AHEAD to You! Webinar:
Fostering Disability Identity and Community on Campus and its Impact on Student Success
Thursday, April 26, 2018, 3-4:30 pm ET
Presenters: Kimberly Elmore, DREAM Coordinator, National Center for College Students with Disabilities DREAM Student Leaders
Only one-third of students with disabilities enrolled in a four-year college or university and 41 percent of those in two-year schools graduate within 8 years, according to a new Hechinger Report that suggests teaching soft skills may increase retention and graduation rates. While skills in self-advocacy, time management, and communication are certainly important to postsecondary success, truly empowering students with disabilities to seek and use such skills for success in college and beyond often means helping them develop a positive disability identity and support network within the disability community.
In this webinar, a group of disabled and Deaf student leaders from across the U.S. will discuss the need for disability resources professionals to engage in this work. Student presenters and DREAM leaders will discuss concepts and tools for developing disability community on campus. Using a research-based model, they will discuss helping students develop disability pride through a crash course in Disability Studies 101, fostering positive campus climate by creating opportunities for disability community and engagement, and building coalitions to foster and celebrate intersectional identities of disability, ethnicity/culture, and/or gender. Personal narratives will demonstrate the impact of supporting the development of disability identity and cross-identity development on students and the campus community.
Registration Information: https://ahead.connectedcommunity.org/events-programming/webinars
Technology Series Webinars:
Electronic Data Management: Options for Improving Service Delivery and Record Keeping
Tuesday, April 17, 3-4 pm ET
Presenters: Heidi Scher, University of Arkansas; Jamie Axelrod, Northern Arizona University; Reed Claiborne, University of Arkansas - Little Rock
If you are staggering under all the paperwork related to the accommodations process and students who use your office are still carrying around papers, we want you to know there’s a better way! Join us for this discussion of database systems that make life easier for disability resource staff, students, and faculty. Directors from offices that have adopted the use of different database system, including Accessible Information Management (AIM), ClockWork, and an internally developed system will discuss their processes for determining which system provided the best fit for their office, implementing the system, and the lessons we learned and challenges we faced along the way.
How to Test Webpages with a Screen Reader
Tuesday, April 24, 2018, 3-4 pm ET
Presenter: Hadi Ragin, University of Washington; Joe Humbert, Interactive Accessibility
Join us to learn the basics of using screen reading software to both navigate a website and test for accessibility failures. In this webinar, you will learn: how screen readers work; the most useful keystrokes and features of screen readers that are used to navigate web pages; and the differences between the most popular desktop and mobile screen readers. You will also get a primer on how to evaluate web pages for accessibility issues using screen reading software.
Registration Information: https://ahead.connectedcommunity.org/events-programming/webinars
The Next Chapter: Master Classes for the Seasoned Professional
May 17-19, The Westin Buckhead Atlanta, Georgia
Now in its second year, The Next Chapter is AHEAD’s advanced professional development event for highly experienced higher education personnel who work to ensure accessible campus environments. Each three-day master class is designed to expand the knowledge of seasoned professionals, assisting them in making nuanced decisions, staying current with legal and technological changes, engaging campus stakeholders, and gaining the skills necessary to redefine access on their campuses.
Institutional leaders and seasoned disability personnel with a solid understanding of the ADA, disability accommodation process, and appropriate technology experience are invited to join national-expert instructors for a deep dive into ONE of the following topics:
- Advanced Practices for Disability Services in Health Sciences Programs
- Disability Law: Lessons in Application for the Advanced Disability Professional
- Growing an IT Accessibility Program on your Campus
- Students with Autism, An Expanding Frontier
- Principles of Reasonableness: Returning to Basics to Address Nuanced Issues
Find full details and registration information at: https://ahead.connectedcommunity.org/events-programming/conferences/next-chapter#top
Equity & Excellence: Access in Higher Education
The 41st Annual AHEAD Conference
July 16-20 @ The Albuquerque Convention Center, New Mexico
Join us in Albuquerque and choose from Monday and Tuesday Preconferences, over 100 Concurrent Sessions Wednesday thru Friday, an Exhibit Hall with products and organizations focused on access for students with disabilities, and a big party to finish the week off! You’ll have plenty of opportunity to network and connect with over 1000 professionals focused on equity and excellence for students with disabilities in higher education.
Find full details at: https://ahead.connectedcommunity.org/events-programming/conferences/annual-conference