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Past Events

AL AHEAD Spring 2023 Workshop

Date: Friday, March 3, 2023

Location: Auburn University

Speaker: Jane Jarrow

Jane Jarrow (Disability Access Information and Support) is a familiar face (voice!) to many of the members of Alabama AHEAD. Jane is a private consultant working in the field of disability services in higher education for many years and has provided professional development for service providers through presentations, online classes, participation in professional listservs, and her weekly mailings (The Last Word). Janie has established a reputation for being knowledgeable and articulate in understanding and presenting the issues of importance related to disability in the higher education arena. She is a prolific author and an acknowledged leader in the field. Her professional involvement in this field spans more than 35 years and includes her long tenure as the Executive Director of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). Those who have turned to her for technical assistance or who have heard her speak have remarked on Jane’s comfortable presentation style, her down-to-earth approach to the subject, her ready availability and willingness to assist, and her ability to relate general legal principles to the specific situations encountered in the postsecondary setting.

In Jane’s own words: “I am not an attorney, and I think that is an advantage in my work. I provide technical assistance, never legal advice, and thus I don’t have to couch my statements too carefully. I can — and do — ‘call ’em as I see ’em’ based on my understanding of the law and extensive field experience.”

Workshop Sessions

The Interactive Process – By Law and in Practice!

These days, we hear about the importance of engaging students in an interactive process when considering accommodation requests. Aside from the logistical problems (do you really have time to engage in an interactive process with every student on your caseload?), there is a great deal of confusion as to when and why it is appropriate to engage in the interactive process and the intent of the such activity. This session will examine those issues from a legal perspective and our professional understanding of the good practice.

How to “Just Say No!”

In evaluating accommodation requests, it is not uncommon for service providers to recognize that it is both appropriate and necessary to say “no” to a request but struggle with how to say that politely – and make it stick. Students (and parents!) seem much more insistent these days. Administrators are worried about bad publicity, and legal counsel tends to be risk aversive. Besides, saying “no” has suddenly taken on a new dimension. When we turned down a request for extended time for a student who presented “iffy” documentation of ADHD, no one suggested that we would scar the kid for life in the process. When we refused a course substitution for math for the student who was blind, no one told us that his eyesight would get worse because of that decision. But service providers who turn down a request from a student with a mental health diagnosis for a single room or attendance leniency are suddenly being presented with documentation that suggests (sometimes subtly and sometimes directly!) that if you don’t grant the accommodation, the student’s mental health problems will worsen and it’ll be your fault! Let’s talk about it!

Workshop Pricing Tiers & Registration:

  • Tier One: $30 for members
  • Tier Two: $50 for non-members

Complete AL AHEAD Conference Registration Form

CEUs Provided

  • CRC 
  • Social Work

Workshop Agenda

9:30 – 10:00 Sign-in

10:00 – 10:15 Welcome

10:15 – 11:45 The Interactive Process – By Law and in Practice (Presented by: Jane Jarrow)

11:45 – 12:00 Break

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch – Provided

1:15 – 2:45 How to “Just Say No!” (Presented by Jane Jarrow)

2:45 – 3:00 Closing Remarks

Hotel Accommodations

AL AHEAD Group Rates are available at the Hampton Inn Auburn. Please note: The ADA rooms must be booked by individual call-in. They do not appear on booking links.

Hampton Inn Auburn 

2430 S College St, Auburn, AL 36832 |(334) 821-4111

AL AHEAD Spring 2022 Workshop

For more information, please visit the workshop registration form. Registration closes on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 at 12pm.

Cost to Attend

AL AHEAD Members $25

Non-members $50

You may join AL AHEAD or renew your membership prior to registering for the workshop.

Friday, March 4, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Jefferson State Community College, Shelby-Hoover Campus

4600 Valleydale Road, Birmingham, AL 35242

(205) 983-5997

Judy Merrit Building, Room 129, Adjacent to Veterans Park

Face coverings are required. Social distancing recommended.

  • 9:30am-10:00am Sign-in

  • 10:00am-10:15am Welcome

    • Jeremy Martin, Board President-Elect & Program Chair

  • 10:15am-11:00am Keynote: Disability and COVID-19 related State Updates

    • Dr. Graham Sisson, State of Alabama Assistant Attorney General

  • 11:00am-11:10am AL AHEAD Board Information

    • Vanessa Goepel, University of Alabama, Board President

    • Alison Solomon, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Member-at-Large

  • 11:10am-11:15am Break

  • 11:15am-12:00pm Panel: Accommodations during COVID-19

    • Pam Clough, Moderator, Gadsden State Community College

    • Jeremy Martin, Panelist, University of North Alabama

    • Brittany Gregg, Panelist, University of Alabama

    • Valerie DuBose, Panelist, University of Alabama at Birmingham

  • 12:00pm-1:00pm Lunch (provided) and Board Election Results

  • 1:00pm-1:45pm Self-Advocacy: Supporting College Students with Disabilities in Becoming Their Own Champions

    • Dr. Andrea Hunt, University of North Alabama, Associate Professor of Sociology and Family Studies

    • Dr. Stacy Lee, University of North Alabama, Assistant Professor, College of Social Work

    • Jeremy Martin, University of North Alabama, Director, Disability Support Services/ADA Compliance

  • 1:45pm-2:00pm Break

  • 2:00pm-2:45pm Panel: Documentation Guidelines & Transition from High School to College

    • Janine Jones, Moderator, Lawson State Community College

    • Vanessa Goepel, Panelist, University of Alabama

    • Fran Hershey, Panelist, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services

    • Alison Solomon, Panelist, University of Alabama at Birmingham

  • 2:45pm-3:00pm Closing Remarks

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