The Michigan Association on Higher Education and Disability (MI-Ahead) Conference took place on May 19, 2023. Staff members, Colleen Floyd, Madison Overbey, Ellie Brigger, Lynne Swerhone, Shelby Gombosi, Hannah-Huey Jones, Ginger Martz, Jessica Lutz, Tesia Freer, and Kelsey Foote from team RCPD were in attendance and some even presented at the conference.
MI-Ahead is a state organization for professionals who work in higher education with students with disabilities. The organization is committed to providing professional development for service providers to promote equity, enhance opportunities, and assure inclusion in all areas of higher education. Each year in the spring, MI-Ahead hosts an all-day conference, bringing service providers from all over the state together to further their education on topics related to ADA and higher education. The keynote speaker for this year’s conference was Dr. Jane Jarrow, founder and President of Disability Access Information and Support (DAIS), who spoke on the topic of, “What is a reasonable accommodation legally, logically, and practically?”
Colleen Floyd, Ability Access Specialist, for RCPD presented on the topic of “Linguistic Ableism” during one of the breakout sessions. Ellie Brigger, Madison Overbey and Lynne Swerhone—all Ability Access Specialists—and Shelby Gombosi, Assistant Director of Case Management, Assessment, & Programmatic Innovation, also presented and led a breakout session on the topic of “Compassion Fatigue.”
Ginger Martz, Ability Access Specialist, was presented with the Louise Shumaker Alumni Award, which is given to someone who has been a long term, active member of MI-Ahead who commits to the professional development of the MI-Ahead community through participation in meetings, list serve discussion, conferences, or other relevant ways.
Team RCPD cares about persons with disabilities; attending various conferences, such as MI-AHEAD, and pursuing other learning opportunities provides staff with professional development to enhance the opportunities and assure full inclusion in higher education for those we service.