* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. WELCOME TO FOCUS [00:00:01] ON ABILITIES. I'M LEX [Focus on Abilities (#198): "Alan Russell - Exec. Dir., Disability Resource Center, Rice University"] FRIEDEN. I'LL BE YOUR HOST FOR TODAY'S PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM'S ABOUT ISSUES THAT AFFECT THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. AND TODAY WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST. THE QUESTION I WANT TO ASK YOU THAT WILL ANSWER BEFORE THE END OF TODAY'S PROGRAM IS WHAT DEFINITION OF DISABILITY APPLIES TO STUDENTS ON COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES? WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH FOCUS ON ABILITIES. THE FOLLOWING PROGRAM IS SPONSORED BY ILRU SOUTHWEST, A DA CENTER, PROMOTING COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. YOU ARE WATCHING FOCUS ON ABILITIES ON HTV, AND WE HAVE A GUEST TODAY WHO WILL, UH, SURPRISE YOU WITH HIS ACCENT TO BEGIN WITH. THAT'S ALAN RUSSELL. ALAN, HOW ARE YOU? I'M VERY WELL, THANK YOU. YEAH, YOU SAW IT RIGHT THERE. SO, ALAN, YOU ARE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER AT RICE UNIVERSITY. AND, UH, YOU HAVE BEEN IN THAT ROLE HOW LONG? SO I'VE BEEN IN THAT ROLE NEARLY 14 YEARS. BEFORE THAT, I WAS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON MAIN CAMPUS AS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE DISABILITY OFFICE. AND THAT'S NOT WHERE YOU ACQUIRED YOUR BRITISH ACCENT. WHERE WERE YOU? WHERE DID, HOW DID YOU GET HERE? WELL, SO THAT'S QUITE AN INTERESTING STORY. SO YES, I WAS BORN IN THE SOUTHEAST OF ENGLAND AND, UH, THROUGH UNIVERSITY CONNECTIONS, I MET MY WIFE, UH, THROUGH, UH, THE SUSSEX UNIVERSITY NEAR BRIGHTON ON THE SOUTH COAST. AND, UH, WE STRUCK UP A GREATER RELATIONSHIP, AND EVENTUALLY WE GOT MARRIED AND MOVED OVER HERE. AND I'VE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE, UH, 17 YEARS. WOW. SO YOU GO BACK FOR VISITS FROM TIME TO TIME? YES, I DO. YES. YEAH, I'D LIKE TO GET APART FROM WHEN COVID WAS RAGING, WE'D LIKE TO GO BACK AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR. AND BOTH YOU AND YOUR WIFE HAVE FAMILY THERE, I, I PRESUME. UH, YEAH. MY WIFE HAS FAMILY HERE IN, UH, IN HOUSTON, AND I HAVE FAMILY IN LONDON AND ALSO THE SOUTHEAST, UH, IN THE COUNTY OF SUSSEX SOUTHEAST, UM, ALL THE WAY CLOSE TO SCOTLAND. ACTUALLY AT THE OTHER END, SO SOUTHEAST, SOUTHEAST ENGLAND ON THE SOUTH COAST, ABOUT 50 MILES SOUTH OF LONDON, WHERE FROM WALES, THAT WOULD BE SORT OF 200 MILES EAST OF WALES. SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE YOU, WHERE YOU CAME FROM. ALL I KNOW IS I TOOK A LONG TRAIN RIDE THROUGH WALES TO GET TO IRELAND, AND THEN I TOOK A BOAT RIDE TO IRELAND AND A BOAT RIDE BACK, AND I WOUND UP IN SCOTLAND AND IT, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER, I'M TRYING TO GET BACK TO LONDON AND THERE'S A SNOWSTORM. SO I HAVE VERY LITTLE KNOWLEDGE OF THE, THE, UH, UK UH, GEOGRAPHY. YEAH. BUT IT'S JUST A WONDERFUL, UH, PART OF THE COUNTRY THAT YOU WENT TO. WALES ISLAND, UH, SCOTLAND, YOU KNOW, THE BRITISH ISLES HAS SOME, UH, GOOD PARTS. THERE'S A GOOD TRAIN JOURNEY ACTUALLY FROM SCOTLAND TO LONDON, UH, WHICH CAN BE PRETTY SCENIC AND, UH, VERY EFFICIENT. SO DID YOU, UH, BENEFIT FROM DISABILITY SERVICES WHEN YOU WERE IN ENGLAND? I DID, YES. YEAH, SO I WAS BORN WITH MY DISABILITY, SO I'VE ALWAYS, UH, ACCESSED, UH, DISABILITY SERVICES. IN FACT, I WENT TO A BOARDING SCHOOL WHERE EVERYONE HAD A DISABILITY, AND SO I RECEIVED AN EDUCATION AND REHABILITATION SERVICES THROUGH THAT SCHOOL CALLED CHALEY HERITAGE. UM, I AGED OUTTA THAT SCHOOL, AND THEN I WENT TO A COMMUNITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN LONDON, WHICH WAS PRETTY, UH, INTERESTING, UH, TO GO FROM, UH, A BOARDING SCHOOL WHERE EVERYONE HAD A DISABILITY TO A COMMUNITY COLLEGE WHERE I FELT VERY, UH, SELF-CONSCIOUS ABOUT MY DISABILITY INITIALLY. BUT BEING IN LONDON, THERE WERE ALL SORTS OF DIVERSE PEOPLE, AND I FOUND IT REALLY EASY TO INTEGRATE AND, UM, GET, UH, ACCUSTOMED TO MAINSTREAM SOCIETY. AND IT REALLY PUT ME ON A GOOD PATH TO LEARNING ABOUT, UM, HOW TO COPE, UM, INDEPENDENTLY. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE 1990S, UH, 1980S. 1980S. [00:05:01] 1980S. BEFORE THE A DA IN IN AMERICA. WERE THERE ACCOMMODATIONS IN BRITAIN FOR PEOPLE IN BUSES AND TRAINS AND RESTAURANTS AND THEATERS? NO, THERE WERE NOT IN, YOU KNOW, IN FACT THERE WERE JUST A LOT OF SORT OF, UH, PIECEMEAL AND SORT OF INFORMAL ACCOMMODATIONS THAT WEREN'T BACKED UP BY ANY LAWS. UH, IN FACT, YOU KNOW, THE A DA, UH, WAS THE FIRST CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION, I BELIEVE, FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. AND COUNTRIES SUCH AS THE UK FOLLOWED SUIT. UM, THEY WEREN'T AS, UH, COMPREHENSIVE AS THE A DA, BUT THEY WERE SORT OF, THEY WENT SOME WAY THEY, UH, TOWARDS GETTING CIVIL RIGHTS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND ACTUALLY HAVING, UH, A COMPREHENSIVE ACCESS PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. SO THEY STARTED TO PAY ATTENTION TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT BEING ACCESSIBLE, CUT CURBS AND SOMETHING. YEAH. MY, MY TOUR THROUGH, UH, WALES AND SCOTLAND WAS IN, UH, 2000, 2008, I THINK SOMETIME MUCH MORE RECENTLY, AND WE ACTUALLY USED THE TRAIN. MM-HMM . UH, WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ALSO TOOK THE TRAIN ONE TIME, UH, TO PARIS MM-HMM . FROM, UH, WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN SUSSEX COUNTY? ACTUALLY, THAT WOULD'VE BEEN IN KENT. AND I'VE DONE THE SAME THING. SO THAT'S THE EUROSTAR. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. THAT'S A REALLY GOOD SERVICE. YEAH. YEAH. WELL, WE ENJOYED IT AND, UH, FOUND THINGS TO BE GENERALLY ACCESSIBLE THERE RIGHT. AT THAT TIME. AND THAT'S AFTER I THINK MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAD ADOPTED SOME OF THE STANDARDS, OR AT LEAST THE, UH, APPROACH THAT A DA GUIDED YES, YES, ABSOLUTELY. WHAT I FOUND, YEAH, THE MAJOR DIFFERENCES IS THAT THE A DA IN AMERICA WAS FAR MORE COMPREHENSIVE AND SORT OF BACKED UP BY LAWS THAT WERE, THAT HAD SOME TEETH TO THEM. THE EQUIVALENT LAWS IN THE UK AND OTHER EUROPEAN PLACES WERE MORE KIND OF, UM, COLLABORATIVE, MORE SORT OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE SMOOTHING THE WAY TO GETTING MORE ACCESSIBLE FEATURES IN EDUCATION AND TRANSPORTATION. BUT THEY WEREN'T NECESSARILY BACKED UP BY STRONG LEGISLATION. BUT I CAN TELL YOU ONE THING WHERE BRITAIN WAS WAY AHEAD OF THE US AND MAY STILL BE, AND THAT'S THOSE TAXI CABS, RIGHT? YES. YEAH. THEY ARE FANTASTIC. YEAH. YEAH. YEAH. THEY'RE VERY ACCESSIBLE. AND ALSO, OF COURSE, THE TAXI DRIVERS IN LONDON, THEY'RE SO KNOWLEDGEABLE. UM, THEY HAVE ALL SORTS OF A ANECDOTES ABOUT THEIR, THEIR LIVES. YEAH. WELL, I LIVES, LET'S TRY TO DESCRIBE THAT CAB, IT'S A, WHAT DO THEY CALL IT? SURE. UH, THE BLACK TAXI CABS. YEAH. AND THEY HAVE A BIG WIDE DOOR IN, IN THE BACK AND, UH, ON THE SIDE AND THE BACK AND LOTS OF SPACE BETWEEN THE FRONT ROW AND THE SECOND ROW. RIGHT, EXACTLY. YEAH. AND THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A RAMP THAT COMES DOWN AUTOMATICALLY WHEN THOSE DOORS OPEN. YEAH. AND SO IT'S VERY CONVENIENT TO, UH, GETTING IN AND OUT. I JUST WISH, UH, UBER COULD, UH, LEARN SOMETHING FROM THE RIGHT. RIGHT. ALAN, I WANT TO VISIT WITH YOU MORE ABOUT, UH, YOUR TRAVELS AND, AND ABOUT RICE UNIVERSITY. UH, BUT FIRST WE'RE GONNA TAKE A BREAK HERE, YOU ALL. PLEASE STAY TUNED WITH US. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE FOCUS ON ABILITIES. LOTS OF PEOPLE WITH COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS COMING TOGETHER FOR A GREATER GOAL, REPRESENTS HOUSTON AS A WHOLE, AND EVERYBODY HAS A DIFFERENT STYLE, BUT THAT'S KIND OF OUR THING. WE ARE VERY PROUD OF HOW DIFFERENT WE ARE. METRO IS HERE FOR YOU EVERY DAY, PROVIDING SAFE, RELIABLE TRAVEL OPTIONS. WE TAKE YOU TO CELEBRATIONS AND HELP DURING EMERGENCIES. WE'RE ALWAYS LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY, AND WE MANAGE TAXPAYER DOLLARS RESPONSIBLY. AND THANKS TO OVERWHELMING VOTER APPROVAL, WE'RE BUILDING TRANSIT FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW SO THAT YOU CAN DRIVE LESS AND DO MORE. ST. ARNOLD TEXAS'S OLDEST CRAFT BREWERY SHIPPED THEIR FIRST KEG OF BEER IN 1994. THROUGHOUT THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC METRO HAS BEEN THERE FOR YOU GETTING MEDICAL CENTER EMPLOYEES AND OTHER ESSENTIAL WORKERS TO THEIR JOBS DURING LOCKDOWN. WE'RE ALSO IMPROVING YOUR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE FROM MORE FREQUENT CLEANINGS TO [00:10:01] SECURITY MONITORS ON VEHICLES, WE'VE LAUNCHED FREE WIFI AND INSTALLED OVER 3000 NEW ACCESSIBLE BUS STOPS, ALL TO MAKE YOUR RIDE BETTER. VISIT RIDE METRO.ORG TO LEARN HOW YOU CAN DRIVE LESS AND DO MORE. SAM HOUSTON PARK IS PICTURESQUE WITH WADDLING DUCKS AND NINE FROZEN IN TIME HISTORIC BUILDINGS. THIS IS FOCUSED ON ABILITIES. AND WE'RE HERE TODAY WITH ALAN RUSSELL, WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE DISABILITY RESOURCE CER CENTER AT RICE UNIVERSITY. AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, WHERE ALAN GOT HIS, UH, ACCENT. UH, ALAN, YOU, YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE DISABLED AS A CHILD. THAT'S CORRECT. AND DURING THAT TIME, THERE CERTAINLY WASN'T AN A DA HERE OR ANYWHERE ELSE. UM, I REMEMBER BEFORE THE A DA GOING TO, UH, UH, RESTAURANTS AND NEEDING TO BE CARRIED UP STEPS. UH, I REMEMBER GOING TO BUILDINGS AND NEEDING TO RIDE THE FREIGHT ELEVATOR IN ORDER TO MEET WITH A SOCIAL SECURITY ADVISOR. UM, DID YOU EXPERIENCE THE SAME KINDS OF, UH, BARRIERS AND, AND ACCOMMODATIONS IN LONDON AND IN ENGLAND? I CERTAINLY DID, YES. YEAH. ALL, ALTHOUGH THOSE EXPERIENCES RESONATES WITH ME. UM, A VIVID, UH, EXPERIENCE I HAVE IS RIDING ON THE TRAINS, AND, UM, THE ONLY WAY TO GET ME IN AND OUT OF A TRAIN WAS THROUGH THE GUARDS VAN. SO THE GUARDS VAN, UH, HOUSED ALL THE MAIL BAGS, UH, BICYCLES AND THINGS LIKE THIS. SO I HAD A, A JOURNEY TO AND FROM MY DESTINATION IN THE GUARDS VAN SURROUNDED BY MAIL BAGS AND, AND BICYCLES. AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE EXTENT OF THE ACCOMMODATION IN, IN THE UK BEFORE. HOW DID YOU GET INTO THAT CAR? I HAD A TEMPORARY RAMP THAT, UM, THAT THEY PROVIDED, AND I WAS ABLE TO GET ON THERE, UM, INTO THE GUARDS VAN THROUGH THAT MEANS. SO YOU RODE THE SAME TRAIN EVERY DAY? UH, YES, I DID. YES. YEAH. SO THEY JUST KEPT THAT THEY, THEY KNEW YOU WERE COMING, THEY, THAT THEY DID, YEAH. DID THEY EVER HAVE TO WAIT THE TRAIN ON YOU, ALAN? NO, NO. THEY, THEY WERE PRETTY EFFICIENT. BUT IF I, IF I GOT ON A DIFFERENT TRAIN, THEN THAT WOULD BE THE CASE. YES. YEAH. WELL, I, I GOTTA SAY THAT THE, THAT I WAS NOT IMPRESSED WITH THE TIMELINESS OF THE BRITISH RAILROAD WHEN I WAS USING IT. THEY WARNED US, THEY SAID, THE TRAIN WILL LEAVE WITHOUT YOU IF YOU'RE NOT ON THE CAR. RIGHT. AND SO WE GOT THERE AT 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE TRAIN WAS TO LEAVE, AND WE GOT BOARDED. AND, UH, THE, THE TRAIN WAITED FOR 45 MINUTES, AND FINALLY THEY ANNOUNCED THAT THE TRAIN DRIVER WAS HOMESICK THAT DAY, AND THEY COULDN'T FIND A SUBSTITUTE. MM-HMM . SO WE WAITED ON THE BACKUP, THE BACKUP CREW. UH, MAYBE THAT'S UNUSUAL. I, WELL, I DON'T THINK SO. I THINK PEOPLE IN THE UK WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE EFFICIENCY AND TIMELINESS OF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. OH, OKAY. YEAH. AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE IS THAT IT'S A DIGNITY ISSUE AS WELL. YOU KNOW, HAVING TO BE CARRIED UP, UH, STEPS, UM, RIGHT. HAVING TO SORT OF GO TRAVEL IN A GUARDS VAN OR IN A FREIGHT TO ELEVATOR. THESE ARE ALL DIGNITY ISSUES, YOU KNOW, WHICH ALSO, UH, VERY IMPORTANT. NOW, WHEN YOU CAME TO RICE UNIVERSITY, WERE THERE ANY OF THOSE ISSUES ON THE CAMPUS AT THAT TIME? UH, YES. THERE WERE. UM, YEAH, THE CAMPUS IS OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD, SO YES, THERE WERE SOME BUILDINGS WITH FREIGHT ELEVATORS. OTHERS WERE, UH, IT WASN'T POSSIBLE TO GET INTO THE BUILDING AT ALL. YEAH. AND SO IF YOU NEEDED A SERVICE, YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE SEEN ELSEWHERE. YEAH. THIS WAS 20 YEARS AGO, RIGHT? YEAH. SO I, I RECALL GOING TO RICE, UH, AND RIDING ON A FREIGHT ELEVATOR. RIGHT. THEY WERE NICE ENOUGH TO SHOW ME THE WAY THERE AND TO TIDY UP THE ELEVATOR A LITTLE BEFORE I GOT ON IT, BUT THEY, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY OTHER WAY TO ACCESS SEVERAL OF THOSE BUILDINGS. RIGHT, RIGHT. YEAH. AND, UM, BUT SINCE THEN, THEY'VE DONE A LOT IN TERMS OF RETROFITTING BUILDINGS AND ALSO MAKING SURE THAT THE NEW BUILDINGS ARE A DA COMPLIANT AND ACTUALLY, UH, GO BEYOND THAT IN TERMS OF, UH, BEST PRACTICES. SO DESCRIBE SOME OF THE GO BEYOND. YEAH, SO BASICALLY, UM, WITH RETROFITTING BUILDINGS ESPECIALLY, UM, IT, THERE ARE SOME PLACES WHERE WE NEED TO GO INTO A DIFFERENT ENTRANCE TO SOMEWHERE ELSE, BECAUSE [00:15:01] THERE ARE STEPS. I UNDERSTAND. YEAH. SORT OF LIKE THE BACK OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT OBVIOUSLY WITH BEST PRACTICES, WE WANT TO FIND A SOLUTION WHERE WE CAN GET IN THE SAME AS EVERYWHERE ELSE. AND SO THAT, THAT THEY'VE BEEN DOING A LOT IN TERMS OF INCLUSIVE DESIGN. YEAH. BECAUSE YOU, YOU CAN HAVE ACCESS WITHOUT INCLUSION, UM, BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE INCLUSION WITHOUT ACCESS. SO I RECENTLY EXPERIENCED THAT DESIGN, GOOD DESIGN AT RICE. I, I DON'T RECALL THE NAME OF THE BUILDING, BUT IT WAS ON THE EDGE OF THE CAMPUS. IT CLEARLY WAS A NEW BUILDING THAT HAD SOME RETROFITTING. AND I WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE I WENT IN ONE ENTRANCE. THAT WAS, THEY, I WAS MET THERE BY SOME STUDENTS, AND WE WENT IN ONE ENTRANCE. IT WAS QUITE ACCESSIBLE MM-HMM . AND THEN WHEN WE LEFT, I WAS ABLE TO GO OUT ANOTHER ENTRANCE WITH THE STUDENTS. SO THEY HAD ORGANIZED THE, UH, ACCESSIBILITY MM-HMM . WHICH IS TYPICALLY IN THAT SITUATION, MAYBE A SINGLE PUBLIC ENTRANCE, SO THAT ALL THE ENTRANCES WERE ACCESSIBLE. RIGHT. THAT WAS VERY NICE. THE ONE THING I'LL MENTION TO YOU, THOUGH, MAYBE IT'S RE CORRECTED NOW, BUT I COULDN'T GET ON THE STAGE IN THAT LITTLE, UH, BUILDING MM-HMM . SO I WAS THERE TO MAKE A PRESENTATION, AND APPARENTLY NONE OF THE, UH, UH, NONE OF THE PRESENTERS IN THAT LITTLE FACILITY WERE, UH, PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS. SO I, UH, RIGHT. MAYBE YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. YES. YEAH. YEAH. MAYBE YOU'VE ALREADY FIXED IT. YEAH. YEAH. I, I WILL HAVE A CLOSER LOOK AT THOSE BUILDINGS, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY'VE, THEY'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK, UH, WITH REGARD TO THAT ALSO, UM, BECAUSE YEAH, YOU KNOW, IT, IT SHOULD BE ABOUT INCLUSIVE DESIGN. YOU KNOW, THERE'S THIS SORT OF, UH, UNIVERSAL DESIGN, UH, PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SOME TIME, UM, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT. SO THE ARCHITECTS, YOU ACTUALLY TALK TO THE ARCHITECTS IN THE PROCESS? I DO. SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE, UH, UH, AN INCLUSIVE DESIGN COMMITTEE THAT, THAT I'M ON, THE ARCHITECTS ARE ON, AND, UH, WE, WELL, ACTUALLY WE HAVE PEOPLE, UH, REPRESENTED CAMPUS WIDE, THE GRAD STUDENTS ON IT AS WELL, UM, TO SORT OF, UH, GUIDE THE, UH, PRINCIPLES OF HOW TO MAKE THE CAMPUS, UH, MORE INCLUSIVE. WELL, I THINK THAT'S, UM, UH, AN EXAMPLE OF BEST PRACTICES THAT, RIGHT? YES. THAT HAS TO BE, UM, VERY REVEALING IN SOME RESPECTS, BUT ALSO ENSURES THAT YOU DON'T MISS ANYTHING AND HAVE TO GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN. EXACTLY. YEAH. YEAH. AND WE ALL BRING DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES TO THE ISSUE AS WELL. SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE PEOPLE FROM ALL AROUND THE CAMPUS, UM, REPRESENTED ON THAT COMMITTEE. THE, HOW MANY STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES DO YOU HAVE ON THE RICE CAMPUS AT ANY GIVEN TIME? SO THEY'RE ACTUALLY OVER 500 STUDENTS REGISTERED WITH THE OFFICE. WOW. UM, MOST OF THOSE STUDENTS DO NOT HAVE A PHYSICAL DISABILITY, SO THEY'LL HAVE, UH, ISSUES SUCH AS A DHD, DYSLEXIA AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, LEARNING DISABILITIES. THAT'S CORRECT, YES. YEAH. OH, THAT'S INTERESTING. YEAH. OKAY. WELL, WE, WE, I WANNA VISIT SOME MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR THOSE STUDENTS SURE. THAT ARE NOT SO OBVIOUS. MM-HMM . UH, BUT FIRST I'M GONNA TAKE ANOTHER BREAK HERE AND, UH, ASK YOU ALL TO JOIN US AFTER THIS BREAK. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. DUSK IS THE BEST TIME TO WATCH THE BATS TAKE FLIGHT FROM THEIR W BRIDGE HOME. THE URBAN FABRIC OF HOUSTON IS WOVEN FROM THE AMBITIONS AND TRADITIONS OF PEOPLE AND IDEAS. COME ON. WE ARE A CITY OF COLLABORATORS WHO BUILD ON ONE ANOTHER'S INSPIRATION, STRENGTHS, AND CULTURES TO SHAPE A FUTURE WE ALL CAN SHARE. COME ON. TOGETHER. WE ARE MORE THAN 7 MILLION INGREDIENTS THAT MAKE SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE DISCOVERED, TASTED, OR INVENTED ANYWHERE ELSE. COME ON, A MOVEMENT, A MOMENT, A FUTURE. COME ON [00:20:01] TOGETHER. WE ARE RESHAPING THE CULINARY LANDSCAPE. COME ON. COME ON. CULTURES COMBINE TO CREATE A POWERFUL, FLAVORFUL TASTE OF THINGS TO COME. LOUISIANA. CRAWFISH BECOME THE OCCASION. CRAWFISH AND MULES, ASIAN FLAVORS MEET TEXAS STYLE, BARBECUE, JAPANESE TAPAS, KOREA MIX, AND NIGERIAN JAMBALAYA SET THE TABLE FOR A CREATIVE, INVENTIVE, COOPERATIVE SCENE. MINE. THE POWER OF TOGETHER IS CREATING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS THAT ARE SHAPING AN ECOSYSTEM OF BUSINESSES IN ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH, TAKING US TO THE MOON AND BEYOND. COME ON. OUR TOGETHER IS ROCKET FUEL. COME ON. THE POWER OF TOGETHER IS THE POWER TO HEAL. COME ON. WE ARE DEVELOPING THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED RESEARCH CAMPUS AT THE WORLD'S LARGEST MEDICAL CITY. THE GREATEST MINDS IN MEDICINE, SCIENCE, ACADEMIA, AND COMMERCE COLLIDE HERE. SPEEDING. RESEARCH AND BREAKTHROUGHS COME ON. TOGETHER, WE ARE POWERING THE FUTURE, EVOLVING THE ENERGY, SUPPLY AND SCIENCE, LEADING THE GLOBAL TRANSITION TO A MORE EFFICIENT, SUSTAINABLE, LOW CARBON FUTURE. COME ON. HOUSTON WELCOMES YOU TO SAY HELLO TO THE INCREDIBLE POWER AND INFINITE POSSIBILITY OF TOGETHER. WE CANNOT WAIT TO MAKE TOMORROW TO TOGETHER. COME ON. YOU'RE WATCHING HTV. I'M LEX FRIED, YOUR HOST, AND OUR GUEST TODAY IS ALAN RUSSELL. UH, ALAN, YOU TALKED ABOUT, UH, LIFE GROWING UP WITH A DISABILITY. MM-HMM . AND WE'VE HAD A CONVERSATION, SHORT CONVERSATION ABOUT ACCOMMODATIONS AT RICE UNIVERSITY. ONE THING THAT I THINK PEOPLE HAVE DIFFICULTY GETTING THEIR THEIR ARMS AROUND IS WHAT CONSTITUTES A DISABILITY AND WHO, WHO MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE FOR SERVICES FROM YOUR OFFICE? FOR EXAMPLE, UM, YOU JUST MENTIONED OF THE 500 STUDENTS AT RICE WHO ARE REGISTERED MM-HMM . TO RECEIVE SERVICES, A LARGE PORTION OF THEM ARE PEOPLE WITH WHAT WE CALL LEARNING DISABILITIES OR PEOPLE ON THE SPECTRUM. MM-HMM . UM, AND YOU BROUGHT UP THE POINT THAT, UH, MANY PEOPLE LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED HAVING LEARNING DIFFERENCES. WHAT, WHAT ARE THE KINDS OF ACCOMMODATIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE TO ENABLE THOSE STUDENTS TO, UM, PROGRESS IN THEIR UNIVERSITY CAREER? SURE. SO THERE'S A WHOLE HOST OF, UH, ACCOMMODATIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. UH, TYPICAL ONES CAN BE, UH, EXTRA TIME FOR TESTS, TESTING IN A DISTRACTION REDUCED ENVIRONMENT, BECAUSE THEY, THESE ARE FOCUS BASED, UH, ISSUES THAT THOSE STUDENTS TEND TO HAVE. SO, UH, STUDENTS CAN HAVE SLOW PROCESSING SPEED, UM, AND DIFFICULTY FOCUSING. AND SO THEIR MIND MAY WANDER. AND SO HAVING EXTRA TIME AND TESTING IN A DISTRACTION REDUCED ENVIRONMENT IS VERY GOOD. THAT HELPS THEM TREMENDOUSLY. BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT TEXTING IN A, IN A DISTRACTION FREE ENVIRONMENT IS GOOD FOR EVERY STUDENT. AGREED. WHY, WHY DO WE HAVE TO MAKE ACCOMMODATIONS TO ENSURE THAT? THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. AND I THINK AS, UH, WE, UH, AS THE ACCOMMODATION PROCESS EVOLVES, WE NEED TO LOOK AT, UM, ACCOMMODATIONS AT SOURCE SO THAT A DISABILITY OFFICE SUCH AS MINE DOESN'T HAVE TO ISSUE SO MANY ACCOMMODATIONS ON A LETTER FOR THE STUDENT TO GIVE TO THE PROFESSOR. BECAUSE THE PROFESSOR HAS ALREADY INCLUDED, INCLUDED ACCOMMODATIONS AT SOURCE. EXACTLY. YEAH. AND THE, UH, THE, THE ISSUE OF STUDENTS WHO NEED MORE TIME, UH, IN MY CLASS, I TEACH, UH, A COUPLE OF CLASSES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER IN MY CLASS, WE DON'T HAVE A TIME LIMIT MM-HMM . ON EXAMS. UH, STUDENTS ARE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO FINISH IT AT THEIR OWN, UM, SPEED. AND THEY EITHER GET IT DONE OR THEY DON'T. AND, UH, THEY, THEY HAVE A DEADLINE, AND IN TERMS OF DAYS, BUT NOT MINUTES AND HOURS. SO, UM, AND I HAVE EXCUSED STUDENTS WHO DID NOT GET THEIR WORK DONE IN THE NUMBER OF DAYS MM-HMM . BUT NOT FOR DISABILITY RELATED REASONS. MM-HMM . BECAUSE THEY WERE ILL, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH IS ILLNESS IS NOT A DISABILITY. RIGHT. RIGHT. BUT THE, THE STUDENTS WHO REQUIRE [00:25:01] MORE TIME FOR TIMED TESTS, WHAT KIND OF EVIDENCE DO THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE TO ENABLE THEM TO HAVE THAT KIND OF ACCOMMODATION? SO TYPICALLY WE, WE GET EVIDENCE FROM A PROFESSIONAL, A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL WHO'S USED TO MAKING THAT TYPE OF ASSESSMENT. SO IT COULD BE, UH, EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST, A HEALTH PROVIDER, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED THE, UH, DOCUMENTATION TO BE ON OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD AND SIGNED AND DATED BY THE, UH, SO DOES THE STUDENT HAVE TO PAY TO GET AN EXAMINATION IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A SERVICE? UH, THEY MAY HAVE TO, IT DEPENDS ON THE, UH, STUDENT'S INSURANCE. SO THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE COR, UH, CORRECT. MIGHT HAVE. INTERESTING. DOES THE INSURANCE THAT THE UNIVERSITY PROVIDES STUDENTS INCLUDE THAT ACCOMMODATION? YEAH. UH, YES, IT CAN, UH, DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED. AH, OKAY. WELL, I'M, I WON'T GO ANY FURTHER WITH THAT, BUT THE, THE, THE QUESTION IS, WHAT OTHER KINDS OF ACCOMMODATIONS DO PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THE LEARNING, UH, SPECTRUM? ON THE, I REMEMBER, UH, THE FIRST TIME I MET, UH, GEORGE BUSH MM-HMM . HE WAS VICE PRESIDENT, AND HE TALKED ABOUT, UH, HE AND BARBARA HAVING, ONE OF THEIR BOYS HAD DIFFICULTY IN SCHOOL MM-HMM . BECAUSE HE HAD DIFFICULTY READING. RIGHT. AND THE BUSHES HAD JUST REALIZED THAT THAT WAS A DISABILITY, IN FACT MM-HMM . UH, BUT, UH, I, I WONDER WHAT KIND OF ACCOMMODATIONS WE MAKE FOR THAT NOW AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL. SURE. SO THERE'S ALL SORTS OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S AVAILABLE NOW. UH, TEXAS SUITE SOFTWARE IS A VERY GOOD ONE THAT'S UTILIZED BY, UH, STUDENTS AS WELL. AND THERE'S ALSO NOTE TAKING ASSISTANCE THAT, UH, WE UTILIZE, UM, YOU KNOW, QUITE OFTEN TOO. AND SO THERE'S MANY MORE STRATEGIES THAT WE CAN EMPLOY TO HELP STUDENTS WITH A WHOLE RANGE OF DISABILITIES THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO IN THE PAST BECAUSE THE ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY WAS NOT AVAILABLE. SO HOW MANY, DOES RICE TAKE MORE STUDENTS NOW WITH DISABILITIES THAN THEY USED TO? IS IT, UH, IS, IS RICE APPLYING THE SAME STANDARD OF ADMISSION TO STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES THAT THEY ARE WITH ALL STUDENTS? YES. UH, SO THE POPULATION AT RICE IS INCREASING WITH THE UNIVERSITIES EXPANDING, UH, IRRESPECTIVE OF DISABILITY. AND WE DO HAVE MORE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES APPLY TO RICE. NOW, DISABILITY STATUS IS NOT ALLOWED TO BE USED AS A CRITERIA FOR ADMISSIONS. AND SO VERY OFTEN THE DISABILITY OFFICE HAS THE MOST ACCURATE RECORD OF HOW MANY STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE ON A UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. UH, IT'S INTERESTING, ALAN, WE, WE NEED TO WRAP UP THE INTERVIEW TODAY, BUT I, I DID ASK ABOUT THE DEFINITION OF DISABILITY YES. IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THOSE SERVICES. CAN YOU, IN A SENTENCE ANSWER THAT QUESTION? YEAH, SURE. IT, IT, IT'S A CONDITION THAT AFFECTS, UH, A MAJOR LIFE, UH, FUNCTION THAT A PERSON HAS. SO, UM, SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT LIMITS A, A MAJOR LIFE FUNCTION. SO IT IS THE A DA DEFINITION OF EFFECT. CORRECT. YES. OKAY. YES. THAT WAS EXPANDED THROUGH THE AMENDMENTS ACT IN 2008, CORRECT? YES. OKAY. ALAN, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO GET IN TOUCH WITH YOU ABOUT, UH, ACCOMMODATIONS THAT MIGHT BE MADE FOR THEM, IF THEY BECOME A STUDENT AT RICE, HOW DO THEY REACH YOU? UH, THEY CAN REACH ME THROUGH AADARICE@RICE.EDU. UM, JUST GO ONTO TO THE RICE UNIVERSITY WEBSITE AND, UM, SEARCH DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER, AND OUR DETAILS WILL BE THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THANK YOU FOR BEING THE GUEST ON OUR PROGRAM TODAY. YOU'RE WELCOME. IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE. YEAH. I WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU FOR WATCHING. FOCUS ON ABILITIES. IF YOU NEED A DA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, YOU CAN CALL 1-800-949-FOUR 2 3 2. UH, THAT'S THE A DA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER. I'M LEX FRIEDEN. I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR WATCHING THE SHOW TODAY, AND I HOPE YOU COME BACK NEXT TIME FOR MORE FOCUS ON ABILITIES. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.