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August 5, 2020 | XXIV, Issue Number 15
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When President George H. W. Bush signed the American with Disabilities act (ADA) into law 30 years ago, he stated, “Three weeks ago we celebrated our nation's Independence Day. Today we're here to rejoice in and celebrate another 'Independence Day,' one that is long overdue. With today's signing … every man, woman, and child with a disability can now pass through once-closed doors into a bright new era of equality, independence, and freedom."
It is important that we all recognize and remember the significance of the ADA. As much as we take for granted today the ramps, curb cuts, and bathrooms for the disabled, these and numerous other changes came about as the result of years of activism by individuals inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, as well as a long history of court challenges and amendments. It is fitting that we discuss the ADA as we remember the late Congressman John Lewis and in the context of America’s long and complicated history of extending civil rights to those marginalized by society.
I am proud to cite NLN President Patricia Yoder-Wise, who wrote that the NLN’s “historic commitment to excellence in nursing education is foundational to the League’s long-standing endorsement of and support for the ADA.” Our support for the active recruitment of disabled faculty and students in our nursing programs is aligned with our NLN core value of diversity, which we describe as “a culture of inclusive excellence [that] encompasses many identities, influenced by the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious and political beliefs, or other ideologies.”
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TEQBlog Post on the ADA
I also want to thank the authors of an excellent TEQblog post written to mark the 30th anniversary of the ADA, “ACE.D in the Age of the Covid-19 Pandemic.” Dr. Suzanne C. Smeltzer, Dr. Bette Mariani, and Colleen H. Meakim of Villanova University College of Nursing remind us that changes in access to health care since passage of the ADA have happened more slowly than other areas addressed by legislation, and that “individuals with disability continue to report receiving health care that is of lower quality than care received by those without disability. This includes nursing care.”
In noting how the pandemic is especially devastating to the disabled, the authors of the blog point to how ACE.D resources can be used by schools of nursing to educate our students. ACE.D (Advancing Care Excellence for the Disabled) is, of course, one part of the NLN’s brilliant ACE series for Advancing Care for Vulnerable Populations, the others being ACE.S (seniors), ACE.Z (Alzheimer’s), ACE.C (caregivers), ACE.V (veterans), and ACE.P (pediatrics). All ACE resources include teacher-ready curriculum tools that can be used in a wide variety of environments, including sensitive unfolding cases, links to relevant background material, and well-thought-out teaching strategies. And thanks to our funders, ACE – a really big idea – is yours to use at no charge.
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Your Next Big Idea
Now I am excited to tell you about another benefit and big idea available for NLN members. We recently entered into an exciting partnership with the Next Big Idea Club that allows our members to join as Express Members free of charge for a one- year period. The Next Big Idea Club is a subscription-based service that offers a growing library of e-courses taught by bestselling authors with expertise in numerous areas, including business, productivity, the sciences, health, mental health, and more. Each season, the curators – well-known authors Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink – select two new groundbreaking works of nonfiction. The authors of these titles teach original e-courses based on their work that are added to the club’s growing digital library.
Through the Express Membership special offer, you as an NLN member are invited to join the club’s exclusive online forum, where you can chat live with fellow members, featured authors, and the four acclaimed curators. After the one-year trial period, you will be charged the regular annual subscription rate of $99 for access to the e-courses unless you cancel. Nurses educators are lifelong learners interested in the intersection of health care and the societal systems in which we deliver care. This is a wonderful opportunity for our members. |
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Taking Aim Webinars Continue
And there’s more! August 14 marks the beginning of a second series of four webinars offered by the NLN Center for Innovation in Teaching Excellence: Taking Aim: Good Teaching. The first series was put together quickly in the spring in response to the sudden need to close campuses and teach all courses online. The Town Hall format we used was enormously successful. The idea behind the new series, which uses the same format, is to learn from experts who have successfully implemented remote teaching strategies. Our experts will share solutions grounded in today’s neuroscience principles.
In the first session, the panel (Drs. Angela Amar, Lisa Day, and Jenny O’Rourke) will explore how shifts in course delivery impact curriculum and assessment. We know for certain that key foundational principles of good teaching hold consistent and will impact how today’s nursing students benefit from their nursing education in the unique context of COVID-19. Register now and be part of this historic webinar series. You will certainly learn a lot from these experts. |
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Sign Up for the Summit
So, too, you will want to be part of the NLN Virtual Summit coming up September 23-25, where experts will abound. While I am disappointed to be unable to greet you in person as I do each year at our Summits, I am excited by the opportunities offered by a virtual Summit. We anticipate welcoming many nurse faculty from abroad and many of you who may have been unable to travel to Summits in the past. During this most unusual year, it is important to celebrate together the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and explore the conference theme: Master of Teaching – Art of Leadership. We offer amazing sessions, with CE credit, actionable insights, non-stop learning, and, I assure you, endless fun. Register now!
Apply for the Writing Retreat
We recently experienced our first-ever virtual Scholarly Writing Retreat and it was a great success. Twelve participants started work immediately after being accepted in the spring, working with Dr. Marilyn Oermann on selecting the best journal for their topics, developing outlines, and preparing their drafts. They worked all weekend on crafting their manuscripts for submission with the understanding that Dr. Oermann will help them through the process of revise and resubmit. With the success of this retreat, I am happy to announce a second virtual Scholarly Writing Retreat for January 9-10 (our first event for 2021). This retreat will be led by Dr. Leslie Nicoll, editor of Nurse Author & Editor and CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing. Apply soon; the deadline is Sept. 18.
Let me also share with you a big thank you to both of our extraordinary mentors, Drs. Oermann and Nicoll, and Leslie Block, managing editor of Nursing Education Perspectives, who provides overall assistance to the success of these endeavors. They are all quite amazing.
Submit a Sim Abstract
If simulation is your specialty area, now is the time to submit an abstract for the NLN/University of Central Florida Simulation Conference: From Simulation to Innovation and Beyond, currently being planned for March 3-5, 2021, in Orlando. Abstracts, due October 9, should reflect simulation research and operations, innovative practice and partnerships, or cutting-edge AR/VR, and tele simulations. With simulation in mind, let me remind you that the application period is still open for the NLN Leadership Institute, which encompasses simulation leadership as well as LEAD, for those new to leadership positions, and NLN Leadership Institute Executive, for executive leaders in nursing and practice.
As always, there is a lot going on in August at the NLN, our pre-Summit busy season. This year, we are especially challenged. As America looks toward nurses with admiration and gratitude as never before, we want you, as teachers of nurses, to have the support and faculty development opportunities you need to succeed.
In the meantime, the virus is still with us so wear your mask, wash your hands, keep your distance, keep cool, and be safe. I’ll see you at the Summit – I mean the Virtual Summit!
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