U of A to Observe Disability Awareness Month With Series of Webinars
Disability Employment Awareness Month National Campaign Image 2021: Powered by Inclusion
At the U of A, we are proud to reaffirm our commitment to supporting efforts to fully implement the Americans with Disabilities Act and ensure the same principles of barrier-free access that exist on campus also extend to digital environments.
This year will mark the 31st anniversary of the ADA and in October, the U of A will observe Disability Awareness Month. Throughout the month, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance and the U of A Partners for Inclusive Communities will offer a series of informative webinars on topics related to disability awareness. Please make sure to register for any offerings that you wish to partake at oeoctraining.uark.edu.
For more information on the U of A’s ADA plans and services, please visit the new accessibility website at accessibility.uark.edu. This new resource houses the university’s accommodation and accessibility resources.
Schedule of Offerings
Interacting with Persons with Disabilities
- Oct. 5 at noon – SIGN UP
Presenter: Sashikala Nisankaro and J’onnelle Colbert-Diaz
This session covers A to Z basics of interacting with persons with disabilities for your frontline managers, providers of goods and services and any related staffs of Title II entities that deal with the general public on a daily basis. Topics include disability etiquette, recognizing and understanding hidden disabilities, service animals in areas of public accommodation, making reasonable accommodations and reasonable policy modifications. This presentation will also include an interactive discussion of common scenarios that participants will work through to determine solutions in a group environment.
Effective Communications for Deaf or Hearing Impaired
- Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. – SIGN UP
Presenter: Badar Tereen and J’onnelle Colbert-Diaz
A virtual presentation on effective communication requirements for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Planning Accessible Meetings
- Oct. 20 at noon – SIGN UP
Presenter: Sashikala Nisankaro and J’onnelle Colbert-Diaz
Planning conferences that are accessible to people with disabilities involves focusing on the accessibility of all aspects of your meeting, from choosing a site through promotion, registration, presentations and handouts to ensuring effective communication. This session explains the general obligations under the ADA and considerations for holding meetings that are open to the public. Participants will receive tips for ensuring access and work through real-life scenarios to walk them through the accommodations process.
Virtually Accessible: Using Zoom and Teams to Create Accessible Meetings
- Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. – SIGN UP
Presenter: Melanie Thornton and J’onnelle Colbert-Diaz
Video conferencing technology has been one of the heroes of the pandemic. Not all tools are created equal when it comes to accessibility and approaches to delivery can enhance access or create barriers. We’ll look at ways to create a more usable and accessible meeting(s) for everyone.
Closed Captioning will be available for all webinars. Videos from the 2020 Disability Awareness Month can be found on the OEOC Video website.
Resources:
Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance
U of A Partners for Inclusive Communities
Presenter Biographies
Sashi Nisankarao, J.D., Southwest ADA Center
Sashi Nisankarao is a licensed Texas attorney. She has been an ADA specialist for three and a half years at the Southwest ADA Center, a grant-funded project of the Independent Living Research Utilization. She provides technical assistance and conducts training on disability issues such as employment, education and disability rights. In the past, Nisankarao has worked at the city of Houston General Litigation Section, as well as at Lone Star Legal Aid in the Public Benefits Unit. Her overall public interest experience has led to her passion for working with and educating the disability community.
Badar Tareen, J.D., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Civil Rights
Badar Tareen worked as a staff member in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives before attending the University of North Carolina School of Law in Chapel Hill. Upon graduation in 2010, he became a Presidential Management Fellow and worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Justice, where he received a letter of commendation from the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Tareen currently works at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), where he has shared awards including an HHS Secretary’s Team Award and several OCR Director’s Honor Team Awards. He is also a member of the Virginia State Bar.
Melanie Thornton, U of A – Partners for Inclusive Communities Southwest ADA Center – Arkansas Affiliate
Melanie Thornton is the coordinator of Access and Equity Outreach at U of A Partners for Inclusive Communities. She provides professional development on topics related to leadership, disability, diversity and design. She is very interested in working with organizations to create more accessible environments and to reframe perspectives of disability as an aspect of diversity. Prior to coming to the U of A, Thornton was the associate director of the Disability Resource Center and the director of Project PACE at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She also has eight years of experience working as a counselor with Arkansas Rehabilitation Services. Thornton earned her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from Gallaudet University and her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hendrix College.
J’onnelle Colbert-Diaz, U of A – Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance
J’onnelle Colbert-Diaz serves as the director of Accommodation and Accessibility Services for the Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance and is responsible for facilitating the interactive process in regard to disability accommodation requests, which can include disability, leave accommodations, service animals, emotional support animals, student ADA grievances, barriers to access, travel accommodations, visitors or participants in programs/services, recruitment accommodations and religious accommodation requests.
Additional responsibilities include monitoring compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as state civil rights requirements based on disability and religion. The Director of Accommodation and Accessibility Services oversees the University’s prevention and education efforts; implements the institution’s accommodation and accessibility procedures; identifies and addresses patterns; and assesses effects on the campus climate to address issues that affect the wider campus community.
The Office of Equal Opportunity and Compliance (OEOC) engages with the campus community to proactively advance the University’s initiatives and resources to create a more inclusive educational and work environment. “Promoting inclusive excellence through equity, access and diversity.”
This story also appeared in the University of Arkansas News publication.