The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES—Marlee Matlin had

never danced before — well, other

than at weddings and bar mitzvahs

— but for the past two weeks, she's

been cha-cha-ing and quickstepping

for seven hours a day in preparation

for her "Dancing With the Stars"

debut.

Despite the unforgiving schedule

and complaints of constant soreness

from past contestants, Matlin, 42,

says she's remained pain-free.

"Everyone asks if I'm sore," she

said after a recent rehearsal at a

nondescript dance studio northeast of Los Angeles. "Am I supposed to

be sore?"

Perhaps not. She is, however, sup-

posed to step, twirl, dip, smile, clap, spin, plant and jump — all imagin-

able types of body and facial move-

ments, really — in time with the

music. Never mind that the Acad-

emy Award-winning actress can't

hear a single note, beat, or tempo

change.

While none of this year's crop of

"Dancing" hopefuls have ever

danced professionally, Matlin has the additional challenge of being

deaf. And that's not a problem, she

said through her longtime inter-

preter, Jack Jason. Matlin relies on

her professional partner, show new-

comer Fabian Sanchez, to lead the

way.

"He's my music," she said.

Sanchez has modified some of the

dances slightly so he and Matlin

maintain more physical or visual

contact than they otherwise might.

But even when she steps out solo,

"she's got a natural rhythm," he

said. "She's on time every single

time."

The dance instructor from Birming-

ham, Ala. had never worked with a

deaf student before, but he finds

Matlin easier to teach than many

Marlee Matlin Ready for ‘Dancing’ Debut

Henry Winkler First in Aqunias’ Star Series By Lorilee Craker, The Grand

Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS, MI.- Henry

Winkler's greatest compliment may

have come from a young reader of

his children's books.

"I got a letter from this little boy in

Missouri who said he laughed so

hard at (his 'Hank Zipzer' books

about a 10-year-old with dyslexia),

his funny bone fell out of his body,"

Winkler said gleefully during a phone interview from his Southern

California home. "I love that!"

For the 62-year-old actor, reaching

out to children who struggle with learning disabilities through the now

14-book Hank Zipzer series means

the world to him.

"Aside from my family, I am the

proudest of the books," said

Winkler, the first speaker in "Stars for Scholars," a new series of pro-

grams at Aquinas College. The se-

ries is designed to bring top-name

talent to the area and raise funds

for Aquinas scholarships.

Winkler's pride reaches back to

when he was a young boy, harassed

at school and at home because he

couldn't read properly. His teacher

humiliated him in class, while his

immigrant parents berated him for

being "stupid, lazy and not living up

to my potential," he said.

Beneath the pain of having dyslexia,

a learning disorder no one had

heard of yet, was a spark of grace,

a flicker of greatness that one day would light up the world's television

screens.

"A lot of creative people have had a

difficult time in school," he said.

"You learn to compensate. God giveth, and God taketh away. For

the part of the brain that doesn't

work, another part will flourish."

For example, Winkler flunked ge-ometry four times but won a dance

competition.

"(The award) was a symbol to me

that I was not a loser," he said.

The son of Jewish immigrants who

fled Nazi Germany in 1939,

Winkler compensated gloriously for his dyslexic challenges. He gradu-

ated from high school in Manhat-

tan, then Emerson College, fol-

lowed by Yale School of Drama,

where he earned a master's de-

gree in fine arts in 1970.

See Winkler, pg. 2

UNI Student Disability Services Newsletter

April 2008 Volume 2, Issue 7

Student Edition

The only

disability in life is a bad attitude.

Scott

Hamilton

Inside this issue:

Marlee Matlin Ready for ‘Dancing’ Debut 1

Henry Winkler First in Aquinas’ Star Series 1

Matlin, Continued 2

Winkler, Continued 2

UNI Career Services 3

General SDS Info 4

who can hear.

"I have somebody who has never

danced, who has never heard mu-

sic, so I can mold her however I

want," he said. "She's more sensi-

tive to my lead because she's not trying to follow the rhythm on her

own."

Matlin didn't join the show to prove that deaf people can dance,

she said, adding that she has seen

deaf dancers perform on stages

across the country. She did it for

the challenge, the exposure, and

ultimately, for her kids.

The mother of four was inspired by

her 12-year-old daughter, Sara, a

hip-hop dancer and devoted fan of

the show.

"I just want to be the cool mom,"

Matlin said.

She's found the right venue for

that.

As if an "American Idol"-esque 25

million viewers for last year's finale wasn't lending enough cultural

weight to the live dancing competi-

tion, now it has something resem-

bling a serious actress in its cast:

Matlin, an Emmy-nominated TV

veteran who won a best actress

Oscar in 1986 for "Children of a

Lesser God," is a clear cut above

the usual "Dancing" actors.

For that reason alone she stands

out from this year's crop, which

includes radio host Adam Carolla,

magician Penn Jillette, pro football player Jason Taylor, tennis champ

Monica Seles, Olympic skater Kristi

Yamaguchi, R&B singer Mario and

actors Steve Guttenberg, Shannon

Elizabeth, Christian de la Fuente,

Priscilla Presley and Marissa Jaret

Winokur.

As the ABC hit begins its sixth sea-

son Monday, she gives little thought

to her impairment: "We're all chal-

lenged in some way. ... The only

thing I can't do is hear."

But executive producer Conrad

Green said cast diversity contributes

to the show's success. His team

looks for contestants of various

ages, sizes, abilities and professional

pursuits. Participants have been box-ers, basketball players, businessmen,

models and yes, actors.

"We're always looking to push that

range with people you wouldn't ex-pect to do it or wouldn't want to do

it," he said, adding that he counts Bill

Clinton among his dream contest-

ants. "For lots of people, it's a nice

way to get the audience familiar with

you in a different light."

Former Mrs. Paul McCartney and

model Heather Mills, who uses a

prosthetic leg, lasted seven weeks on

the competition during season four.

"I think it proved a lot of things to a

lot of people," Green said. "It's in-

cumbent on everyone in television to

try to open up television to people

with disabilities. They're every bit as

much valid contributors to television

as anyone."

Dance ability hardly matters, he said,

since the show is all about trying

something new.

"It's just about good old-fashioned

effort for effort's sake," Green said.

"No one is aspiring to genuinely be a

ballroom dancer, so there's nothing

at stake beyond pride."

Besides, he added, "It's a stupid

trophy at the end of the day and

only one person can win it."

Matlin made it clear that she wants

to be the one to take home this

season's mirrorball prize. But she

knows it won't come easy.

"This is one of the hardest jobs I

ever had," she said as she traded

her high-heeled dancing shoes for

comfy sneakers. "It's absolutely

harder than love scenes in mov-

ies."

She slipped out of her swingy

dance skirt and pulled on a pair of

cargo pants, then packed up her things after another long re-

hearsal. As she stood to leave, she

looked confused.

"Actually," she said, "I am sore."

This article can be found at:

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=304820&GT1=7703

Matlin (Continued from page 1)

Page 2

Student Edition

Four years later, Winkler nabbed

the role of a lifetime -- the leather-jacket-wearing, supercool greaser

named Arthur Fonzarelli on the

comedy "Happy Days."

For 10 years, the Fonz charmed audiences with his signature thumbs

up, until the character famously

water-skied over a shark, coining

the phrase "jump the shark" which

meant a show had passed its fresh-

ness stamp. The program, however,

had enjoyed many years of Nielsen-

ratings love.

For 10 years, the Fonz charmed

audiences with his signature thumbs

up, until the character famously

water-skied over a shark, coining

the phrase "jump the shark" which meant a show had passed its fresh-

ness stamp. The program, however,

had enjoyed many years of Nielsen-

ratings love.

But global adulation didn't make

Winkler's head swell.

"I never grew an inch. I never got

any smarter. I never knew any more about chemistry because I played

(the Fonz)," he said. "To me, I hadn't

in any way gotten better as a per-

son."

Winkler still reaps the affection sown

on "Happy Days."

"I go around the country and sign my books" he said. "From Sacramento

(Calif.) to St. Paul (Minn.), the

warmth I receive is indescribable."

But, as the husband of Stacey and the father of three (Zoe, Max and

Jed) puts it, "you can't rest on your

laurels."

Winkler stayed busy post-"Happy Days" with a varied acting and writ-

ing career that took him all over the

world, including a recent stint on the

London stage as Capt. Hook in "Peter

Pan."

"I had so much fun playing Hook it

should be against the law," he said.

Theater acting is especially hard

for a dyslexic, he said, but there are ways around it, such as look-

ing at the script early and using

lots of improvisation to get your

point across.

For now, the boy who vowed never

to treat his children as he had

been treated is basking in a life

well lived, with the rewards of

following a dream despite obsta-

cles.

"(Zionist Thomas) Herzl said at the

beginning of Israel, 'If you will it, it

will come true,'" he said. "That's

basically it right there in a nut-

shell. That (philosophy) makes the

world go 'round."

This article can be found at:

http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grpress/index.ssf?/

base/entertainment-

2/120504699222730.xml&coll=6

Winkler (Continued from page 1)

We’re all challenged in some way… the only

thing I can’t do is hear.

Marlee Matlin

UNI Career Services

Schedule of Events

April 3- Counseling Center Workshop:

Time Management

April 3– Anxiety Screening Day 9:30 AM

and 2 PM

April 7- Counseling Center Workshop:

Loneliness

April 9- Counseling Center Workshop:

Coping with Grief and Loss

April 10- Counseling Center Workshop:

Dealing with Difficult People

April 11- Awareness for Individuals with

Disabilities Meeting, 2:30-3: 30 PM

April 17- Counseling Center Workshop:

Holistic Living

April 24- Counseling Center Workshop:

Long Distance Relationships

April 25- Awareness for Individuals with

Disabilities Meeting, 2:30-3:30 PM

April 29– Counseling Center Workshop:

Active Lifestyle

April 30– Counseling Center Workshop:

Relaxation Techniques

*All Workshops are from 3:30-5 PM, and require registration by calling 273-

2676

UNI Career Services offer a variety of services to help you on your path to a

successful career. Services include:

Career Matchmaker

Resume Critique

Cover Letter Critique

Mock Interviews

Career Fairs

For more information, visit http://www.uni.edu/careerservices/ or call them at

319-273-6857

UNI Student Service Highlight

Page 3

Volume 2, Issue 7

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Helping Students Helping Students

Gain AccessGain Access

Check us out Check us out on the web at on the web at www.uni.edu/www.uni.edu/disabilitydisability

Phone: 319-273-2676

Fax: 319-273-6884

TTY: 319-273-3011

Student Disability Services

103 Student Health Center

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0385

UNI Student Disability Services

Karen Phillips, B.A.

Secretary III

karen.phillips@uni.edu

Diana Frost

Secretary I

diana.frost@uni.edu

Osman Chowdhry, B.A.

Documentation

Verification Specialist

castalia@uni.edu

David Towle, Ph.D.

Director

david.towle@uni.edu

Jill Smith, M.S.

Coordinator

jill.smith@uni.edu

Ashley Lerch, B.S.

Program Associate

ashley.lerch@uni.edu

Jennifer Crawford, B.A., B.S.

Alternate Texts

Coordinator

jcrawf@uni.edu

Student Disability Services Staff