October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and about one in four people in the United States has some type of disability according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As many as 80% of disabled individuals have invisible disabilities that can include ADHD, learning disabilities, psychological conditions or mental health concerns.

These statistics also apply across college campuses, where students are preparing to enter the workforce amid learning environments where accessibility has become a more routine aspect of the classroom.

“Students arriving at college campuses now have grown up with the idea of inclusion,” said Deborah McCarthy, director of USF’s Office of Student Accessibility Services (SAS). “They’re used to the reality that someone in a wheelchair was in their kindergarten class, or that someone with autism was in their math class. They view accessibility as a communal responsibility and are eager to be proactive. This new viewpoint creates an exciting opportunity.”

And yet, many students with disabilities still do not seek help for various reasons, including stigma. That represents a complex challenge for student accessibility leaders like McCarthy.

Below are some ways USF works to support student accessibility, reduce stigma, raise awareness of available resources and empower individuals with disabilities to share their experiences and concerns.

Student Accessibility Services

McCarthy’s office serves approximately 3,100 students across the three USF campuses—around five times the number it served in 2009—and provides them with services and support from enrollment through graduation.

SAS works with faculty to accommodate students through Universal Design for Learning, a framework meant to ensure that course materials and activities are accessible and inclusive for all students, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds or preferred learning styles.

This can include providing accessible textbooks, Braille, American Sign Language interpreters, extended time testing, note-taking technologies and transcription services.

When the COVID-19 pandemic sent colleges online in 2020, the shift to platforms like Microsoft Teams to connect faculty, staff and students brought unexpected benefits, such as improved captioning for students with hearing impairments.

McCarthy said the pandemic sped up efforts at USF and across the nation to increase the use of technology that supports accessibility and helped people think about what an in-person university means and what accommodations still need to be made.

SAS also serves as a resource for the broader campus community with a goal of promoting an environment where accessibility and Universal Design are central to the USF experience.

“Disability advocate Alice Wong points out that accessibility is really about hospitality,” McCarthy said. “You don’t invite someone into your home for dinner if you’re not sure they can get into your house. It’s not just ramps and curb cuts. It’s about what it means to be hospitable.”

SAS encourages all students, faculty and staff to participate in AccessiBull, a series of disability awareness events to help educate the USF community and reduce stigma. The office also annually administers the Johnson Scholarship for Students with Disabilities to provide financial support.

Presidential Advisory Committee on Accessibility

Formed in 2021, the USF Presidential Advisory Committee on Accessibility is chaired by McCarthy and advises President Rhea Law on matters pertaining to ability, accessibility and disability for faculty, staff and students.

The advisory committee also evaluates and monitors the university environment for related problems and issues, and it’s a way for multiple areas of USF to come together to embrace accessibility.

Since its inception, the committee has partnered with USF’s Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning to enhance accessibility and training for online courses and faculty trainings.

The committee co-sponsored USF’s second annual production of “This is My Brave,” a student performance about mental health and disability, and is focusing on updates to USF’s Americans with Disabilities Act policies.

Employment Support

SAS and partners like USF’s Center for Career & Professional Development offer a variety of resources to assist students with employment opportunities.

Information about the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Recruitment Program is available through the SAS website. The program, managed by the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy and the U.S. Department of Defense, connects employers with postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities. The apply date is Oct. 12.

The USF Center for Career & Professional Development offers articles and videos sharing tips and advice for students with disabilities who are entering the workforce, as well as resources such as career coaching and, on USF’s Tampa campus, 15-minute drop-in visits for students to answer basic career-related questions.

Recent campus career fairs offered a half-hour exclusive time slot with access limited to students needing accommodation so they could navigate the fair without crowds and with minimal sensory overload.

Student Government Accessibility Task Force

Last year, USF students Simone Till and Kevin Moore urged student government leaders to create a Campus Accessibility Task Force. Their intent was to enhance the disability culture at USF by raising awareness and empowering students.

Till and Moore spearheaded the creation of a survey last fall asking students to share their experiences and concerns and received 182 responses. The findings will help student government look for ways to guide more students toward resources available through SAS and advocate for increased support for disabled individuals.

Till arrived at USF three years ago with an acute understanding of the challenges facing students with disabilities. She experienced hearing loss during her childhood that eventually led to her use of hearing aids.

Because of her long hair, Till’s hearing aids aren’t readily visible. Her sister, however, has cerebral palsy, causing speech and mobility challenges that make her disability more apparent.

“Growing up helped me understand that when you approach disabilities, it’s really a huge umbrella,” Till said. “You have to think about it from a very holistic standpoint.”

Jillian Heilman, the task force’s faculty advisor at the time, credited Till, Moore and other student government leaders for responding to what they saw and heard from peers and pushing to make the task force a reality.

“Students started to reach out to us,” said Heilman, an adjunct professor in the USF Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Sciences Program who researches disability impact, advocacy and awareness. “It was a grassroots effort that solidified students’ need to be heard.”

Till and Moore graduated in May, and one of the students taking over leadership of the task force is Chrissy Zimmer, a College of Public Health graduate student who has utilized accessibility services because of a spinal condition.

Zimmer calls Heilman “a remarkable advocate,” and says McCarthy’s team at SAS has made “phenomenal improvements to its website,” including the addition of webinars and other resources.

She said the task force is planning another survey this fall. There are also plans to create a peer-to-peer mentoring platform and promote a greater student body presence at events focused on access and raising awareness.

“The task force would love to get students more involved and make them aware of services available to them, and to help able-bodied students learn how they can become allies,” Zimmer said. “These are small ways that we can ignite change.”

Story reposted from USF Newsroom

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This is the semester of all things new for the USF College of Public Health.

The COPH welcomed 85 undergraduates, 213 masters and 29 doctoral students this fall semester representing more than 26 different states and 13 countries across each continent of the globe.

“It is my honor and privilege to welcome you to the best college of public health in the universe!” Dean Donna Petersen said during her address at orientation held Aug. 16 for graduate students.

Dean Donna Petersen addresses graduate students at orientation for fall 2018. (Photo by Anna Mayor)

Her advice to students this semester—take advantage.

“Take advantage of everything we offer. You are here for such a short time. If there is a speaker that’s coming here to talk, go hear them. If there is a student organization, join them. If there is an opportunity to get engaged in the community, do that,” she said. “Take advantage of the staff and faculty. We are all here to help you achieve what you want to achieve.”

Dr. Anthony Masys’, associate professor of global health, invited graduate students to stand up and warm up with some creative dance to get their ‘creativity’ flowing. (Photo by Caitlin Keough) 

Graduate students met in USF Health Center for Wellness, Engagement, Leadership and Learning (WELL) rotunda, followed by an informational expo and mixer with faculty at the COPH building.

Dr. Ellen Daley, professor and associate dean of research and practice, speaks with incoming graduate students during the faculty and student mixer portion of orientation. (Photo by Anna Mayor)

“Get to know each other, we are delighted you are here and that you have chosen the USF College of Public Health. Meet each other,” stressed Dean Petersen. “These are your colleagues, these will be your professional colleagues for the rest of your lives. We think you have made an excellent choice.”

Graduate student Haley Tolbert poses with Rocky during the COPH orientation. (Photo by Anna Mayor)

Graduate student Haley Tolbert, originally from Valdosta, Ga., earned her undergraduate degree from Florida State University in marketing and management. She said she was looking to further her education in health administration, something not offered at FSU.

“I was doing research on what programs were the best in Florida and USF constantly came up and really exceeded my expectations so far,” Tolbert said. “I chose to come here also because Tampa is such a huge location, it’s so up-and-coming and has so many job opportunities. I’m excited.”

Undergraduates met Aug. 17 for orientation and took an in-depth tour of the COPH and USF WELL.

The average GPA of the 85 incoming undergraduates was 3.02 and included students from New York, Jamaica, Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

Undergraduate students show their COPH pride during orientation after a panel discussion with advisors and faculty. (Photo by Anna Mayor)

Anna Makenzie Wright, an undergraduate from Islamorada, Fla., on the Florida Keys, said it was a Google search that prompted her to apply.

“I searched for the best public health schools in Florida and USF COPH constantly came up,” she said. “I was amazed at how pretty the campus was and I was overwhelmed by how nice everyone was here.”

First cohort of Coverdell Fellows

The COPH also welcomed its first cohort of Paul D. Coverdell Fellows this semester, a graduate fellowship program awarding financial assistance to returning Peace Corps volunteers pursuing an MPH or MSPH degree. The fellowship also includes an internship in underserved communities in Tampa for two years.

Jianca Reid, a student in the global health practice concentration, served for more than two years in Thailand as a youth and development volunteer.

“I was considered exotic, so that was unique. I lived in rice patty fields and the city was within biking distance. I made friends with the locals; it was a great experience,” she said.

Reid, whose passion for service began as a member of AmeriCorps, said her service in Thailand included coding, leadership camps, teaching English and even teaching soccer.

“I love people,” she said. “I love kids and learning about different cultures. Every time I do different service work, it is so unique,” she said.

Reid, who earned her undergraduate degree from USF, credits her undergraduate professor Deidre Orriola for inspiring her to continue on in public health.

“When she was teaching my intro to public health class, I kept thinking she was so cool and after that I just dove into public health,” she said.

First cohort of Coverdell Fellows at the COPH (from left): Brian Richardson, Megan Montoya and Jianca Reid. (Photo by Anna Mayor)

For returned Peace Corps volunteer Brian Richardson, the passion for helping others began at home.

He served for some time in Mali as a water safety and hygiene volunteer and in Gambia as a health extension volunteer.

“My dad told me that before I could barely talk, I’ve always been trying to help people and I guess that’s never changed,” he said. “I grew up in Deerfield Beach in Broward County and in my neighborhood there were a lot of people from Mali. They told me about the issues in their country and communities and these were issues I studied in undergrad and I figure maybe there was a way I could go over there and help out.”

Richardson, who earned his undergraduate degree from Florida International University in recreation and sports management said he had no health knowledge before joining the Peace Corps.

“Once I was in Gambia, I saw a lot of bad issues and it killed me to see that type of stuff going on. I started to do more health work while I was there related to malaria and nutrition, and education in general, and that sparked my fire to pursue public health,” he said.

Richardson is earning his degree in the public health education concentration.

For Megan Montoya it’s mutual understanding that drove her to serve.

Montoya, who earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Utah is currently pursuing her MPH in epidemiology and global health.

She served in Cambodia for 12 months as a health extension volunteer, working out of a health center speaking to others on a variety of health topics ranging from prenatal health, vaccines and nutrition.

She also initiated a grant to build bathroom facilities in an elementary school, which inspired more water safety and hygiene projects.

“Resilience; making something out of nothing and empowering yourself and others, that’s the biggest thing I learned in the Peace Corps,” she said. “It’s mutual understanding. I can be teaching, but at the same time learning from the other culture and vice versa.”

For more information on becoming a Coverdell Fellow, students may visit the COPH’s Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows website.

Restructure of the COPH

On Aug. 8 the COPH officially adopted a new organizational structure removing the five department model and reorganizing into four strategic areas, which Dean Petersen says will allow for greater faculty collaboration.

(Photo by Anna Mayor)

“What we have created is different ways to align ourselves in the spirit of faculty and college success,” she said.

According to Petersen, in 2011 ASPPH created the Framing the Future Taskforce to rethink education in public health.

“Things were heading away from the five core disciplines model,” she said. “In fact, this college, in 2012, started reframing the core curriculum in the MPH in light of these conversations.”

Petersen said this prompted her to think about how the department structure was impacting the COPH.

“At the end of the day, I still came down to the fact that we would be a stronger faculty and college if we were just one college,” she said.

Instead of departments, there are now four strategic areas at the COPH, each with their own strategic area leads and administrative approvers:

Policy, Practice and Leadership
Dr. Karen Liller, strategic area lead
Dr. Kay Perrin, administrative approver

Population Health Sciences
Dr. Russell Kirby, strategic area lead
Dr. Tricia Pennicook, administrative approver

Global and Planetary Health
Dr. Thomas Unnasch, strategic area lead
James Evans, administrative approver

Interdisciplinary Science and Practice
Dr. Anthony Masys, strategic area lead
Dr. Ellen Daley, administrative approver

Dean Petersen said she will conduct all faculty assignments and evaluations and assure equitable distribution of resources to support faculty success.

“Students apply to concentrations and we’ve identified the faculty affiliated with each one,” Petersen said. “The goal now is  to encourage and support faculty working across disciplines and focus on strategy.”

The COPH has also moved toward a centralized service model for all administrative processes. The Business Operations Support Services team (BOSS), provides support to faculty and staff. They serve the entire COPH community and assist with a range of administrative needs from ordering office supplies to arranging travel.

BOSS staff include:
Pamela Mclean (CPH 2029)
Kristina Hamp (first floor of COPH)
Donna Rodandello (second floor of COPH)
Katherine Small (IDRB 311)
Sara de la Cantera (Chiles Center)

“We always want to be looking ahead and be as agile as we can,” Petersen said in regard to why the change was necessary. “This will enhance the student experience and facilitate faculty working strategically and working together.”

Story by Anna Mayor, USF College of Public Health

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Both showed increases in the latest U.S. News ranking of America’s graduate schools

Graduate programs at the University of South Florida’s College of Nursing and College of Public Health ranked among the nation’s best in the latest U.S. News & World Report “America’s Best Graduate Schools” edition, appearing online this week.

Last ranked by U.S. News in 2011, the USF College of Nursing’s graduate program ranking jumped substantially from number 64 to number 38.  USF was Florida’s top-ranked graduate nursing program, surpassing such schools as the University of Florida, Florida State University and the University of Miami.  For this latest report U.S. News surveyed more than 500 accredited nursing schools with master’s or doctoral programs and chose to rank master’s programs. At the graduate level, USF’s nursing school offers several master’s programs as well as a PhD program and a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.

The USF College of Public Health ranked 16—up from 21 when the school was last ranked three years ago.  The latest USF News report surveyed 50 accredited public health schools in 2014 for rankings calculated in 2015.  At the graduate level, USF’s public health school offers several master’s programs as well as a PhD program and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program.

Dianne Morrison-Beedy, PhD, dean of the USF College of Nursing, pointed to several advances in the nursing graduate program that have contributed to the rise in the USF College of Nursing’s ranking.  These have included curriculum revisions that reflect new practice and education standards, state-of-the-art facilities, and strengthening and development of partnerships with practice organizations.

“This acknowledges the college’s ongoing commitment to creating nursing leaders through innovative educational programs that meet the health care needs of the region and the nation,” Dr. Morrison-Beedy, PhD, said.  “We transform health care and transform lives, by preparing nurse practitioners and educators to address the dynamic changes occurring in today’s health care environment. At no time in Florida has this need been greater.”

Donna Petersen, ScD, dean of the USF College of Public Health, commended the faculty, staff, students and alumni who made the latest top-ranking possible.

“This is a significant achievement for our college of public health, and I couldn’t be more proud of all their hard work and dedication,” Dr. Petersen said. “This leap in our rankings is a true testament to our aggressive strategic plan and our efforts to transform our professional degree programs, the MPH and the DrPH, to create an outstanding new Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree program, and to actively conduct and translate research that improves lives.  We are inspired by this recognition to keep getting better at practicing our passions!”

Other USF colleges and programs achieving gains in the U.S. News rankings this time included the College of Engineering, from 110 to 99 in Top Engineering Schools overall; the College of Education; 92 to 83 in Top Education Schools overall; College of Business Part-time MBA Program, 146 to 130; Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering Program, 58 to 45; and Rehabilitation Counseling Program, 30 to 24.

All the publication’s rankings can be found online at U.S. News Grad Compass.

Reposted from USF Health News

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