Multiple Perspectives on Access, Inclusion & Disability --
April 3 & 4, 2007
Pfahl Executive Education & Conference Center, The Ohio State University Campus, Columbus Ohio
The organizing theme for the seventh annual conference was "Rights, Responsibilities, & Social Change." The goal was to encourage presenters and participants to reflect on the passage of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and looked forward to the public debate and impending presidential election. The conference brought together a diverse audience to explore disability as both an individual experience and social reality that cuts across typical divisions of education & employment, scholarship & service, business & government, race, gender & ethnicity. It is hoped presenters and participants will consider topics, methods, and programs from a fresh perspective.
Before reading the program below, please meet the sponsors.
ADA-OHIO is a state wide non-profit organization that provides information, technical assistance, and training about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to individuals, businesses, state and local government agencies or municipalities. Anyone who has a question about the ADA is encouraged to call their office at 1-800-ADA-OHIO or 614-844-5410 or visit the website at: http://www.ada-ohio.org/informat.htm
AHEAD is the premiere professional association committed to full participation of persons with disabilities in postsecondary education. AHEAD dynamically addresses curreent and emerging issues with respect to disability, education, and accessibility to achieve universal access. Their membership represent a diverse network of professionals who actively address disability issues on their campuses and in the field of higher education. Visit the website at: http://www.ahead.org.
The Ohio ADA Coordinator's Network was created to provide networking, information and resource sharing opportunities for individuals serving as ADA Coordinators, 504 Compliance Officers or in similar roles in government (municipal, county, state or federal) or business settings across the state of Ohio. The Network's initial goals are to hold a meeting once a year; to sponsor a discussion list; and generate an index of commonly useful resources.
The Ohio ADA Coordinator's Network was initiated by the collaborative efforts of ADA-OHIO, The ADA Coordinator's Office at The Ohio State University, and the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission in the hope that others will join our effort to share information to expand opportunities in Ohio.
This group is intended to serve as the discussion list and will be open to members to post questions in the expectation that the synergy of virtual brainstorming and discussion will improve our efforts. Additionally, once every six to eight weeks an expert will be invited to present a case study or emerging issue to the list and lead a discussion on that topic.
Membership: Limited to professionals responsible for compliance with the ADA, Section 504 and other laws focused on disability in Government and Business settings within the state of Ohio. Link to join Ohio ADA Coordinator's Network -- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ohioadanetwork/
- The Ohio State University
Pre-Conference Institute: E-Text: Production, Distribution & Management for Accessibility
Monday, April 2, 9:00am-5:30pm & Tuesday, April 3, 9:00am-12:30pm
Science & Engineering Library, Room 390, The Ohio State University, Columbus Campus
Presenters include:
Gaeir Dietrich, Alternate Media Training Specialist / Instructor
High Tech Center Training Unit of the California Community Colleges
De Anza College, Cupertino, CA
Ron Stewart, Chair, AHEAD E-Text Solutions Group
Vice President for Operations, Dolphin Computer Access, Princeton NJ
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
8:45am-11:15am - From the Inside Out: Disabled Faculty and Staff in a Disabling Society
Mary Lee Vance, Ph.D., Director of Academic Advisement, Career and Disability Services, University of Wisconsin-Superior; Matthew Miko, Chief Legal Counsel, Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC); L. Scott Lissner, ADA Coordinator, The Ohio State University; Chris Bell, President, Society for Disability Studies, Lecturer, English, Towson University; Cindy Bowman, PhD, Associate Professor, Literacy Education, College of Education, Ashland University; Brenda Lightfoot, PhD, CRC, Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work, and Addictions, Co-Coordinator, Rehabilitation Studies, University of North Texas; Elissa Molloy, Graduate Student in Counseling Psychology, Northwestern University; Paul Nagel, PhD, Coordinator, Louisiana Geography Education Alliance Northwestern State University; Dale Williams, MA, LPC, GCDF, MCC, Counselor/Disability Specialist, Midland College; Michelle Nario-Redmond, Instructor, John Carroll University
Mary Lee Vance will summarize the common themes and issues that she found as editor of Multiple Voices and Identities in Higher Education: Writings by Disabled Faculty and Staff in a Disabling Society. This publication consists of a collection of over 25 essays describing personal experiences and professional research of disabled faculty and staff related to employment in higher education (available summer of 2007 by the Association of Higher Education and Disability). Contributing authors Chris Bell, Cindy Bowman, Brenda Lightfoot, Paul Nagel, Dale Williams, and Elissa Molloy will share their experiences with the audience.
This discussion will be followed by questions from participants and observations by an expert panel on the advocacy strategies, policy best practices, and legal implications common to the themes presented. The panel will consist of Matthew Miko and L. Scott Lissner on the advocacy strategies, policy best practices, and legal implications common to the themes presented.
11:30am-12:45pm - Concurrent Sessions
Session A: Training & Disability Policy: An interACTive Theatre Presentation
Robin Post, Instructor, Department of Theatre and Coordinator, interACT Diversity Players, The Ohio State University; interACT Diversity Players: Diana Bae, Max Koknar, Adam Peal, Akil Babb, Daman Trammell, Jesse Urban
The presentation consists of two theatrical scenes followed by a discussion. One scene will address OSU's disability policy as it relates to a situation between a student with a disability and his TA. The other scene will be addressing management and employee difficulties that arise as a result of an invisible disability. The scenes will be performed by actors from the OSU Theatre Department's interACT theatre troupe. Once the scenes are performed, the actors remain in character and are involved in an improvisational interactive Question and Answer with the audience. The intention is that the students and the audience continue to dialogue about the issues raised. Volunteers from the audience will also be given the opportunity to remedy the problems raised by entering the scenes and engaging with the actors in role-play. The desired outcome is raised awareness about disability policies as well as potential roadblocks that could occur when assisting students and employees with disabilities. We would also like to illustrate the usefulness of theatre as a learning tool and instrument for social change.
Session B: Best Practices in Web Design: How Persons with Disabilities Use the Web
Joe Wheaton, PhD, Associate Professor, Special Education, College of Education and Human Ecology; Ken Petri, MA, Director, Web Accessibility Center, The Ohio State University
To understand what is on a web page, persons with disabilities need web pages that meet minimum accessibility standards such as those developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). What is less well known is whether there are specific structural and organizational changes to web pages that make the pages more "usable" and easier to navigate. The presenters will report on the initial results of a controlled study of how people with cognitive, sensory or learning disabilities find material on the web and what methods web page designers can use to increase usability beyond the minimum accessibility standards identified by the WAI and the accessibility validators, such as Watchfire's Bobby.
Session C: Two Perspectives on Funding: Analysis and Activism
Part I: Comparative Study on Public Funding for Assistive Technology between USA and South Korea
Jihye Jeon, PhD Program in Disability Studies, University of Illinois Chicago
Assistive technology is a key component to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. Although Korea's National Health Insurance and Medical Assistance program and the United States' Medicare & Medicaid programs are public providers for assistive technology financing, many people with disabilities do not have access to appropriate assistive technology because they cannot afford it. The PMAR (2003) in the U.S. & KIHASA (2003) in Korea report that a lack of funding sources or financial assistance is one of the biggest barriers to access assistive technology and services for people who are disabled.
This presentation will report on a comparative study that focused on:
- Comparing public policies about assistive technologies between Korea & the U.S
- Examining what political/cultural contexts effect each policy
- What each nation can share with the other to develop a better assistive technology financing system.
Part II: Special Education Budget Cuts = Cutting Off Our Future: Union and Youth Advocacy in the Chicago Public Schools
Amber Smock, Youth Leadership Coordinator, Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago; Taalib-din Ziyad, Vice President, Service Employees International Union (SIEU), Local 73, Chicago; Veronica Martinez, Advance Youth Leadership Power (ALYP)
The presenters will discuss the ongoing advocacy campaign against cuts in special education personnel in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS). They will specifically focus on the joint efforts of labor and youth activists to create momentum towards full, appropriate special education staffing for CPS students with disabilities.
Session D: Best Practices: State Government's Employment of People with Disabilities
C. Larry Watson, Associate Regional Attorney, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Cleveland Field Office
This presentation is a review of the Final Report issued by the EEOC highlighting the best practices of nine states that promote the hiring, retention, and advancement of individuals with disabilities in state government jobs.
12:45pm-2:00pm - Lunch & Information Exchange with the 3rd Annual ADA Award presentation by ADA-OHIO
Columbus City Councilmember Charleta B. Tavares will share information about the city's visibility proposal and Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence.
The 2007 ADA Award, presented by the ADA-OHIO Board of Trustees and Professional Advisory Board, will be presented in honor of Frank Anderson and the Buckeye Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of Ohio as well as Keith Eve and the North College Hill Kroger in Cincinnati.
The Award is given yearly, through a grant with the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, to those individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions in support of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Previous recipients have included Nancy and Cameron James and Mills James Productions and David Cameron from the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission.
Entertainment for the event will be provided by the Ohio School for the Blind, courtesy of the Ohio Association of Realtors®.
2:15pm-3:45pm - Concurrent Sessions
Session A: Hoarding and the Lifehack: Re-Imagining Accessibility in an Attention Economy
Mark Willis, Research Coordinator, Office of Research Affairs, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University
This presentation explores a blind knowledge worker's protean pursuit of lifelong learning, literacy, and access to information technology. The talk develops two metaphors (hoarding and lifehacking) to understand evolving, ever-changing strategies for making adaptations and negotiating accommodations to gain access to information. See www.wright.edu/~mark.willis/ for more information.
Session B: Access Services in Sports and Entertainment Venues (SESSION CANCELLED)
Scott Dickson, Director of Event Services, Jerome Schottenstein Center, The Ohio State University
The expectation of great service for customers spending their entertainment dollar carries with it unique challenges for operators of special event facilities. The goal of hosting a great event is for all of your guests to have a great experience and too often accessibility issues detract from that experience. Understanding the needs of individual audiences is vital not only to meet the requirements of ADA, but to exceed the expectations of everyone you invite to your venue. Discussions will include ticketing & seating, parking, staff training, information services, design and guest feedback.
Session C: Universal Design for Learning with Technology: Enhancing Access and Outcomes for All Students
Leigh Bookwalter, Graduate Research Associate, The Nisonger Center for Disabilities, The Ohio State University; L. Scott Lissner, ADA Coordinator, The Ohio State University; Alexa Murray, Education Resource Specialist, Ohio Resource Center, College of Education, The Ohio State University; Joe Wheaton, Associate Professor in Special Education, College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University; Peter Murray, Assistant Director for New Service Development, Multimedia Systems, Ohio Link
Over the past six years, The Ohio State University in collaboration with local, regional, and national partners has conducted a climate assessment process on disability awareness, accommodation practices, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies. In response to findings from the research, OSU and collaborators have developed multimedia materials to improve faculty and administrators’ ability to provide a quality education to all students, especially students with disabilities. In partnership with the Ohio Learning Network (OLN) and OhioLINK, faculty and administrators learn through interactive sessions how institutional collaboration with a statewide distance education network has created widespread access to customizable, web-based modules on Rights and Responsibilities in teaching and accommodating students with disabilities, as well as on UDL best practices.
Session D: The Spin Stops Here: The ADA at Work
Ken Campbell, Consultant, ADA-OHIO
This presentation will focus on the employment provisions (Title 1) of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) from the perspectives of the employer and employee. Despite the fact that the ADA became law in 1990, there is still considerable confusion surrounding the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees alike.
The key to a successful interaction is sound communication, and certain techniques have proven to be effective when communicating with blind, deaf, or cognitively impaired individuals. The Disabilities Toolkit Project will be introduced as a new and innovative approach for employers and employees in becoming aware of these techniques.
Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss how case law has impacted the definition of disability and thus the ability of employers and employees to comply with and enjoy the protections of the ADA. Controversial topics addressed by the ADA such as drug testing, alcoholism, use of interpreters, AIDS, and undue hardship will be examined and demystified.
4:00pm-5:30pm - Concurrent Sessions
Session A: Disclosure and Identity
Stephen Kuusisto, Associate Professor, Department of English, The Ohio State University; Robert McRuer, Assistant Professor, Department of English, George Washington University
Using readings from their literary and critical work in disability studies, the authors will discuss the central role of what has come to be called "the coming out narrative" both as it applies to the experience of the disabled and in gay and lesbian narratives. How is the issue of self-disclosure mediated by the complex issues of socially constructed "normative" identity and in what ways do narratives of personal disclosure resist easy compartmentalization as stories of "overcoming"? This presentation should be of wide interest to those who are interested in the issues of self-advocacy, disability studies, "life writing," and inter-disciplinary curricular development.
Session B: Counting the Disability Vote: Rights, Responsibilities, and Access
Deborah Murray, Chair, The Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues; Paul Cartman, Vice-Chair, The Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues; Linda Briggs, Voter Access Committee Chair, The Ann Arbor Commission on Disability Issues; and a representation from Automark, manufacturer of the "Automark" ballot-marking machine
This presentation will be a lecture format with a product demonstration and ample time (15 to 20 minutes) reserved for questions, answers, and conversation at the end. The presentation is targeted to disability advocacy groups, municipal poll workers and clerk’s office employees, state entities responsible for implementation of HAVA and facilitation of the vote, local community entities/organizations, voter education groups, and potential voters with disabilities. The presenters are local advocates who are degreed in neither the law nor the technology used to implement parts of the law, so information presented will be practical, understandable, and implementable on a beginner to intermediate level.
In making this presentation, we hope to:
Inform the voting public with disabilities – you can vote
Educate local government – reaching voters with disabilities
Remind all people of the importance of voting
Affirm that ALL persons of ALL abilities can and should vote
Demonstrate voting access technology
Discuss importance of independent, private, verifiable vote
Educate poll workers and voting public on facilitation
Implementation of voting with a disability.
Our focus will be an ever-narrowing perspective on suffrage and disenfranchisement in this country. We begin with a broad history of the need and desire for a vote, and narrow to a presentation of how our community came together in 2006 to implement provisions of HAVA to facilitate a private, independent and verifiable vote for everyone in our community. Upon leaving this presentation, attendees will have a good handle on where to begin to implement the same in their communities.
Session C: When Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemonade: Using State Law to Restore the Protections Afforded Persons with Disabilities
Matthew Miko, Chief Legal Counsel, Ohio Civil Rights Commission; Karundi A. Williams, Policy Advisor, Office of Legal Affairs and Policy Development, Ohio Civil Rights Commission
Beginning with the case of Sutton v. United Airlines, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued several decisions limiting the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Taken together, these and other federal court decisions appear to leave many victims of disability discrimination without recourse because they cannot meet the restrictive definition of “disability,” as that term has been interpreted under federal law. However, significant differences in statutory language, rules of construction and legislative intent provide a solid foundation for arguing that these restrictive federal interpretations should not be followed in cases arising under the Ohio Civil Rights Act because state law affords greater protections for persons with disabilities. If, as eloquently put by the Ohio Supreme Court, “there is no place in this state for any sort of discrimination no matter its size, shape, or form or in what clothes it might masquerade,” it is critical to appreciate these sometimes subtle, but nonetheless meaningful, differences between federal and state disability discrimination laws.
5:30pm-7:00pm - Student Perspectives – A Poster Reception
Undergraduate and graduate students will present their research on the broad interdisciplinary aspects of disability. Recognition will be given at the undergraduate and graduate level in four categories:
Class Projects & Papers
Independent Student Research (independent study, thesis, grant sponsored or dissertation)
Community Service, Outreach, and Applied Problem Solving
Art & Performance
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions
Session A: The Accessible Route — A Guide to Housing Accessibility Law
John Patrick Picard, Architect, John Patrick Picard Architect, Inc.
This presentation will consist of a story detailing the progression through the required accessible route, with examples of real elements of an accessible route, not thought of as barriers. It discusses the critical elements of an accessible route in plain, easy to understand language. The desired outcome of the presentation is for the participant to better understand what makes up the architectural barriers to an accessible route as well as how simple it can be to provide a proper accessible route with some forethought and attention to the basic access needs of others.
The presentation breaks down the Ohio Housing Laws that control accessibility. Specifically, in Ohio, accessible housing laws and building codes are comprised of four documents. These four documents are all more restrictive than FHAG, therefore, they control. The first is the January 2002 version of the Ohio Building Code (Revised and re-published in January 2005, particularly Chapter 11) which controls the design and construction of accessible facilities for physically disabled persons.
The second of the four documents is the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) which provides comprehensive civil rights protection to individuals with disabilities.
The third document, the American National Standards ANSI A117.1; 1998, provides for making sites, facilities, buildings and elements usable and accessible by people with physical disabilities.
The fourth and final document is the Fair Housing Accessibility Guideline issued by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Fair Housing Act includes important additional protection for persons with disabilities so that they may have greater freedom to choose where they live.
Session B: Opportunities for Empowering Youth: ECOT (Ohio's Electronic School of Tomorrow) & HSHT (High School/High Tech)
Lucille Walls, Executive Director, Ohio Governor’s Council on People with Disabilities; Steven Jacobs, President, IDEAL Group, Inc.; Kim Dittman, Ohio Statewide HSHT Coordinator, WrightChoice Program; HSHT youth participants
The intent of this presentation is to introduce Ohio’s Electronic School of Tomorrow (ECOT), demonstrate innovative programming, and highlight a panel of High School/High Tech Electronic Club (HSHT) youth participants.
High School/High Tech (HSHT) is a program that encourages youth with disabilities to explore career choices in non-traditional fields of study. Most youth with disabilities are capable of succeeding in mathematics, science, engineering, and technology with the technological advancement of today. High School/High Tech provides exposure, exploration, and work-related experience within these enormously growing fields. Through this program these youth will be prepared to fill meaningful positions in Ohio’s high tech market.
In August 2006 the Rehabilitation Services Commission (RSC), Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR) and Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired (BSVI) provided funding for the continuation of the Ohio High School High Tech Program (HSHT). These funds are part of a pilot by the agency and initiate a new pilot to begin transition for youth at an earlier age.
Session C: Laws Protect - People Promote and Ensure
Victoria Frye, MBA, SPHR, Manager of Compliance and EEO Programs, Columbus Public Schools, Facilitator; Tamara Hairston, BA, EEO Regional Program Administrator, Office of Diversity Services, Ohio Department of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities; Ruben Castilla Herrera, Co-Founder, Latino LeaderSHIFT Initiative, Consultant, Herrera & Associates; Alvin Sanders, BA, President, Diversity Services and Manager of EEO ODMR/DD (Ret.)
With the passing of the United Nation’s Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities comes the responsibility of many to promote, protect, and ensure equal employment of persons with disabilities. Therefore for those who have the responsibility in their organization to enforce the ADA, it is also important for those same ADA Coordinator’s to promote respect for these individual’s inherent disability.
The focus of this presentation will be to explore methods and programs that consider the cultural environment of business, government, and educational organizations that promote respect and dignity of persons with disabilities. The desired outcome is to have an active audience engagement that focuses on how professionals who are responsible for ADA programs can also be an individual who promotes and protects the rights of those with disabilities within the cultural environment of their organization.
Session D: The Postmodern Performance Aesthetic and the Reaffirmation of Inclusion: ARC North Dancers of Columbus Ohio in Performance
Peter Richards, Co-Director, ARC North Dancers and 3rd yr Candidate MFA, Department of Dance, College of the Arts, The Ohio State University; Jacqueline Boyle, Arts Support Coordinator, ARC Industries North; David Covey, Co-Director, ARC North Dancers, Professor, Department of Dance, College of the Arts, The Ohio State University; Julieanna Facelli, Co-Director, ARC North Dancers, Research Associate, Department of Dance, College of the Arts, The Ohio State University; Nan Burns, Director, ARC Industries North, Franklin County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities; the ARC North Dance Company of Columbus, Ohio --Tonya Brown, Kim French, Mary Faunce, Randy Jarret, Gilly Kauffman, Kathleen Notestine, John Moffo, Anne Obergfell, Adam Pfirsch, Scott Swick, Vicky Porchetti, Carol Quartman, Aaron Robinson, Jeremy Zeilsdorf, and John McCalister
In 2004, the Department of Dance at The Ohio State University setup a liaison program with the Franklin County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities where adults with disabilities were introduced to the world of modern dance through movement classes with the staff and graduate students of the OSU Department of Dance.
For the past 2 years undergraduate and graduate students have been working with a group of between 15 and 25 adults from ARC North, which includes persons with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, mental retardation, personality disorders, and Down syndrome. The focus of this company has been to expand the experience of inclusion and visibility of a small group of individuals, by creating a supportive environment in which to create dance and video works based on current postmodern choreographic techniques. We have been developing an expanded vocabulary and awareness of alternative movement, taking into account the individuality, and inherent beauty of each participant, creating unique performance pieces and videos.
Peter Richards will present a short paper, describing the methodology, processes, and results of his work with The ARC North Dance Company, show a short documentary video about the work, and then most importantly, perform a short dance with the ARC North Dance Company (also known as The ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS DANCE COMPANY). The performances are intended for the broadest possible audience, as the topic is as simple as the joy of watching a dance performance.
10:45am-12:15pm - Concurrent Sessions
Session A: Advocating for Social Change: How Michigan Advocates Collaborated to Pass a State Inclusive Home Design ACT
Sue Hart, Co-Chairperson, Michigan Disability Housing Workgroup, Co-Chairperson, Leaders for Action Housing Advocacy Group, The Disability Network; Paul Ecklund, Disability Rights Advocate, Disability Resource Center of Southwest Michigan
Interested in Visitability? Learn how Michigan advocates gained the passage of a state wide ordinance.
Session B: Transition to College: Changes in Roles, Rights and Responsibilities
Kelly McHargh, Attorney; Sandhya Subramanian, Chief Attorney, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education
This presentation will focus on transition-related educational issues & changing obligations as students move from P – 12 to Postsecondary.
Session C: From Where I Sit: Changing Faculty Cultures through the Power of Story
Jean Wells (csuebjean@sbcglobal.net), Assistive Technology Coordinator/Video Producer, California State University, East Bay
This session will discuss the development and use of a rich multimedia web based faculty training tool for the University of California System. To impact both knowledge and attitude, the training utilizes video of students sharing their experiences in ways that personalize the content and engages the viewer to heighten its relevance and therefore its effectiveness as a tool for change.
Session D: Public Policy: Disability Retirement for Public Employees and Teachers in Ohio
Janet Foley Orosz, PhD, Panel Coordinator, OPERS Disability Retirant, Assistant Professor Emeritus, Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies, The University of Akron; Jon Peterson, State Representative, 80th Ohio House District (Delaware, Morrow, and parts of Richland Counties); James A. Godfrey, STRS Disability Retirant, Senior IT User Support Analyst, University Libraries and Media Services, Kent State University; Julie Reneau, Benefits Director, Ohio Public Employees Retirement System; Bruce Growick, PhD, Associate Professor, Rehabilitation Services, The Ohio State University
An examination of two of the state of Ohio’s disability retirement systems: Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) and the State Teachers Retirement Systems (STRS). These disability systems, which differ from Social Security Disability, operate procedurally and statutorily from foundations based upon the prevention of fraud and the financial solvency of the disability program. This panel will discuss the possibility of changes to these systems from their current disempowering structures to ones that not only address those financial responsibilities to taxpayers and retirants but also provide opportunities for disability retirants to continue to utilize their talents and remain productive members of Ohio’s economy.
12:30pm-1:45pm - Information Exchange & Lunch
2:00pm-3:30pm - Concurrent Sessions
Session A: A Disability Studies Primer in Rights, Responsibilities & Social Change: Rhetorical Explorations of Praxis and Theory, Hierarchies, and Fearless Speech. Three Perspectives
Part I: Getting Some Fresh A.I.R.: Southeast, Inc., and The Rhetorics of Recovery in Downtown Columbus
Wendy Chrisman, PhD Candidate, Lecturer for LEND, Rhetorical & Critical Theories, Disability Studies, The Ohio State University
Southeast, Inc. Recovery and Mental Health Care Services has an artistic vision. Their Fresh A.I.R. (Artists in Recovery) Gallery in downtown Columbus, Ohio exhibits works monthly by "individuals affected by mental illness and those with substance abuse disorders.” Southeast’s goal is to “break down the stigma of mental illness by bringing focus to the artistic vision.” Wendy's presentation will explore some of these works, with a focus on the ways in which identity politics are located (and layered, challenged, subverted, reinforced) throughout. While “disordered” marks a particular self-identification all its own, this is further complicated by prescriptions of gender, class, race, and sexuality. As mental illness has historically been plagued with contradictory notions such as “the mad artist” and “madness is genius,” She will explore the significance of Fresh A.I.R. as promotion of social change, along with the problematics of reinscribing a hierarchy of disorder.
Part II: Fearless Speech, Fairness, and Fraud: Voting for Social Change
Marian Lupo, JD, PhD, Rhetoric & Disability Studies, The Ohio State University
In the wake of election “fraud” and “fairness,” Marian’s presentation will take a rhetorical approach to the concept of "parreshia," or fearless speech, in relation to rights, responsibilities, and social change. With an investigative focus on voting issues and disability, Marian will explore the roles in the recent Ohio elections played by the American Association of People with Disabilities (who brought the first challenge to the voting laws passed by the Ohio fascist legislature this year), the Statewide Independent Living Council, and the Ohio Disability Voter Coalition. As we are currently still trying to untangle the truth in recount of provisional ballots for District 15’s Pryce-Kilroy blunder, change in voting policy is sorely in order.
Part III: Hierarchy of Protest and Social Change
Michael Sasso, PhD Candidate, Rhetoric & Disability Studies, & Director, Writing Center, Mansfield Campus, The Ohio State University
The development and progress of the disability rights movement has been shaped by competing economies of social and pecuniary capitol. Constructing “good citizens,” “good government,” and “good employers” is greatly influenced by the ADA term “reasonable.” Influential protests, and the social change that ensues, or fails, construct and revise public, private, and forensic concepts that justify a contained and restrictive response to disabled people based on their potential socioeconomic productivity. Michael will explore the shifting hierarchies of this paradigm and suggest atavistic responses that can lead to micro and macro social change.
Session B: Access and Communications for Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Karla Ussery, Attorney, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Marcia Kolvitz, Director, PEPNet-South, University of Tennessee
National studies indicate that there is an increase in the number of deaf and hard of hearing students participating in postsecondary education and training. Service providers who may not have had previous experience in providing accommodations to this student population may now be realizing the need for enhancing their professional knowledge and skills in addressing these needs, and enhancing classroom access for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Furthermore, professionals may recognize that no one solution is appropriate for all students with hearing loss but may need additional resource to address the individual needs students present.
This session consists of 2 separate presentations. It is two-fold: legal and practical. The presenters will discuss applicable legal requirements for schools, vocational institutions, and other covered entities that relate to the special needs of deaf and hard of hearing persons. Topics will include: a discussion of who is a "Qualified Individual with a Disability" for purposes of Section 504 and the ADA, "academic adjustments" and "auxiliary aids" in the context of post secondary educational institutions, and "real-life" examples of how OCR has interpreted these legal obligations. The presenters will discuss, on a practical level, common issues faced by students who are deaf or hard of hearing and by educational institutions serving these populations, as well as the roles and responsibilities of students and service providers, including an overview of various services used to facilitate classroom access. Participants will receive handouts that list numerous resources and materials relevant to the topic. Case scenarios and a question and answer period will be utilized to facilitate discussion and address common concerns.
Session C: (Dis)Incentives for Working While Disabled
Steven Derwent, II, Business Systems Analyst, Enterprise Release and Test Management, Regression Test Execution
This presentation will highlight the "return to work incentives" that were put in place to encourage people with disabilities to seek or resume competitive employment. It will focus on the challenges that still remain that hinder the success of the "return to work incentives" programs and the costs that are incurred by taxpayers as a result of self-imposed government barriers.
Session D: The Perils of Not Following the Underlying Spirit and Intent of the American's with Disabilities Act in the Planning and Design of New and Altered Buildings and Sites
Arvid E. Osterberg, Professor, Department of Architecture, College of Design, Iowa State University
Not fully engaging the spirit and intent of the ADA often results in serious shortcomings affecting the accessibility and usability of buildings and sites. This session will focus on this problem through three case studies that explore the nature of the problem and outline strategies for dealing with it. After explaining and illustrating specific issues related to each of the three case studies, the presenter will divide the audience into discussion groups with three to six participants per group. Each group will be assigned one of the three case studies and will be asked to articulate intervention strategies that would help to ensure that the spirit and intent of the ADA is followed.
3:45pm-5:15pm - Concurrent Sessions
Session A: Body Awareness Training and Artificial Limitations
Paul Linden, PhD, Developer of "Being In Movement®" mindbody training and founder of the Columbus Center for Movement Studies (www.being-in-movement.com)
Language, culture, body image, and self-identity form a complex, interactive tapestry. In this experiential workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore how unnecessary limitations in these four elements affect the body and interact with physical disabilities. The workshop will use simple body exercises from Being In Movement® mindbody training (www.being-in-movement.com) which focus on breath, posture, and movement. Participants will learn how to construct an integrated state of calmness, alertness, power, and compassion and use that to improve their functioning in all their daily activities.
Session B: Rights and Damages: Strategic Considerations in Title III Public Accommodations Litigation
Robin Stephens, Esquire, Contract Attorney, Denver, Colorado, Ed Roberts Postdoctoral Fellowship in Disability Studies 2006 - 2007, University of California, Berkeley
What lessons can be taken from both the earlier and later public accommodations race discrimination cases? Both Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act cover public accommodations. Using the research the presenter has gathered during an Ed Roberts Postdoctoral Fellowship in Disability Studies, she will review her historical research on damages in fighting racial discrimination with an emphasis on lessons for today’s disability rights activists and lawyers. The goal of this presentation is to spark discussion of the use of monetary damages and whether this strategy has aggravated the backlash and, if so, how the negative effect of this strategy might be minimized.
Session C: College to Work: Two Presentations
Part I: Improving Transition through an E-Mentoring Model for Students with Disabilities
Evette Simmons-Reed, Ohio State School for the Blind; Jennifer Earley, Program Coordinator, The Nisonger Center for Disabilities, The Ohio State University; Dan Kelley, Technology Specialist, Ohio State School for the Blind
This session will describe an e-mentoring model that is designed to assist students with their transition to productive adult roles. Integrated into English and Technology courses, this e-mentoring program teaches students essential skills in Information Technology as well as assists students to direct their own transition to college and/or employment.
Part II: Transition from College to Work: College Students with Disabilities Seeking Employment Opportunities after Graduation
Brenda C. Williams, MA, ED, HD, Doctoral Candidate, Higher Education Administration Program, George Washington University, and Director, Employment Services, Refugee Training Center, Montgomery College
The purpose of this presentation is to engage participants in understanding the phenomena of disability and employment with an overview of the critical challenges for educators, employers, students, and disability support service providers. Topics to be discussed are: legislation; national perspectives on employment; programs tailored to assist students with disabilities; and changing trends in employment practices. The presenter will seek to increase awareness of the disparities in employment for college students with disabilities; hopes to serve as an impetus of change in career services and student employment programs targeted to students with disabilities; and encourage dialogue amongst educators, employers, and disability providers.
Session D: Environmental Design and Ergonomic Needs for the Bariatric Population
Linda Gabel, AAHID, IIDA, Healthcare Forum Advisor, Senior Associate NBBJ; Evan Musheno, Associate IIDA, Planning Associate, Facilities and Materiel Management, The Ohio State University Medical Center; Diane Polczynski, Planning Associate, Project Services, The Ohio State University Medical Center
Universal Design in medical settings must consider the needs of bariatric populations. What are the considerations and strategies in healthcare facility design, furniture, and equipment selection?
