A LOOK AT THE WEEK AHEAD July 6 - July 13, 2001 OFFICE OF NEWS AND MEDIA RELATIONS (215) 204-7476 Fax: (215) 204-4403
TURNING OUT ACE COMMUNICATORS -- A 32-year-old York, PA, man with multiple sclerosis, who is preparing for the day when he can no longer speak...A 35-year-old Texan who, due to his speech disability, needs a translator every time he expresses an idea...A 56-year-old Clearfield County, PA, woman with cerebral palsy who uses a handmade communication board to spell out words and phrases...They're all coming to ACES (Augmentative Communication and Empowerment Supports), a Temple-based program which helps people with significant speech disabilities learn to communicate using intricate--and advanced--computer technology. Altogether, seven people will spend two weeks on Temple's Main campus, July 15-27, attending computer, communication and empowerment classes taught and designed by people with disabilities. The goal of the program is to help participants find the resources to speak for themselves as they strive to live more independent lives. "ACES has challenged even the most progressive expectations for people with disabilities," says ACES founder Diane Nelson Bryen, a Temple education professor and director of the University's Institute on Disabilities. "We've had participants from 20 states, 12 foreign countries and five continents. And every one of them is speaking out for themselves...and for all of us." ACES culminates with a touching graduation ceremony on Friday, July 27, when participants will give speeches, some for the first time publicly, using their new technology.
Reach Dr. Bryen through the Office of News & Media Relations, 215-204-7476.
DON'T GET BURNED UP, KEEP YOUR COOL DURING THE "DOG DAYS" OF SUMMER -- Summer is here, and so are the "dog days," with the high heat and humidity. For those not fortunate enough to have their house or apartment air conditioned, there are ways to "beat the heat," says Steven Ridenour, Temple professor of mechanical engineering and a specialist in heating, ventilating and air conditioning. Ridenour says using proper ventilation techniques and cutting back on the use of lights and electrical appliances can reduce the amount of heat in the house, helping to make indoor living conditions a little more tolerable. "It's very important to open the windows at night to allow cooler air in," says Ridenour. "In the morning, you should close everything up and keep it closed until it starts to feel uncomfortable. Then use open windows and a fan to pull the air through." Ridenour advises drawing air into the lowest part of the house and exhausting it through the highest part of the dwelling. Since warm air rises, use a fan on the upper floors to blow the warm air out and keep the cooler air circulating. Apartment dwellers should open windows on opposite sides to create a "cross flow" of air, advises Ridenour. He suggests, if possible, using fans to pull air from the shadier side of the apartment building and exhausting it out the sunnier side. Finally, adds Ridenour, if all else fails to cool you off, get out of the house and go to an air-conditioned place like a mall, library, or grocery store for an hour or two each day.
Reach Dr. Ridenour through the Office of News and Media Relations.
POINT, CLICK...DOWNLOAD: ONLINE PHOTO ARCHIVES MAKES TEMPLE PICTURES ACCESSIBLE TO THE NEWS MEDIA -- Quickly need a campus photo depicting student life or a head shot of a faculty expert? No photographer available? Well, fear not. Temple University's Office of News and Media Relations has created a convenient, easily accessible online photo archive for writers, reporters and editors. The searchable database of photos features low- and high-resolution images available for immediate download. The archive contains a wide range of Temple-related categories, including the arts, campus, faculty, University President David Adamany, athletics, student life/learning, and even Temple alum and trustee Bill Cosby.
To access the photo archives, go to http://mdev.temple.edu/photoarchive/
CAMPAIGN FINANCE LEGISLATION MAKING AN APPEARANCE ON THE HILL--Campaign finance efforts are under way in the House of Representatives, where Reps. Martin Meehan (D-Mass.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) are pressing to get their finance reform bill through. "My guess is that Reps. Shays-Meehan's bill will again pass the House, but whether it can be reconciled with Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russ Feingold's (D-Wis.) bill is another story. If the bill can be considered before the August recess, then it has a chance of passage this year," says Temple political science professor Robin Kolodny, an expert on soft money who spent time on Capitol Hill as a congressional fellow.
Reach Kolodny at her office, 215-204-7709, or contact her through the Office of News and Media Relations.
Cheryl Afonso Temple University Office of News and Media Relations 215.204.7476 [email protected]
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