Disability Resources

Equal Access and Inclusive Excellence.

Student Panel on the Intersectionality of Race and Mental Health

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by Sue Sprague and Roueida Ghadban

An important event was held during Black History Month on Feb 10, 2021 entitled “Our Minds Matter: Exploring the Intersectionality of Race and Mental Health Disabilities.”  SUNY Cortland students C’Ality Hacket, Shaneya Simmelkjaer, Jasmiri Valerio, Aaron Bowen, Brianna Soogrim, and Vanessa Acheampong shared their perspective about the personal impact of racism in their lives and particularly on their mental health.  You may wonder why this topic was unanimously selected for a student panel focus. Discrimination and racism significantly impact the mental health of people of color every day and it is up to us to recognize the deep extent that this happens. All of us need to be involved to change this systemic injustice. Thank you to moderators Lima Stafford, Seth Asumah, Sue Sprague, and Roueida Ghadban.

We are motivated to share additional resources highlighting the key message of our previous program and we want to invite you to watch these personal presentations focusing on the inequities and truth about the impact of racism for people of color.

Black Mental Health Matters: Phillip J. Roundtree TEDxWilmington

Snapping the Chain: Ending Mental Health Stigma in the African American Community Inspiring Stories of DeWitt Buckingham and Brianna Williams

Nina G: A Comedian Who Stutters and Dyslexic Author

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Nina speaking into a microphone
from ninagcomedian.com

Written by Danielle Jones, Graduate Assistant, Disability Resources

In the Fall semester of 2020, Disability Resources hosted a virtual event with stuttering comedian Nina G. This event was made possible with help from co-sponsors NSSLHA, the Campus Activities Office, the Multicultural Life and Diversity Office, and Students for Access and Ability in College.

Nina G comes from Oakland, California. She is known for her comedy, being the author of the book “Stutterer Interrupted”, and being a professional speaker. She has been featured on various talk shows, news channels, as well as podcasts and more. Nina shares her stories about what it’s like to live with a disability and how it affects her day to day life. She advocates for awareness and acceptance as well as discussing her hopes for a more inclusive society.

A big part of Nina’s presentation involved discussing what she refers to as the “stutter iceberg.” On the surface, all people see is a person who stutters. They don’t understand how much it can actually affect them. Under the surface of this iceberg, is where shame, denial, fear, and guilt lie. Not everyone is aware of these feelings. This iceberg analogy is applicable to a variety of disabilities as well. This is why it is important for people without disabilities to further their awareness of how people around you could be truly feeling.

Not only did Nina explain the advocacy part of her disabilities, she found a way to make the audience smile and laugh which is what made this event so outstanding.

If you are interested in more information about Nina G, you can check out her website or her book, Stutterer Interrupted.

Writing, Math, and Foreign Language: Success with Dyslexia

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Written by Mia DiMartino, Undergraduate student at SUNY Cortland

Editor’s Note: This is the third in a three-part series on how to succeed in college with dyslexia. In this post, Mia shares tips she learned when taking foreign language courses and writing papers in a variety of disciplines. Be sure to check out her posts on dyslexia in general and on college science. You can succeed too if you play to your strengths. Thank you, Mia, for sharing!

Writing: How do you get all the great ideas in your head down on paper when you struggle with grammar and spelling? · Try using dictation on your computer (Mac or Microsoft 365) to avoid having to spend a lot of time correcting spelling errors.

  • Spell check will not always catch your errors. Get someone else to check over your papers for you.
    • Editor’s Note: There are great new tools for checking grammar and spelling that will catch errors that prior tools in word processors might have missed. In Microsoft 365, Microsoft Editor is an AI powered service to improve your writing. Also, the Read&Write toolbar available for all SUNY Cortland students to install on their own device includes CheckIt.
  • You are a great story-teller. Use that to your advantage.

Math: Word problems can hit your difficulty with reading while numbers are easily mixed up.

  • Use highlighters to pick out important information in each question.
  • Create a system of attack for each question and memorize the system.
  • Do plenty of practice problems until you have each concept memorized. Find more in the textbook if you don’t have enough.
  • Check over each problem three times to catch any errors.
  • Putting numbers in a calculator is difficult. Check your numbers three times.
  • Don’t rush. Take it slow.
  • Get one-on-one help from a tutor at the Learning Center.
  • Find a YouTube video for help working through problems.

Foreign Language Classes: You will be one of the best speakers in the class! Reading and writing will be a challenge, though.

  • Memorize spelling using colors that break the word up into chunks.
  • If you make it sound funny, it will help you remember it.
  • Rewrite words in color every day.
  • Memorize what words mean. Write the English meaning under foreign words.
  • Listen to music and watch movies and TV shows in the language you are taking. If it helps, turn on the captions.

College Science: The Dyslexic Way

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Written by Mia DiMartino, Undergraduate student at SUNY Cortland

Editor’s Note: This is the second in a three-part series on how to succeed in college with dyslexia. In this post, Mia shares tips she learned when taking difficult classes in her Biology and Chemistry pre-med courses.

Biology Challenge: When you are in a biology class the material can be hard to understand and very fast paced. Here’s how to keep up.

  • Sit in the front so you are not distracted. This is a good tip for any class.
  • Use plain white printer paper, not lined paper. The lines get confusing when taking notes.
  • Talk with your disability resources office to see if you qualify for a peer note taker.
  • Create your own study guide after each class by combining the professor’s PowerPoint, your note taker’s notes, and your own notes. Do everything in color.
  • The next day, review your study guide carefully to further develop your understanding of the material. After your next class, add to your study guide and then review it. Repeat the process after each class until the test.
  • Get a lot of colored pens to make your study guide.
  • To review your study guide, get a big white board that is the size of your desk and write the notes out and draw pictures.
  • If you are memorizing a list of things, use a crazy mnemonic and put a picture next to it.
  • Talk to your teachers if you are confused about anything.
  • You will love any diagram because you can mind map your way through it. Physiology is full of those and so is cell biology.
  • Use the books to fill in your study guide with small details. Details are key and are always on a test.

Genetics: This is the most challenging class you will encounter BUT YOU CAN DO IT!

  • Mitosis and meiosis can be very confusing, especially when you add genes. Get pop beads and work through practice problems. Use this video simulation.
  • When letters are tight together, especially in a small font, it’s easy to mix them up.
  • Make a color system with highlighters to distinguish the letters.
  • If letters are still too tight together, try to rewrite the problem on plain white paper. Space out the letters, then work on the problem.
  • Practice problems as much as you can.
  • Get one-on-one help twice a week.
  • Create a system of attack for each question. Break each sentence down.
  • Use lots of color!

Chemistry Challenge: Some material will play to your strengths, while others will be more difficult.

  • YouTube is your best friend. There are a lot of great videos that can teach you concepts and you can pause the video. Tyler DeWitt has some great videos for general chemistry and the Organic Chemistry tutor is very helpful.
  • Use highlighters to pick out important information in the question.
  • Create a system of attack for each question and memorize the system.
  • Practice problems are key. Find them in your textbooks and use them.
  • General chemistry and biochemistry will be harder for you than organic chemistry. Organic chemistry is drawing a lot of pictures and understanding concepts. You are so visual that it will be fun for you to draw all of the molecules. Organic chemistry will also be your strength because it involves some level of being a chemical engineer. Biochemistry and general chemistry involve more logic and solving word problems.

The final post in our series will look at math, writing, and foreign language courses.

Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: How to Succeed in College

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Written by Mia DiMartino, Undergraduate student at SUNY Cortland

Editor’s Note: Senior Mia Dimartino is among SUNY Cortland’s finest students. She spent three years on the varsity Gymnastics team and, as chief of the SUNY Cortland Emergency Medical Services student organization, has often been among the first on the scene of medical emergencies on campus. Mia also has dyslexia and dyscalculia and has succeeded in a challenging pre-medical academic program. This is the first of a series of three blog posts in which Mia shares what she has learned about her own dyslexia and dyscalculia in her academic career.

You are GIFTED and learn differently than others. Use that to your advantage! Dyslexic people have 4 gifts. We call them the MIND gifts.

  • Material Reasoning
  • Interconnected Reasoning
  • Narrative Reasoning
  • Dynamic Reasoning

What does that mean? Learn more in this video about your MIND gifts.

  • YOU ARE SMART! YOU CAN DO THIS!
  • There may be challenges but there are always work-arounds.
  • There are no limits to what you can accomplish.
  • Work on developing your MIND gifts. Play to your strengths and don’t focus on what your weaknesses are.
  • Understanding how your mind works helps you to learn better. Do some research.
  • If you feel down on yourself remind yourself of your gifts that no one else can do!
  • Not everyone will understand how you think and that’s ok!

Resources about dyslexia

Every class is a different challenge. In future posts, Mia will share some tips on how to get through them the dyslexic way.