Wikis as Disability Resources

ORIGINAL-- Wikis can be a great way to build disability and rehabilitation resources. A wiki is a collection of interlinked web pages and documents using server software to allow users to create, share, and edit content in a collaborative format.[1] Wikis are information databases, where users can work collaboratively, authoring new content, editing each other’s content through common web browsers, and linking to internal and external resources and data, all while tracking all the changes.[2]

Several disability-specific wikis are available such as Disability Wikia, a wiki focusing on general issues. Disability 911 is organized around emergency preparation for people with disabilities. AbilityNet uses a wiki to build and disseminate content about assistive technology and related topics. Wikipedia has many wikis related to disability, rehabilitation, and related topics, such as rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation engineering.

[1] Bold, M. (2006). Use of wikis in graduate course work. Journal of Interactive Learning
Research, 17(1), 5-14.
[2] Coyle, J. E. Jr. (2007). Wikis in the college classroom: A comparative study of online and face- to-face group collaboration at a private liberal arts university. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 68(5-A), 1892. AND Cunningham, W. (n.d.) Why wiki works. Retrieved April 1, 2009 from http://c2.com/cgibin/wiki?WhyWikiWorks.

GLOBAL UPDATE: Saudi, Ghana, and the UK

This Global Update includes summaries from Saudi Arabia, Ghana, and the United Kingdom.

SAUDI ARABIA:
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia hosts the Third International Conference on Disability and Rehabilitation, a global forum on disability from March 22 to 26. Crown Prince Sultan, who chairs the Sultan Charitable Foundation, sponsors the Conference. Two hundred and thirty free tickets are available to local and international delegates, and Saudi Arabian Airlines is the official air carrier of the conference. The Saudi Press Association says, “The conference will focus on worldwide scientific research conducted in areas related to disability and rehabilitation” that positively affect the lives of people with disabilities.
Read the full Story on Arab News: http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=119535&d=24&m=2&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

GHANA:
The Disability Network, Ghana’s primary disability group calls for President John E. Atta-Mills to “fulfill his promise of forming an all-inclusive government” by appointing at least one person with a disability to a Ministry position. Emmanuel Sackey, Communications Officer of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD), Alexander Kojo Tetteh, Executive Director of the Centre for Employment of Persons with Disabilities, and Charles Appiagyei, acting Executive Director of Action on Disability and Development (ADD) have joined the call for inclusion. The leaders note a high profile person with a disability will serve as a role model for other individuals and begin a process of more full inclusion for all people.
Read the full story on All Africa: http://allafrica.com/stories/200902270804.html

UNITED KINGDOM:
Cerrie Burnell, host of “Do and Discover” on the BBC's “Cbeebies” children’s television show is at the center of a disability-related controversy. Burnell was born with one of her arms foreshortened and has been the target focus of parent complaints. Parents are concerned that Burnell’s appearance will frighten their children and cause them sleepless nights. Fortunately, most public comments have been supportive of Cerrie Burnell, and Burnell herself says "It's brilliant that parents are able to use me as a way of talking about disability with their children and for children who are similarly disabled to see what really is possible in life".
Read full stories in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/25/disability-children and in the Eastbourne Herald: http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/news/Shock-at-complaints-over-TV.5021741.jp

NY Governor Blasts Saturday Night's “Cheap Laughs”

Is it time for a Saturday Night Live Boycott?

New York Governor David A. Paterson blasts the TV comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the recent and ongoing skits about his blindness. The show mocks the Governor’s blindness and repeatedly him as clueless and bumbling. Paterson notes that his portrayal on the show degrades not only him, but also all people with disabilities, creating and perpetuating negative stereotypes and attitudes toward people with disabilities.

Paterson notes that 71% of people who are blind are unemployed, and 90% of people who are Deaf are unemployed, despite outperforming non-disabled individuals educationally. This, the governor says, is evidence that “one of the biggest problems finding work for the disabled are attitudes."

New York Times columnist Clyde Haberman says SNL is treating Gov. Paterson “as if Mr. Paterson were Mr. Magoo come to life”. Paterson, the former lieutenant governor, took office March 17, 2008 after Eliot Spitzer's ouster due to involvement in prostitution. Gov. Paterson is New York’s first African-American governor, and the second blind individual to serve as a governor anywhere in the US.

SNL has offered no comment, and NBC, which broadcasts SNL, has offered no comment. To see the Governor’s comments about SNL, visit, “Paterson Rips SNL Spoof as Degrading” at http://www.cnycentral.com/news/video.aspx?id=259275

SOURCES:
Gov. Paterson: SNL is Enabling Prejudice Against the Disabled
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/02/gov-paterson-sn.html
A Governor’s Sense of Humor Is Put to a Rigorous Test
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/nyregion/06nyc.html?_r=1
New York governor slams 'SNL'
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-02-12-snl-paterson_N.htm