Institute #1: Making Your Data Talk: Outcomes and Assessment in Disability Services Practice

Ann Knettler, Ed.D. ,  Delaware State University

Increasingly, DS professionals are being expected to approach their work from an outcomes perspective, incorporating assessment and program review. While the first focus is often placed on Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), in order to ensure overall effectiveness we must also create Program Outcomes that directly relate to the SLOs. Where do these practice expectations come from? In large part from the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS). The CAS Disability Resources and Services standards incorporate outcomes, both program and student learning, and this perspective can be and should be integral to DS practices. Further, the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) lists the first two duties for the Mission of Disability Resources and Services (DRS) as: 1) provide institution-wide advisement, consultation, and training on disability-related topics, including legal and regulatory compliance, universal design, and disability scholarship and 2) collaborate with partners to identify and remove barriers to foster an all-inclusive campus. In order to accomplish our mission, our programs must be reflective and purposeful to successfully identify and measure outcomes.

The relationship between SLOs and Program Outcomes will be fleshed out during this training, with emphasis on the importance of each being seen as integrated with the other. This workshop will explore the development of outcomes and overall assessment and program review of DS based on the CAS disability standards Council for the Advancement of Standards for Higher Education (CAS). The current AHEAD standards will also be discussed. Furthermore, the training will introduce you to ways that a “program outcomes approach,” in addition to a student outcomes paradigm, can be implemented and evaluated in the disability services arena to the advantage of the DS program, and its students, and its leaders. Examples and feedback regarding Program Outcome development and assessment will be offered by a DS professional's direct experience.

Questions that will be addressed include: What program outcomes could be considered? What did you learn from the implementation and assessment of program outcomes? How is this incorporated with program review? What worked well? What would you change in the future? How has this effected the creation of student learning outcomes? How do I report out on my assessment in the most beneficial way possible?

Presentation components include:

• Rationale for assessment from an outcomes perspective
• Using data to inform practice
• Tools for assessing the effectiveness of disability resource offices
• Means for presenting assessment findings to management
• Resources from AHEAD and CAS

Wednesday through Friday, February  2 - 4, 2022
11:00-12:30 & 2:00-3:30 EASTERN time; daily - 9 hours of instruction
Cost: $299 member rate; $375 non-members before January 15, 2021

Institute #2: Promoting Universal Design in the Built Campus Environment

Amanda Kraus, Ph.D., University of Arizona
Eric Bell, M.P.A., University of Arizona 

This interactive Institute will engage participants in conversation and strategy about how to impact access and inclusion in built campus environments. Because this work does not necessarily fall squarely in the purview of a disability resource or ADA office, we will discuss how to engage campus partners in new thinking on disability and design; promote access and universal design in planning, renovation, and construction; and collect compelling data to inform planning and design across all areas of the built environment. 

While accessibility is our legal requirement, equity is the real goal. Central to this conversation is educating around reframing disability in practice and introducing the many ways design can contribute to inclusive or exclusive experiences for students. Many disability access professionals, whether their role is in the disability resources office or as ADA Coordinator, approach physical access only through ADA compliance and individual accommodations. There is great opportunity in incorporating Universal Design into planning efforts so that spaces are not only compliant, but more usable, sustainable, and effective for more people. 

We will share best practices and strategies from the University of Arizona to provide participants with concrete and practical take-aways to apply on their own campuses. 

• University Arizona model
• Re/framing disability in practice as related to the built environment
• Universal design
• Identifying campus partners and cultivating relationships
• Creating allies for universal design and accessibility
• Co/curricular spaces and the student experience
• Data collection and stakeholder feedback
• Infusing universal design into key campus committees and processes
• Campus outreach and education

Wednesday through Friday, February 2 - 4, 2022
11:00-2:15 EASTERN time, daily - 9 hours of instruction
Cost: $299 member rate; $375 non-members before January 15, 2022

Institute #3: Introduction to Disability Law for DSS Directors, Staff, and ADA Officers  

Paul Grossman, J.D., OCR and Hastings College of Law, retired
Jamie Axelrod, M.S., Northern Arizona University
Mary Lee Vance, Ph.D., California State University Sacramento

Participation in this in-depth course on postsecondary student disability law with this highly-respected trio of disability resource/legal experts has become the way hundreds of AHEAD members first gained or solidified their facility with the disability rights laws they must implement daily. Derived from the traditional live Introduction course, this virtual training will give DS, ADA, disability law practitioners, administrators, and compliance professionals an indispensable set of analytical tools (“paradigms”) and processes to guide them in applying these paradigms. Participants who complete the class will find themselves with a greatly enhanced ability to resolve their most challenging cases and compliance questions under the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. Communicating with supervisors and college counsel in a well-informed manner will be significantly more achievable. 

In six 90-minute segments, the presenters will cover:

• How we got here: the intersectional social, political, and legal battles that got us the laws and regulations upon which we rely in protecting our students from disability discrimination.
• Legal paradigms as a tool in analyzing day-to-day compliance questions.
• An introduction to four paradigms and how they are reflected in the regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as well as Titles II & III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended.
• The key paradigm: “qualified student with a disability (QSD)” including its application to alleged denials of accommodation, student academic failure and misconduct.
• The defenses available to colleges and universities in challenging claims of discrimination against a QSD. 
• Process, process, process: procedures for resolving QSD questions, including whether a proposed accommodation is a fundamental alteration or an undue burden.
• “Reasonable accommodation” by any other name: “academic adjustments,” “auxiliary aids and services” --- what’s required/what’s not.

Wednesday through Friday, February 2 - 4, 2022
12:00--1:30  & 3:00-4:30 EASTERN time, daily - 9-hours of instruction
Cost: $349 member rate; $425 non-members before January 15, 2022, includes a copy of  The Law of Disability Discrimination for Higher Education Professionals, by Colker & Grossman

Institute # 4: An Introduction to Managing Accommodations for Students in Health Science Programs

Jon McGough, M.Ed., Consultant: Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine  & Amazon Senior Accommodation Consultant
Marisa Hackett, M.S., Bellevue College

Schools that offer health science programs, including Nursing, Dental, Pharmacy, Speech/Language, Physical or Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant, Veterinary, Medical, Podiatry, or other programs, face unique challenges in creating accessible programs and developing effective accommodations for students with disabilities. This introduction to disability accommodations in health science education is intended for clinical program administrators and disability resource professionals at 2-year, 4-year or graduate institutions, to provide an overview of how to address complex accommodation requests in classroom, lab, and clinical environments. Common challenges in health science education—whether a certificate program, associate degree, or professional school— include the lock-step nature of most programs, determining appropriate accommodations in patient care settings, meeting technical standards, planning proactively to anticipate accommodation needs in clinical environments, and guiding students applying for testing accommodations in licensing exams. 

The presenters, one from a community college and one with experience at a four-year university with a medical school, will cover the basic tenets of practicing in this specialization, including the most relevant OCR decisions and court cases. Participants will have opportunities to work through basic scenarios. Throughout the Institute, participants will gain: 

• a practical overview of disability laws and how they apply to the health sciences, with attention to how disability laws relate to health science clinical settings;
• an understanding of the interactive process that occurs between disability professionals, faculty, staff, and the student when determining reasonable accommodations in clinical and lab environments (such as fieldwork, internships, clerkships, preceptorships, etc., as well as OSCEs, sim labs, cadaver labs, etc.);
• information on how to identify when a potential accommodation may affect the integrity of the learning outcomes, compromise patient safety, or challenge technical standards;
• an appreciation of the importance of giving prospective, recently admitted, and enrolled students clear, written policies and procedures;
• tips for developing clear processes for faculty and staff;
• ideas for working with students and faculty to improve communication around disability-related needs and implementing accommodations;
• skills for training faculty, including addressing common concerns about patient safety, essential requirements, and technical standards; and advising faculty and administrators who may instinctively slip from the role of faculty into their roles as health care providers when working with students with disabilities. 

Participants will leave this training with tools to aid in decision-making, policy development, and leading faculty/staff development trainings.

 Thursday & Friday, February 3 & 4, 2022
11:00-2:00 & 3:00- 5:00 EASTERN time; daily - 10 hours of instruction
Cost: $349 member rate; $425 non-members before January 15, 2022; includes a copy of Equal Access for Students with Disabilities: The Guide for Health Science and Professional Education, Second Edition (2020).

 
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Faculty Bios

Jamie Axelrod, M.S. is the Director of Disability Resources at Northern Arizona University and a past-president of AHEAD. Jamie presents regularly on topics related to disability access and higher education, having expertise in disability law and policy, communication and information technology (ICT) access, and the reasonable accommodation process. Jamie is a respected contributor to professional listservs, having received the Fink-Ryan Award for the quality of his guidance, and a go-to consultant for complex issues. He has worked for the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s athletic department, as a mental health therapist, and for Protection and Advocacy Systems, Inc., a disability rights advocacy law firm where he served as an advocate for individuals with disabilities who were claiming that their civil rights had been violated. Jamie has served as co-chair of Northern Arizona University’s Commission on Disability Access and Design and on AHEAD’s Board of Directors.

Eric Bell, M.P.A. is the Physical Access Consultant for Disability Resources at the University of Arizona. He consults with campus colleagues, departments, and committees to promote the concepts of Universal Design and best practices to ensure a physically accessible and inclusive campus environment. Eric also collaborates with campus administrators, facilities management staff, project managers and architects, and event planners to proactively identify and remove barriers in the built environment during the planning process to decrease the need for individual accommodations. Eric earned his Bachelor’s degree in Disability Studies at the University of Washington, a Master of Public Administration at the University of Arizona, and is currently working toward accreditation as an ADA Coordinator.

Marisa Hackett, M.S. is a chronically-ill, disabled, white, educated, middle class queer femme with cis privilege who has been involved in the disability community since 2003. Professionally, she is the Director of the Disability Resource Center at Bellevue College. Marisa has also worked in disability services at three other Community and Technical Colleges in Washington State. Personally, Marisa connected with the Disabled community in college, took disability studies courses, and continues to identify as part of Disabled community. 

Amanda Kraus, Ph.D. has spent her career in student affairs and disability resources at the University of Arizona whose Disability Resource Center is considered an international model of progressive service delivery, uniquely positioned to approach campus access proactively and systemically. Across her research, teaching and practice, Dr. Kraus draws upon disability studies, universal design, and social justice principles to challenge the dominant deficit or tragedy narrative on disability to increase equity in higher education and ultimately reframe concepts of difference. Dr. Kraus has served on the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Board of Directors for several years and is currently President.  She regularly travels around the United States and abroad and has had the privilege of working with campuses such as Singapore Management University, Duke University, and Wake Forest University, as well as with the Department of State and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Outside of work, Dr. Kraus is an avid wheelchair tennis player and has worked with the United States Tennis Association to grow opportunities for disabled players and increase the national visibility of the sport. Originally from the suburbs of New York City, Dr. Kraus lives in Tucson, AZ and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Arizona in Higher Education.

Paul Grossman, J.D. is the Executive Counsel of AHEAD with over 40 years of service at OCR in Washington and San Francisco, most of them as a Chief Regional Attorney. Paul also taught disability law for over 20 years at Hastings College of Law, UC. Paul remains a frequent guest lecturer for AHEAD, CAPED, Hastings, UC Berkeley, the California Community College System and the National Association of ADA Coordinators. Paul served multiple terms on AHEAD’s Board of Directors and remains a member of the AHEAD Public Policy Committee as well as the Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) Expert Advisory Board. Through investigation, decision writing, and negotiations, Paul has addressed every form of discrimination in education including race, national origin, sex and disability, often developing new approaches for protecting the civil rights of students. Paul is the author of AHEAD’s publication, The Law of Disability Discrimination for Higher Education Professionals . Paul joins Jamie Axelrod, M.S. and Mary Lee Vance, Ph.D. in two book chapters on analytical tools and procedures for DSS officers when they face their most complex and challenging questions, planned for publication by AHEAD in Summer 2022.

Ann Knettler, Ed.D. currently Directs the Center for Disability Resources (CDR) and is the ADA & 504 Compliance Officer at Delaware State University, she also teaches in their Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Masters of Public Administration Programs. As a member of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), Ann has served on the Standing Committee for Professional Development and currently represents the Association as a member of the Board of Directors for the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) where she has authored and updated policy and standards for the entire field of higher education and currently sits on their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She is a published researcher and experienced educator. Ann regularly presents and consults at the national level on topics such as ableism, able-body privilege, disability policy reform, strategic planning, creating and using policy and standards as guidance in the non-profit field, program review, community needs assessment, and the social justice model of disability. Ann received a Masters of Arts in Counseling in Higher Education with an emphasis in Mental Health from the University of Delaware and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership in Higher Education from Delaware State University. Her dissertation focuses on the lived experiences of ableism and able-body privilege by students with disabilities in higher education and the impact that experience has on their receipt of an accessible and equitable educational experience.

Jon McGough, M.Ed. is a Senior Accommodation Consultant at Amazon and a consultant to Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine. His career in higher education spans 15 years working at public and private universities, determining accommodations and providing consultation on ADA matters of digital and physical access. Jon served on the Board of the Coalition for Disability Access in Health Science and Medical Education and is a past President of the Washington Association on Postsecondary Education and Disability.

Mary Lee Vance, Ph.D. is the Director of Services to Students with Disabilities at  California State University Sacramento. S he has served at every level of higher education, in a wide range of postsecondary positions, as well as in academia. Mary Lee was the Director of the Disabled Students’ Program and Student Support Services’ TRiO program at the University of California, Berkeley and the director of disability services at University of Montana, at George Mason University including its two-year satellite campuses, and at the University of Wisconsin, Superior. She has also directed other student services units, including academic advisement and career services, and taught undergraduate and graduate courses, including an introduction to disability studies. Mary Lee is the co-editor of  Beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act: Proactively Planning for Accessible Post-Secondary Educational Offerings Now and into the Future  and  Advising Students with Disabilities: Developing Universal Success  and the editor of  DISABLED Faculty and Staff in a Disabling Society: Multiple Perspectives in Higher Education .

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