and if we are ethically doing what we can to meet all students needs," Roberts-Corb said.



(Photographer: Sean Boyd)



David Sanfilippo, director of disabled student services, said housing may not be completely aware of the situation for disabled students and faculty.

  "It would be nice to have a switchback by the grass areas, but here is the problem: For every inch of height, you have to have 12 inches of length. So for that particular gradation, there is probably four feet, meaning 48 feet of ramp."

Before housing can begin construction on the dorms, it considers three aspects: Whether the buildings legally meet requirements, what the ethical needs are and its costs.

Parkside Commons also falls short in wheelchair accessibility, not for students, but for faculty.

Every professor who is hired at CSULB is eligible for faculty housing, but because there are limited spots, there is a competitive application process for when there is an opening.

Approximately three years have passed since wheelchair-user assistant professor of journalism Danny Paskin was chosen as a candidate for an exclusive spot in faculty housing in Parkside.

Although he was not selected as the final candidate for the on-campus faculty spot at the time, Paskin recollected there being a lack of wheelchair access to faculty housing in Parkside.

Paskin said he was offered a "Plan B," but it was different than what was offered to non-disabled professors. Eventually, Paskin was not selected to live on campus.

Roberts-Corb confirmed that nothing has changed regarding wheelchair accessibility in faculty living in Parkside since three years ago.

  Roberts-Corb said, "We have accessible faculty housing in the Residential Learning College, but currently at Parkside, no."

For the rest of the stor visit  http://www.daily49er.com/news/wheelchair-users-face-trouble-at-dorms-1.267149

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DIsabled Student Services at CSULB Provides Students with disabilities a helping hand.

Disabled Student Services at the University of California State Long Beach assists students with disabilities as they secure their university degrees. 

 The student program's mission "is to assist students with disabilities as they secure their university degrees at California State University, Long Beach."

 Currently DSS serves 1,300 students each semester which range from students who utilize wheelchairs to people who are blind in one eye. 

 The programs at DSS  provide support services for in classroom activities, career development resources, use of and training on adaptive computer equipment and access devices, disability related counseling, and academic advisement.

 In order to qualify to be a DSS student medical proof of the disability has to be submitted to the DSS office and reviewed. 

Once you are a part of the DSS you can have the honor of getting to know the staff: Dave Sanfilippo is the Director, Pam Muilenberg serves as the Office Manger, Valerie Iapello is the Front Office

Coordinator, Rachelle Ang is the Case Manager.

 Over 3,000 students with disabilities have graduated from California State University, Long Beach with support from the DSS program.

For more information on DSS visithttp://www.csulb.edu/divisions/students/dss/