ORAHEAD Spring 2023 Virtual Conference Schedule
Friday, May 5th
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Session 1 : AHEAD Spring Webinar and Discussion
Participants will view one of two of the AHEAD Spring Webinars. Then they will join in a discussion with other attendees to discuss the webinar and application of concepts to their institutions.
Webinar Option One:
“I’m Unlearning!” Applying Reflexivity to Higher Education Disability Services as a Tool for Supporting Students with Intersectional Identities
Morgan Strimel, George Mason University
Jamilah Anderson, George Mason University
Although the higher education disability services field requires considerable use of professional judgment to make accommodation-related decisions, there is a lack of guidance on how to carry this out in day-to-day interactions with students. When drawing on personal and professional experiences, disability services professionals are directly guided by their own positionality, which is their collective identities and experiences, and therefore - for better or for worse - their biases as they determine accommodations for students with disabilities. To better understand these influencing identities and the role of positionality in the disability services profession, this presentation will share themes that emerged from thirteen semi-structured interviews with disability services professionals that focused on their perceptions of the relationship between their positionality and their work. Further, we will invite attendees to examine their own positionalities through an interactive activity where they will pinpoint influential aspects of their identities. This presentation will conclude with a large group discussion focused on the implications for practitioners in regard to seeing our own positionalities and their role in our work. In addition to discussing implications for practice with attendees, the presenters will guide the conversation around reflexivity, or consciously examining when and where our positionalities may influence our choices and interactions as disability services professionals.
Webinar Option Two:
Navigating the Field as a New Disability Resource Professional
Katy Washington, Virginia Commonwealth University
New professionals, congratulations on joining this amazing field! During your first few weeks in your position, you were probably given a ton of information about laws, processes, and procedures and got right to work figuring things out. You probably learned quickly that working in the disability resources field can present many opportunities to be subject matter experts and lead the university in addressing inequities. But when you are new to the field, this can seem intimidating, regardless of the size or type of institution or number of staff in your office. There is so much to learn, and the expectation may feel enormous to know everything about disability law and how it applies to your position during your first week. During this webinar, we will dive into a discussion on topics such as the foundations of our field; developing your “why”; opportunities for career progression, professional development, and growth opportunities; and preventing burnout.
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Session 2: Building Peer Partnerships
Regardless of our myriad institutional contexts, Disability Service Providers are often isolated in our work. We are met with unique situations that require nuanced approaches, experience growing pains, or just need to interact with others who “get it”. Connecting with peer partners in other institutions can help reinforce the work and provide different perspectives. But how do we form these partnerships? Join us in facilitated discussions around issues we face daily and unique approaches to problems. Throughout the session we will focus on developing relationships and building partnerships with our peers that last beyond the session.