2024 Fall Webinar Series

AHEAD is excited to offer another series of engaging, thought-provoking webinars! The Fall 2024 Webinar Series was created to address current issues that face AHEAD members at all career stages and at all institution types. Unlike its other professional development offerings, AHEAD allows schools to purchase one webinar subscription to share within your institution, making them a valuable staff investment as well as an opportunity to invite other campus departments to participate. Select just the topics that you’re working with now or attend all 7 webinars to bring a diverse program of information by nationally-recognized presenters. Information about how to share the login within your institution is provided with your paid registration and must be distributed by colleagues by the paid registrant. You may view them live or watch recordings later, making the AHEAD webinars a flexible, low-cost, high impact professional development opportunity!
 
All webinars will be hosted in the Zoom webinar platform and have real time captioning available. ASL interpreters are also provided. 


Webinar Presentation Materials & Recordings

Presentation materials and the event recording will be available in the "Resources" tab located in the webinar description area on the eLearning platform and accessible to paid registrants, even if you purchased after the live event has ended. When available in advance, presentation materials will also be emailed to paid registrants before the live webinar event. Recordings of the webinars will be emailed to paid registrants after the live webinar event. The paid registrant is responsible for sharing these resources with individual colleagues (the paid registrant's AHEAD password is required to access purchases). AHEAD has created this guidance for accessing your purchased events (PDF Download). 
 
These links can be shared only within your disability office or with individuals in other offices you work with on your campus. AHEAD webinar recordings may not be reposted on non-AHEAD websites, distributed via newsletters or mass emails, or shown at campus training events, virtually or in-person. This is because AHEAD only has permission from the presenters to use their presentation and materials in a limited way for our members. Please contact the presenter(s) directly about presenting to your campus community. All rights reserved by AHEAD. Reposting permitted only with the express, written permission of AHEAD. Thank you for helping AHEAD protect the presenters' work and intellectual property.


CEUs
AHEAD does not pre-arrange for CEUs with any certifying bodies for its webinars, but we are happy to provide proof of attendance. If you plan to use a webinar for CEU credit, contact your certifying agency to learn what information is necessary for you to request independent CEUs. Contact AHEAD at profdev@ahead.org if you need any programming or presenter information that is not available on AHEAD’s website. To request a certificate of attendance, please contact profdev@ahead.org.
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Quick Links

Purchasing & Costs

Individual Webinars All 7 Webinars
AHEAD Members: $59 Each AHEAD Members: $329
Non-Members: $69 Each Non-Members: $429

 

Purchase Here

AHEAD’s  webinar registration system automatically sends an email receipt and individual emails for each webinar you select. Webinar-specific email messages include the Zoom link for the webinar and an option to add the session to your calendar. You will also receive reminder emails a few days before each webinar. 
 
AHEAD does not offer refunds on webinar purchases because complete recordings are available to watch at your convenience in the case of a scheduling conflict.  

Purchased products are available to the member account that was originally used to make the purchase. If someone else at your institution purchased products in the past, please check within your institution for those records and required information to access those accounts. AHEAD does not keep records of past purchases and is not able to transfer purchases to other accounts. The original purchaser is responsible for sharing the resources purchased with colleagues.

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Webinar Titles & Description (All Times Eastern)

Service Dogs in Science Labs: Barriers to Inclusion

Joey Ramp-Adams, Empower Ability Consulting

Tuesday, September 24, 2-3:30 Eastern

People with disabilities who rely on service dogs are often prohibited from bringing their working dogs into teaching and research laboratories, biomedical careers, and employment opportunities in STEM fields. This one barrier can prevent them from pursuing careers in science. There is nearly a century-long history showing the efficacy of a service dog in providing independence and medical assistance for a disabled handler. This, in conjunction with the documented increase in the enrollment of students with disabilities in post-secondary education, people with disabilities in biomedical sciences, both academic and careers, and the reported increase in placement of service dogs to people with a wide variety of disabilities over the last four decades, illustrates that it is time we take a hard look at the importance of accessibility options and inclusion policies for service dog handlers in STEM fields. This webinar explores the specific risks associated with allowing service dogs into various laboratory environments. It provides solutions and guidance for inclusive policies and adaptive laboratory environments that outline the conditions under which service dogs may be present. Policies, procedures, and benchmarking tools establish guidelines by providing a basis for informed decision-making and giving faculty and staff tools for accommodating service dog handlers in science laboratories. These tools provide the knowledge needed to remove mystery and ambiguity. Joey Ramp-Adams outlines policies and practices that will make science laboratories accessible to people with service dogs. Proactively developing inclusive guidelines and policies for individual service dog handlers in science academic or industry laboratories is a step toward a diverse, inclusive, and accessible science culture, climate, and environment.

Did you miss this live webinar? You can now purchase the recording and presentation materials!

A Vast Menu of Options: Navigating Dietary Accommodations

Kristie Orr, Texas A&M
Jamie Bojarski, Vanderbilt University
Amanda Feaster, Kent State University
Emily Svennevik, Vanderbilt University

Monday, October 14, 1-2:30 Eastern

Food allergies, eating disorders, feeding tubes, and other eating-related disabilities often provide challenges for disability office professionals. Accommodating students in this space often requires detailed discussions with our colleagues in the Housing and Dining offices. Once approved, implementation of the accommodation can require complex cooperation and training of a vast range of personnel who work in departments that may not be very familiar with disability laws. This panel from around the country will address common issues, such as establishing and building a relationship with the dining team, when a meal plan exemption is reasonable, allowances for cooking in residence halls, negotiating with food vendors, and more. The panelists represent institutions with exclusive vendor contracts, multiple vendors, and self-contracted food service management.

Coaching in Disability Services: A Panel Discussion

Christina Fabrey, Virginia Tech
Karen Toole, Syracuse University 
Kristen Behling, Tufts University 
Allen Harrison, Hamilton College 

Wednesday, October 23, noon-1:30 Eastern 

Come hear a panel of experienced coaches in higher education who have successfully integrated coaching into their work within disability services. The panel will share their experiences: what inspired them to learn coaching, the benefits and roadblocks in the transition to coaching, and advice for those considering coaching. Join us as these coaches share some practical wisdom and genuine results as they apply a coach approach to the important work we do! 

The New Title II Digital Accessibility Regulations: What Institutions Need to Do Now to Work Toward Timely Compliance

Korey Singleton, George Mason University

Tuesday, October 29, 1-2:30 Eastern

When the new Title II regulations concerning digital accessibility for public institutions were released in April, there was quite a bit of concern about how schools could achieve the required levels of accessibility in just two years' time. There was also uncertainty about whether private schools that receive federal funding might also need to comply, even though the regulations seem to cover only public institutions because they are contained in Title II of the ADA. This webinar will talk about what practical steps public institutions should be taking now and over the next couple of years, and why private schools should also be considering measures toward full digital accessibility. By gaining practical strategies and best practices for implementing them at your institution, you will be equipped to guide the transition to compliance.

What Can I Say? Disclosure of Student Disability Information in Higher Education

Jamie Axelrod, Northern Arizona University

Friday, November 8, 2-3:30 Eastern

As higher education disability practitioners, we know that respecting the confidentiality of students’ disability information is important for many reasons, including maintaining student trust and autonomy. However, privacy is not guaranteed in the ADA or Section 504, and it can be confusing to know where FERPA and HIPAA apply (and where they don’t!) in our work. This webinar will address how disability professionals might handle some common student privacy dilemmas including:
 
  • requests from faculty to know specifics about a student's disability
  • requests from administrators for DRC office data that include student names and disability/accommodation information
  • communication about students' accommodation needs to offsite placements such as student teaching, internships, clinicals, etc. 
  • classroom or residential disability disclosures that affect other students' behavior, such as allergies to scents, peanuts, etc.
  • requests for disclosure of student disability information for campus safety concerns (seizure disorder, risk of self-harm, etc.) or Behavioral Intervention/Care Teams
Plenty of time will be reserved for Q&A from attendees.

Grounded Practice: Guiding Principles for Making Decisions Regarding Access and Accommodations

Melanie Thornton, University of Arkansas - Partners for Inclusive Communities

Tuesday, November 19, 1-2:30 Eastern

As professionals working at the intersection of disability and higher education, we often find ourselves feeling pressure to keep up with the latest court cases and OCR guidance, which sometimes can feel contradictory or overwhelming to the layperson. Do we have to be so reliant on all of these individual decisions to provide access and avoid discrimination? Is it possible to instead operate from guiding principles that keep us consistent with the intention of the ADA and other civil rights laws? In this session, we’ll start by looking at a set of guidelines that make up the basic foundation of the civil rights laws those cases are based on. We’ll then use those guidelines to analyze some scenarios and determine the best course of action that will provide genuine and meaningful access for students while also keeping the institution consistently in compliance with the law.

Understanding the Higher Education Civil Rights Landscape: Section 504, ADA, Title IX, and Title VI

Catherine Spear J.D., University of California, Office of the President 
Olabisi (Bisi) Okubadejo J.D., Georgetown University
Emily Babb, J.D., Northwestern University

Friday, December 6, 2-3:30 Eastern

Colleges are governed by federal, state, and local civil rights laws, including Section 504, ADA, Title IX, and Title VI that prohibit discrimination on the bases of many protected classes, including as disability, sex, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, race, color, national origin, shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics. Join three former U.S. Dept. of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) attorneys who now lead university civil rights offices, in discussing the overlap between these laws and their processes. We will cover an overview of key civil rights issues, such as the impact of new Title IX and/or Section 504 regulations, navigating civil rights conduct processes, pregnancy accommodations, how to engage your campus’ bias response or threat processes, and how to build and sustain relationships between disability services and civil rights/equity offices. The presenters will engage in interactive conversations using case studies, share best practices, and provide practical tools.


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Presenter Bios

Jamie Axelrod, a person with light skin, short brown hair, wearing a blue collared shirt and smiling
Jamie Axelrod
Northern Arizona University

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.


Emily Babb
Emily Babb
Northwestern University

Emily Babb, J.D. is the Associate Vice President for Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance at Northwestern University where she oversees the University's Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance and serves as the University's Title IX Coordinator. Prior to joining Northwestern she was the Associate Vice Chancellor for Equal Opportunity and Title IX/Title IX Coordinator at the University of Denver. Emily also served as the Assistant Vice President for Title IX Compliance at the University of Virginia and oversaw the University's compliance with Title IX. While at the University of Virginia, Emily also served as the Interim Associate Vice President for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, leading a 15-person team responsible for the University's broad civil rights compliance, including Title IX, the ADA, and employment equity. Prior to joining higher education, Emily was a Senior Attorney at the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Dallas Regional office and the Program Manager and Acting Regional Director at the Cleveland Regional office. She is a graduate of DePauw University and earned her J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.


Kirsten Behling
Kirsten Behling
Tufts University

Kirsten Behling is the Associate Dean of Student Accessibility & Academic Resources at Tufts University, where she oversees all academic support, including the accommodation process. Kirsten and her colleagues recently published Disability Services in Higher Education: An Insider’s Guide, which offers best practices to disability service providers. Kirsten also focuses her research on Universal Design for Learning and its impact all students and the instructors teaching them. Her book, Reach Everyone Teach Everyone: UDL in Higher Education, shares practical applications for instructors to begin “doing” UDL immediately. Kirsten frequently consults around disability service efforts and offers workshops and trainings on UDL.


Jamie Bojarski
Jamie Bojarski
Vanderbilt University

Jamie Bojarski is the Director of Student Access at Vanderbilt University. She first began her work in the disability field as a therapeutic aid in the public school system. She then served as a graduate program coordinator while enrolled in her M.Ed. program at the University of Southern California. Upon graduation she served as a Support Services Coordinator at Indiana University and then as the Assistant Director of the Disability Resource Office at North Carolina State University. Jamie earned a PhD in Educational Policy from North Carolina State University.



Christina Fabrey
Christina Fabrey
Virginia Tech

Christina Fabrey is the Director of the Student Success Center at Virginia Tech, having previously served as the Associate Dean for Advising and Academic Achievement at Prescott College. With a passion for promoting college student success and organizational excellence, Christina has been a higher education administrator and disability provider for over 15 years.  Christina earned a Master’s in Education from the University of Vermont, Professional Credentialed Coach (PCC) certification from the International Coach Federation, Board Coach Certification (BCC) through the Center for Credentialing Education Global, and Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Certification through Champlain College.  As a Coach Trainer and Mentor, Christina has trained hundreds of higher educational professionals in coaching skills for over the last decade.  Having developed coaching programs at several institutions, she is grounded in coaching all students, including students with disabilities and students working towards academic recovery. Christina is active in the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) by co-chairing their Coaching Knowledge and Practice Community and their Coaching Evaluation Community of Practice. Christina is a contributing author of Becoming Self-Determined: Creating Thoughtful Learners in a Standards-Driven, Admissions-Frenzied Culture and Becoming Self-Determined:  Practical Strategies for a Changing World, Field & Parker (editors). Her recent works focus on embedding holistic student care into faculty development and include “Careers, Advising, Teaching: A Holistic Approach to Student and Faculty Development.” in Re-imagining Teaching to Maximize Student Learning: Case Studies of Faculty Development Centers (Neisler, Looker, and Newman eds.) and “Resilient and Flexible Teaching (RAFT): Integrating a Whole Person Experience into Online Teaching” in Resilient Pedagogy (Thurston, Lundstrom, and Gonzalez, eds.). Her edited anthology, Coaching in Disability Resources:  From Transactional to Transformational, was published in the spring of 2023 and co-edited with Master Certified Coach, Jodi Sleeper-Triplett.



Amanda Feaster
Amanda Feaster
Kent State University

Amanda Feaster (she/her) is a native of Pennsylvania and a first generation college student who combines her personal and professional experiences to improve access to education for students with disabilities. She has 20 years of experience in higher education in both academic support and disability resource roles. Amanda currently serves as the Director of Student Accessibility Services at Kent State University, where she advocates on behalf of students with disabilities through campus-wide education, strategic leadership of a dedicated staff, and collaboration with campus partners. Amanda is a Past President of the Ohio Association of Higher Education and Disability and holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Kent State University, a Master of Arts in Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Akron, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Shippensburg University.


Allen Harrison, Jr.
Allen Harrison, Jr.
Hamilton College

Allen Harrison, Jr. is the Assistant Dean for Accessibility Resources at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. He has been with the College since 2006 in a variety of roles and has more than thirty years of higher education administration experience. His primary responsibilities in his current role include providing accommodations and accessibility resources and services for students with documented disabilities; and serving as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator for the College. Allen received his coach training from JST Coaching & Training and is pursuing Associate Credentialed Coach certification from the International Coaching Federation (ICF). He also serves as a member of the ICF Upstate New York Chapter DEIJB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Justice) committee. Prior to Hamilton, Allen served as Director of the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) Program at William Paterson University of New Jersey, in Wayne, NJ where he administered and oversaw a state-funded academic support services program for approximately 500 economically under-resourced and educationally underprepared students. At Wesleyan University, in Middletown, CT he served as an Assistant Director/Pre-Law Advisor and preceding that appointment, he managed federal-and state-funded academic and student support services and scholarship initiatives in his role as Coordinator of Special Programs at the State University of New York (SUNY) Institute of Technology, now known as SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica, NY. Allen holds a Certificate in Advanced Graduate Study (C.A.G.S.) with a concentration in Education Leadership Management from Northeastern University in Boston, MA; an MBA in Technology Management and a Master of Science degree in Business Management with a concentration in Human Resources Management from SUNY Institute of Technology, now known as SUNY Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Curry College in Milton, MA.


Olabisi “Bisi” Okubadejo
Olabisi “Bisi” Okubadejo
Georgetown University

Olabisi “Bisi” Okubadejo, J.D. is Georgetown’s Associate Vice President of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Compliance and manages the daily operations of the university’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (IDEAA). Bisi oversees the work of the IDEAA team to ensure compliance with non-discrimination and equal opportunity policies and laws, including investigations, administrative reviews, and climate assessments; mediation/alternative resolution; data collection; compliance reports; requests for accommodation based on disability, religion or pregnancy; bias reporting; policy development; the affirmative action plan; and training/educational workshops. Prior to transitioning to Georgetown, Bisi was Of Counsel at Ballard Spahr LLP, where her practice focused on civil rights and employment issues in higher education, particularly on matters arising from alleged discrimination on the basis of race, disability, religion, age, and sex, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. She has experience both as an attorney in private practice and as a supervisory attorney with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Bisi has advised colleges and universities on their compliance with federal laws, including Title IX, the ADA, Section 504, the Clery Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination Act, FERPA, and Title VII. She has experience working with educational institutions and business entities on digital accessibility issues, including compliance with government settlement agreements and ensuring the accessibility of websites and course materials. Bisi’s experience includes providing interactive training on civil rights issues to coordinators, administrators, hearing panels/judicial boards, campus safety departments, university boards, and students. She also has significant experience conducting and overseeing internal investigations and program reviews of higher education institutions and other employers, and auditing policies and procedures. Bisi teaches a course on disability law through the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) and a Title IX course through the American Association for Access, Equity, and Diversity (AAAED).



Kristie Orr
Kristie Orr
Texas A&M University

Kristie Orr, Ph.D. is the Director of Disability Resources at Texas A&M University. She is past president of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and currently serves on the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities which makes recommendations on disability issues and helps promote compliance with disability-related laws. She frequently provides peer workshops, lectures, and external reviews at state and national conferences and on campuses throughout the United States. Orr received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Doctor of Philosophy in School Psychology from Texas A&M University, College Station and a Master of Education in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.



Joey Ramp-Adams
Joey Ramp-Adams
Empower Ability Consulting

Joey Ramp-Adams is a Biocognitive Neuroscientist who relies on a service dog to help manage her disability after a traumatic brain injury. Her service dog allows Joey to be an effective advocate and business owner. She founded the disability access firm Empower Ability Consulting, Inc. (EAC) in 2017, now serving eight countries. The company advocates for disabled students and STEM industry professionals. Joey has been instrumental in enacting changes in the American Society of Microbiology, the American Chemical Society, the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, and the Institute of Animal Care and Use Committee's laboratory safety guidelines to include inclusive guidelines for service dog handlers. She is working with Congress members to enact an amendment to the Center for Disease Control's Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 6th ed. manual to include language for service dog handler's access to equal opportunities in laboratories. Joey is a published author and public speaker on service dog access to science laboratories and is partnered with The Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program) to develop webinars and course material that colleges and universities, healthcare institutions, technology and research organizations, first responders, and governmental agencies can use for training and continuing education credits. Joey is the Vice-president and Co-founder of the International Alliance for Ability in Science (IAFAIS), a non-profit organization that provides scholarships for disabled student scientists.



Korey Singleton
Korey Singleton
George Mason University

Korey Singleton has advocated for over 25 years for technology accessibility and the use of assistive technology by individuals with various types of disabilities at home, at work, and in the classroom. At present, he is the Deputy ADA Coordinator for Accessibility and Assistive Technology Initiative Manager for George Mason University, operating under the Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. His unit is tasked with developing and implementing a university-wide strategy for addressing the information and communications technology accessibility needs of students, staff, faculty, and visitors with disabilities. He is also an adjunct faculty member teaching web accessibility and design in the College of Education and Human Development.


Catherine Spear
Catherine Spear
University of California, Office of the President

Catherine Spear, Esq., (she/her/hers) is the inaugural Executive Director for the new Systemwide Office of Civil Rights (SOCR) at the University of California, Office of the President.  SOCR encompasses the existing Systemwide Title IX Office, as well as an Anti-Discrimination Office and Disability Rights Office. In her role as Executive Director, Catherine is responsible for providing support and guidance to the University of California’s 10 campuses, national laboratories, and academic medical centers. Prior to UC, Catherine led equity and civil rights offices at the University of Southern California and the University of Virginia, and she served as Stanford University's first full-time Title IX Coordinator. Prior to working in higher education, Catherine worked for 19 years at the Cleveland office for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, including as the Chief Attorney and then Director. Catherine has a Juris Doctorate degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Dayton.



Emily Svennevik

Emily Svennevik

Vanderbilt University

Emily Svennevik, MPH, RD, LDN is the Registered Dietitian for Campus Dining at Vanderbilt University. She is a rare Nashville native who has a passion for food and helping others navigate the complex food scene. Emily assists students with allergens or other dietary restrictions to navigate dining halls, helps to provide nutritional guidance to students as well as chefs and cooks, and facilitates presentations and cooking classes across campus. Prior to her current role at Vanderbilt, she worked as the Registered Dietitian at the Athletic Training Table at Vanderbilt in 2021, and also within Michigan Dining during her graduate program. She has her Master of Public Health in Nutrition from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Education in Kinesiology and Minor in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.




Melanie Thornton
Melanie Thornton
University of Arkansas

Melanie Thornton has over two decades working at the intersection of disability access and equity, and currently serves as the Coordinator of Access and Equity Outreach at the University of Arkansas - Partners for Inclusive Communities. Her role involves leading outreach efforts to promote the creation of accessible environments. This includes developing impactful presentations and products and facilitating training and planning sessions. One of the defining moments of her career was serving as a trainer for Project ShIFT, a transformative program designed to advance disability services. In this role, the project trainers guided twenty-five disability services staff from across the country in critically examining their personal conceptions of disability, challenging conventional approaches to service delivery in higher education, and implementing impactful changes in language, procedures, and campus interactions. Her previous experiences as Director of Project PACE and Associate Director of the Disability Resource Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock continue to inform her current outreach efforts and commitment to advancing access and inclusion in higher education settings.

Karen Toole
Karen Toole
Syracuse University

Karen Toole is the Assistant Director of Academic Support and OnTrack at SU at the Center for Disability Resources at Syracuse University. Due to the growing demand for individualized structure and support among college students, Karen created and developed the OnTrack at SU program in 2019. Utilizing a coaching framework, the program is designed to address both academic and social-emotional readiness during the students' college transition. The program has grown steadily over the years reflecting the value of employing coaching methods to support college students with their unique needs. Karen continues to meet regularly with her own caseload of students to understand their experiences and challenges as they embark on their college journeys. Karen holds a Masters degree in Cultural Foundations of Education with a certificate of advanced study in Disability Studies. She received training and mentoring through JST Coaching and Training, and recently completed her certification through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) as an Associate Certified Coach (ACC). 


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