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Part 2: Working with Students on COVID Accommodations

Thank you

This panel will examine the logistics of creating COVID-related accommodations. Representatives from the disability offices of several schools will offer their perspectives on issues such as: What medical documentation may be required to support COVID accommodation requests? Could there be a separate form/process for COVID requests, apart from other disability requests? How might requests for exemptions to vaccine and mask policies be handled? Are housing accommodations for COVID-related reasons ever warranted? And any other accommodation issues and questions you face.

The processes and procedures underlying how disability offices should handle these decisions will be discussed, with the inherent assumption that in many cases there is no one right decision: different conclusions may be reached by different schools depending on particular circumstances. The important part is that the proper process was followed to get there! Join this panel to hear them describe theirs.

Description

This panel will examine the logistics of creating COVID-related accommodations. Representatives from the disability offices of several schools will offer their perspectives on issues such as: What medical documentation may be required to support COVID accommodation requests? Could there be a separate form/process for COVID requests, apart from other disability requests? How might requests for exemptions to vaccine and mask policies be handled? Are housing accommodations for COVID-related reasons ever warranted? And any other accommodation issues and questions you face.

The processes and procedures underlying how disability offices should handle these decisions will be discussed, with the inherent assumption that in many cases there is no one right decision: different conclusions may be reached by different schools depending on particular circumstances. The important part is that the proper process was followed to get there! Join this panel to hear them describe theirs.

Contributors

  • Jamie Axelrod

    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.

  • Adam Crawford

    Adam Crawford is the newly-appointed Director of Student Life for the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University. Prior to this role, Adam worked for 9 years in the disability resources field. He received his Bachelor’s in Sociology and his Master’s in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Missouri State University. Adam currently serves as the President for Ohio AHEAD.

  • Enjie Hall

    Enjie Hall, CRC, LPC, MRC, serves as both the Disability Resource Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and the system-wide ADA Coordinator. As a disabled individual, Enjie has passionately advocated for civil rights and full participation of disabled people through inclusive design and practices for 25 years. Enjie previously worked in the disability office at The University of Toledo serving as director and ADA/Rehabilitation Act Compliance Officer, and prior to that, worked in the disability office at The Ohio State University. She served as a director at large on the AHEAD national board from 2018 to 2022 and was a past co-chair for the Blind and Low Vision Knowledge and Practice Community. She has actively mentored for the AHEAD Start program for new/er professionals. Enjie has presented locally and nationally on a variety of topics related to disability access, DEI, leadership/influence, digital accessibility and assistive technology, and navigating the interactive process. Enjie was a co-author for a white paper and articles pertaining to navigating and documenting the interactive process; best practices for emotional support animals; and the role of third-party documentation. She is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) as well as a licensed professional Counselor (PC).

  • Ian Kunkes

    Ian Kunkes, M.S., is the Director of Student Accessibility and Educational Opportunity and a co-founder and chair of the Transforming Accessibility Initiative at Virginia Commonwealth University. Over a 15-year career supporting disabled students, Ian has worked in a range of educational settings, including higher ed, public and private secondary and post-secondary schools, and high-stakes educational testing. He has been a featured speaker at national and regional AHEAD events and the Post-Secondary Training Institute and regularly contributes to professional publications and community boards. Ian offers, “The global and social events of the 2020 and 2021 have caused a seismic shift the work we, disability service providers, do. Our roles on campus have been elevated to greater levels of importance and visibility as we are increasingly sought out to provide input in major institutional decisions. The opportunity we now have to embed our philosophy of equity, inclusion, and access into all aspects of the institution should serve as a mission that guides our path forward.”

June 17, 2021
Thu 3:00 PM EDT

Duration 2H 0M

This live web event has ended.

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