Effective Models for Reasonable Accommodation Decisions

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

Description

As a follow up to the November 2nd webinar, a panel of five disability office leaders from different institution types and office sizes will discuss their approaches to navigating individual and group decision-making regarding reasonable accommodations and will also explore how they handle fundamental alteration reviews. Through the details of the models shared, attendees will receive considerations for practical ways in which they can improve their own processes.

This is the second of a two-part webinar series to offer strategies for how to design internal systems to meet current accommodation review needs. Attendees do not need to have attended the first session to benefit from the second, but newer professionals may want to view the first part to gain a foundation for this session.

NOTE: 2-Hour Length.

Contributors

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).
Adam Meyer

Adam Meyer is the Director of the Student Accessibility Services at the University of Central Florida. He has past experiences at Eastern Michigan University and at Saint Louis University while serving in this field since 2004. Adam was previously part of a national US Department of Education grant that explored ways in which concepts of social justice could be more regularly and routinely incorporated into the operations of the disability services office. Adam has presented at numerous conferences and multiple other AHEAD and AHEAD affiliate venues on rethinking documentation, social model of disability and office implementation, effective initial student interviews and interactive process facilitation, disability language and various leadership and influence strategies for disability office personnel. Adam served on the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) Board of Directors, now serves on the AHEAD external review team for campus program evaluations, and also does consulting and presentations with other disability offices and their campuses.
Kristie Orr

Kristie Orr is the Director of Disability Resources at Texas A&M University. She earned her doctorate in School Psychology from Texas A&M University. She also holds a Master of Education in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas A&M University. Kristie has worked in various positions in Disability Resources for the last 24 years including Access Coordinator, Assistant Director, and Associate Director before becoming the Director in 2010. Kristie has served on the Board of Directors for the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) since 2013 and is a Past President (President 2018-2020). Kristie was appointed to the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities in March 2020 and serves the state in providing policy recommendations in that capacity. Kristie also consults with other universities including external program reviews for over a dozen disability resource offices across the country.
Valerie Hamilton

Valerie Hamilton, M.Ed., is the Director of Disability Services at North Seattle College. She received her BA in History from the University of California - Santa Cruz, a Master of Education degree in Special Education from the University of Minnesota, and a professional degree in Post Secondary Education and Disability from the University of Connecticut. Valerie started her career as a special educator in the K-12 setting and then transitioned to working with college students with disabilities at the community college level in 2011. She has been in leadership roles at Central Connecticut State University, the University of Washington, and the University of Colorado, Boulder since 2015. She is also in instructor for the Master of Arts in Higher Education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Valerie has presented at various local, state, and national conferences on topics related to team development and disability access.
Elisabeth Morel

Elisabeth Morel has been the Director of AccessAbility Services at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) for the past eleven years. Prior to her arrival at WCSU, she was a Program Coordinator at the Center for Students with Disabilities at her alma mater, University of Connecticut. Elisabeth holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in k-12 special education and Advanced Leadership Certificate in Postsecondary Disability Services. In addition to overseeing all student accommodations and awareness initiatives, she chairs the Digital Accessibility Compliance Committee at WCSU and co-chairs the Accessibility Counsel through the Connecticut State Colleges and University system office. Her career has included developing procedures for, and managing, AccessAbility Services, assisting faculty in understanding and using Universal Design for Learning within their classroom, providing campus wide digital accessibility training and coordinating a statewide digital accessibility training program for individuals with disabilities.

Thank you

Description

Contributors

Enjie Hall

Adam Meyer

Kristie Orr

Valerie Hamilton

Elisabeth Morel