Spring 2004

Develops Fall and Spring GA AHEAD Connections newsletter

Develops Brochures

Coordinates Press Releases

Works closely with the Webmaster

Reports to the President

If interested in this Board position, please contact Sheryl Ballenger at: ballenger@floyd.edu

Another action item that was accomplished was to include students with disabilities at our annual conference. The University of Georgia (UGA) student club entitled, Leadership Education and Advocacy for the Disabled, (LEAD), held a panel discussion Friday morning. This one conference session received wonderful response from the attendees and will definitely be something we will strive to include in future conferences. The Georgia AHEAD board is planning to look into new ideas for more student membership involvement.

Other great accomplishments include our fantastic 2004 annual spring conference in Athens! I am totally impressed with the quality of presenters from around our state. The conference committee and the conference chairs, Patti Zettek and Marti Slaughter, gave us the best state conference I have ever attended…of course I am a little biased. Grady Landrum, the president of AHEAD, was also impressed. He said, “Georgia AHEAD has the best group of members and puts on a terrific conference, second only to my own state, of course.” And we can’t overlook our technical improvements. The Georgia AHEAD website is new and improved and we now have a listserv up and running.

All of our regions are very strong and the Coastal region had 100% participation from every single school in the region this past year. The Coastal region with Wayne Akins at the helm was selected as the region of the year and presented with the Georgia AHEAD peach award to hold until next year. If you have opportunity to visit Georgia Southern this next year, ask Wayne to show you the coveted Georgia AHEAD peach.

The E-text initiative almost passed this legislative year. Much progress was made and the Georgia AHEAD membership really banned together in support of this bill. Georgia AHEAD board feels certain next year will be the year for this bill to pass.

Which brings me to next year…..the new Georgia AHEAD board takes office on July 1^st, 2004. We are all in for another wonderful year in 2004/2005. I am confident the new officers and the retuning officers will continue to keep up the pace and the progress that has been made. And of course, the main ingredient to making all of this work are our wonderful members….and in my opinion, our members are the best in the nation. In the coming year, please make Georgia AHEAD one of your priorities and let’s all keep up the pace of moving this organization forward and reaching our goals. Thank you to all of the Georgia AHEAD board members and the Georgia AHEAD members for an exceptional year in the life of our organization!

Sheryl Ballenger, President, GA AHEAD

In Appreciation 

by Nicole Palazzo, Immediate Past President

As my “official” involvement on the GA AHEAD Board comes to an end, I just wanted to thank all the board members both past and present, which I have had the pleasure to work with. I wanted to take the time to especially thank Louise Bedrossian, Carol Treibel, Carol Pope, Caroline Gergely, and Pat Roth Marshall. For it is with this bunch of talented, dedicated women that I started my tenure with GA AHEAD and who helped to build a strong foundation for the organization. Without them, GA AHEAD would not be where it is today ~ thank you for all you have shared with the organization and me as an individual.Thank you to each of the present board members. I have learned so much from each of you and truly appreciate all your hard work, your belief in the organization, and your fellowship. You made my job easier because I knew I could depend on you to fulfill your duties and this you did exceptionally. I am proud and honored to have served with you.

Finally, thank you to the membership and our constituents: you are the reason the board volunteers their time and energy. The board wants this organization to be as helpful as possible to you and to support you in doing your job. It is only through you, our membership, that we can continue to grow as an organization and be the resource GA AHEAD can be for you.

Thanks again for 4 wonderful years! I am very proud of where GA AHEAD is today as an organization. It is my hope that GA AHEAD continues to advance and be a superior resource for postsecondary disability service providers in Georgia.

Joy Norman, Columbus State University, Central Region

The Office of Disability Services at Columbus State University recognized October Disability Awareness month last fall through various activities on campus. Because October is also Mentoring month I decided to combine both themes for CSU. Twenty-one faculty and staff members volunteered and fifteen students with disabilities. The students were allowed to shadow the faculty or staff member in the workplace for a few hours. Each participant, both faculty/staff and student, was given a feedback form. The response was overwhelmingly positive. Both students and faculty/staff agreed that the experience was beneficial. Students had the opportunity to talk about their specific challenges as a student with a disability. Faculty and staff members stated that they learned how to appreciate the challenges that the students faced and gain some insight as to what it would be like to do the job they do with a disability. One staff member said, "It also reminded me that simply because someone is disabled does not mean they have to give up on life." A faculty member stated that she learned from this experience "how difficult it is for a disabled person (in a wheelchair) to get around and how much energy and determination it takes" One student commented that his experience increased awareness about being visually-impaired. He stated that the experience was "GREAT, SUPER, FANTASTIC...thanks again for the experience." Another student reported that the experience “showed them (the department) what I could do even though I am disabled.” Students felt that they could be useful. One professor stated that she received suggestions from the student to share with her students who are education majors. She stated, “Thanks for sending the student my way.”

The participation among faculty and staff were diverse. The different departments and colleges on campus included Athletics, Director of Student Account Services, Associate Dean of Teacher Education, Career Center, Director of Financial Aid, professors from the college of Business, Teacher Education, Computer Science, Political Science, Psychology/Sociology, Art, Communications, Language and Literature, and Music. Also the Vice President’s Office of Business, Oxbow Meadows (Science Center), Child Care Resource and Referral, and the Library.

The students who participated represented a variety of disabilities – cerebral palsy, disabilities in motor/mobility, quadriplegia, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, visual impairments, learning disorders, psychological disabilities and medical conditions. The fourteen students who participated are to be commended for their willingness to share a part of themselves with others and for their courage.

A display was set up in the library from August until October. The website to visit the display is:

http://library.colstate.edu/displays/disabilweb/disabil.html

Joy Norman

706-568-2330

Columbus State University

NORMAN_JOY@colstate.edu

2004-2005 Board Members

PRESIDENT                                                               Martha Van Cise                                                               Berry College                                        706-233-4080                                    mvancise@berry.edu

PRESIDENT-ELECT                                                   Bonnie Martin                                                                Georgia Perimeter College                   404-299-4038                                          bmartin@gpc.edu

SECRETARY                                                              Elaine Manglitz                                                           Clayton College and St. University

TREASURER / MEMBERSHIP                                 Marti Slaughter                                                       University of Georgia                          706-542-8719                                              marti@uga.edu

2006 CONFERENCE CO-CHAIR                                J. Denise Johnson                                                 Georgia Institute of Technology               404-894-2564           denise.johnson@vpss.gatech.edu 

SAVANNAH CO-LIAISON                                         Lita Clary                                                             Savannah College of Art and Design

Orlando Spencer                                                Savannah State University

WEBMASTER                                                           Chris Kinney                                                           Georgia Perimeter College                     770-551-3033                                      ckinney@gpc.edu 

Northeast                                                             Rodeney E. Pennamon                                             North Georgia College & State University 706-867-2782                            rpennamon@ngcsu.edu

Northwest                                                                Merrine McDonald                                               Spelman College                                      404-223-7590                       mmcdonald@spelman.edu

Central                                                                           Joy Norman                                                        Columbus State University                            706-568-2330                              norman_joy@colstate.edu

Southwest                                                                     Cheryl Biggs                                                               Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College               229-386-3489                                              cbiggs@abac.edu

Coastal                                                                    Wayne Akins                                                                Georgia Southern University                          912-871-1566                                     cwakins@gasou.edu