Thursday Plenary: OCR Year in Review
Mary Lou Mobley, U.S. Office for Civil Rights
Melissa Malonson, U.S. Office for Civil Rights
Lori Bringas, U. S. Office for Civil Rights
The Office for Civil Rights assists individual with disabilities who face discrimination and guides institutions in developing solutions to civil rights problems by investigating complaints, initiating compliance reviews, and providing technical assistance. OCR representatives will review recent, illustrative OCR decisions.
PLEASE NOTE: Unfortunately, OCR policies did not allow us to record this session, nor provide handouts.
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V3.1: Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies
Lisa Noshay Petro, UC Hastings Law
Annie Rosenthal, UC Hastings Law
Sexual violence, police brutality, child abuse and all manner of civil rights issues are common topics of conversation in higher education classes. For faculty, it can be challenging to navigate class discussions around these topics with the knowledge that students in the room may have a trauma background. Impacted students can have difficulties focusing on material and engaging in classroom discussions, making it essential to educate campus communities, especially instructors, on the prevalence of trauma, its impact on brain functioning, and ways to best support students who are at risk of re-traumatization. This train-the-trainer session will provide an overview of trauma and tips on how to support your campus in implementing trauma-informed teaching.
V3.2: When Form Meets Function--Accessibility Can be Engaging, Useful, and Beautiful
Emily Helft, University of Richmond
If you've ever felt pushback about accessibility because it's "time consuming," "expensive," "difficult," or "ugly," you are not alone. But what if I told you that you can improve accessibility 1) without breaking the bank, 2) while engaging your faculty and students in a way that they are genuinely passionate about the idea, and 3) in a way that enhances the beauty of our world...all at the same time? Come learn about The University of Richmond's up and coming Windchime Project to see an example of the enthusiastic buy-in and ripple-effects that can happen when we incorporate accessibility into our community, our campus, and our curriculum.
V3.3: Effective Ways to Support Students with Traumatic Brain Injuries: Perspectives from a Provider, Researcher, and Survivor
Emily Tarconish, The University of Connecticut
The symptoms of traumatic brain injury are vast and can affect cognitive, emotional, behavioral, physical, and self-awareness abilities. The presenter will discuss a range of possible accommodations and approaches, including cognitive rehabilitation approaches, typical accommodations, assistive and cognitive support technology, self-accommodation strategies, and metacognitive training. She will discuss this content from the perspective of a researcher, a former disability services provider, and a survivor of a severe TBI herself.
V3.4: Self-Care for the Helping Professional: How to Hold Boundaries and Avoid Burnout
Kara Fifield, Lake Forest College
In the current climate of social distancing, due to the COVID-19 crisis, it is more important than ever to ensure that we are taking care of ourselves as professionals. While many organizations have focused on students' needs, it is also important to take care of ourselves as professionals. How do you focus on yourself in a COVID-19 environment when the options for self-care have decreased? Attendees will learn the signs of burnout and create self-care plans. The four areas of focus are a self-care mindset, giving ourselves permission to be a priority, the signs of burnout, and ways to implement work boundaries.
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V4.1: Technical Standards: What, Why and How?
Elisa Laird, AHEAD
Technical standards – sometimes called essential functions or physical requirements – can be the bane of our existence or can serve as a clear and meaningful guide, depending on how they are written and how they are applied. Programs ranging from truck driving to medical school have them, but are they helpful or harmful? This session will describe where the term “technical standards” originates, what their intended function is, how they can serve students and how they can be misused, and what courts and OCR have said about them.
V4.2: How-to: Develop an ADA Faculty Training Program
Catherine Wharton, Lynn University
ADA: Faculty Responsibilities Training is a multi-media curriculum that targets faculty. Participants will leave this how-to presentation with an overview of the curriculum, the 30-page faculty training manual, a two-hour professional development PowerPoint, learning outcomes, script, and additional resources for disability resource professionals to take back and customize for their institutions.
V4.4: Holding the Accessibility Umbrella: Effective Leadership as ADA Coordinator and Accessibility/Disability Services Director
Heidi Pettyjohn, University of Cincinnati
Enjie Hall, University of Toledo
While there is overlap, the roles of the ADA Coordinator and Disability Services Director often diverge in terms of institutional position, priorities, and operations. So what happens when one person is asked to fill both roles? Hear from two presenters who were hired as ADA Coordinators and then given leadership of the Access and Disability Services Offices on their campuses. We will share how we restructured, reorganized, and re-imaged our positions and offices to navigate these combined roles effectively, leverage the alignment to provide campus-wide leadership, and create opportunities for career growth for ourselves and staffs.
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V5.1: Educate, Navigate, Self-Advocate: Improving Assistive Technology Engagement Through Inclusive Processes
Jordan Colbert, University of Southern California
The University of Southern California has spent the past four years undergoing an evolution in service delivery to improve the student experience. A significant portion of the process included critically examining technology-based accommodations and how they address student needs. Through an individualized and interactive process, we support students in understanding their approved accommodations, maximizing their technology skills, and advocating in real-time to ensure their accommodation are available. We will discuss the inclusive process we use to improve student engagement and to set them up for independence.
V5.2: Who IS an Otherwise Qualified Student with a Disability?
Jane Jarrow, Disability Access Info and Support
Who is an "otherwise qualified person with a disability?" We recognize that phrase from the Section 504 regulations. It promises such an individual will not be subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability. But what does "otherwise qualified" mean? It must be there for a reason. Otherwise, the regs would simply require that we give anyone with a diagnosed disability services. We will explore both the meaning of that terminology and the practical application of that concept in our work.
V5.4: BIT, SOC, CARE Team, Title IX and Students with Autism
Jane Thierfeld Brown, Yale Child Study, Yale Medical School
Lorraine Wolf, Boston University
Students on the autism spectrum can face challenges with a variety of campus policies and committees, leading to disability resource professionals being called in to consult. We will address many of the issues that challenge students and discuss our role. How and when we should assist and what falls within our purview?
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Discussion D2.1: The "College Model" for Case Management: Four Perspectives on Making the Shift
Paul Harwell, Purdue University
Erika Wise, Texas A&M University
Taylor Thornby, University of Arizona
A growing trend in disability resources is the "college model" for case management, in which staff is assigned to work with students, faculty, and staff in specific academic programs. During this session, panelists will share their insights after making the shift to the college model at their respective institutions. Topics include considerations for implementation, identified benefits, lessons learned, and how to continue the momentum of the model.
PLEASE NOTE: The recording not available, but the transcript is available on the recordings page.
Discussion D2.2: This is our Moment: Creating a Different Future for Disabled Students in Higher Ed
Jewls Griesmeyer Krentz, Portland State University
Amanda Kraus, University of Arizona
Katy Washington, University of North Texas
Maria Schiano, County College of Morris
Zebadiah Hall, Cornell University
The COVID-19 pandemic completely disrupted and changed nearly every aspect of life as we knew it. So it's the understatement of the century to say that the last year and a half has been hard. But for many students, the pandemic (and remote learning) created a baseline of proactive accessibility and inclusion they’d never before seen on a national and international scale. There is so much hope and promise right now, and we cannot afford to pass up the opportunities it’s placed in front of us. It is critical that we find ways to capitalize on the energy around accessibility, flexibility, and student retention so that we don't find ourselves retuning to the old battles that we've clearly already won when we return to campus. Join us for this panel discussion about the real transformation and progress that is within reach.
Discussion D2.3 : A Case Study Approach – Accommodation Decision Making
Tom Thompson, TMLS Consulting
Student services staff in disability resources offices are tasked with making decisions about accommodations and access as a part of new student onboarding. Requests for assistance and discussion on listservs suggest that practitioners are stymied by novel requests. We will use case studies to illustrate valuable reasoning and decision making processes which can guide practitioners.
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