Location: CASE E422/Chancellor’s Hall/Auditorium
6:30–7 p.m. Reception with networking and light appetizers
7–8 p.m. “Losing Music: A Story About the Noise Inside My Head”
Presenter: John Cotter, author of “Losing Music”
John Cotter was 30 when he first noticed a ringing in his ears. Soon, the ringing became a roar inside his head. Next came partial deafness, then dizziness and vertigo that made him unable to walk, work, sleep or even communicate. What happened next—the search for understanding and the struggle for a new kind of meaning in his life—is the story he tells in his memoir, “Losing Music.” Oprah Daily says “Losing Music” “explodes an individual experience of illness into a cultural and medical reckoning; with a sociologist’s rigor and a poet’s lyricism, Cotter takes readers on an odyssey through the social history of disability, the brutal bureaucracy of the American health care system, and the intimate violence of living in a volatile body.” Cotter will read from the book, talk about living with hearing loss and answer audience questions.
Host: Ryan Pollard, clinical assistant professor, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
Location: CASE E422/Chancellor’s Hall/Auditorium
Register here to join in-person: https://forms.gle/BS1XsVtoKYdQNJNC7
Register here to join virtually: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtc-2rrzoqGtZ3Y5SukdLNHmb1IfTPVlRT
Location: virtual via Zoom
10–10:50 a.m. Universal Design for Learning: An Overview for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
Presenters: Brad Grabham, instructional designer
Becky Rex, instructional designer
Karen Crouch, instructional design and technology consultant
Participants will enrich their understanding of concepts related to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and strengthen their professional course-design skills to increase the quality of student learning. During this session, we will introduce UDL principles and the neuroscience supporting UDL, discuss common instructional challenges and brainstorm applications of UDL principles to address them, and have an open discussion inviting audience questions.
Host: Elizabeth Novosel, computer science, mathematics and social sciences librarian
Zoom link to presentation: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAtdO2uqjsoH9A8eAdA3sbKTSAFl5tqe0YB
11 a.m.–12 p.m. Attending to Invisible Wounds: Trauma-Informed Teaching
Presenter: Melanie Peffer, University of Colorado Boulder/Health Professions Residential Academic Program (teaching assistant professor) and Institute of Cognitive Science (research scientist level II)
Peffer will discuss key principles of trauma-informed teaching and how to recognize signs of trauma and differentiate it from stress. Peffer will address strategies for relationship building to keep open communication pathways with students and how previous traumas influences learning in the classroom. Participants will work in breakout rooms to brainstorm how trauma can manifest in their classrooms and strategies for managing it. Peffer also will discuss the role of power in the classroom, how power dynamics can worsen trauma symptoms and how to use evidence-based strategies such as codesign to minimize power dynamics. Participants will brainstorm in breakout rooms how to use codesign or other strategies in the classroom to create more balanced power dynamics.
Host: Erin Cunningham, director of employee engagement
Zoom link to presentation: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMtc-6qrT0qHdEttr99q-xn_WSQcHEvzwrH
12–1 p.m. Break
1–2 p.m. Disability Etiquette: How to Interact with People with Disabilities
Presenters: Jordan Griffin, senior access coordinator in Disability Services at CU Boulder
Seth Taylor, senior access coordinator in Disability Services at CU Boulder
This presentation will address common questions and concerns related to interacting with people with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs, service animals, sign language interpreters, people on the autism spectrum and others. We will discuss appropriate etiquette through a slideshow presentation and allow time for discussion and questions and answers.
Host: Gavin Laing, faculty affairs senior coordinator
Zoom link to presentation: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcldOGrrjsuE92DI-fOx2Z1Rx2Mipt72gSK
Location: IBS 155B and Zoom
12:30–1:30 p.m. Media and Neurodiversity: Progress and Pitfalls and What We Can Learn
Presenter: Jared Browsh, PhD, assistant teaching professor of ethnic studies
Representation and discussions regarding neurodiversity have increased significantly over the past few years. What can we learn from traditional and social media about autism spectrum disorders and other neurodiverse experiences, and what issues arise with the dramatic increase of these representations in the classroom and throughout our community?
Host: Gavin Laing, faculty affairs senior coordinator
Zoom link to presentation: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYsdO-urTgoHtzHRaDAjZ1DKzjHKgKl-rXG
2–3 p.m. Inclusivity at CU: Advancing Workplace and Classroom Inclusion for Campus Employees and Students with Disabilities
In this panel presentation, multiple panel members have firsthand experience navigating higher education systems as persons with a diagnosed disability. Others have insights on how the campus can help foster an environment that is inclusive and builds a sense of belonging for persons with disabilities. Join us as the panel discusses the realities of being a student or employee with a disability on the Boulder campus and how individuals and offices on campus can improve support for persons with disabilities.
Panelists: Ann Schmiesing, professor and vice chancellor for academic resource management
Maya Fazio, CU Boulder graduate, May 2023
Estrella Lastre, university staff employee and graduate student in Leeds School of Business
Angie Young, instructional designer, University of Colorado system office
Host: Erin Cunningham, director of employee engagement
Location: IBS 155B
Register here to join in-person: https://forms.gle/NEfFSNujCi8os9Pj7
Register here to join virtually: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvcOGpqz0iE9e6NxUMZPnV-w7TPQb4KmPW
Location: IBS 155A/B
9 a.m. Coffee and Pastries with the University Libraries
Register here: https://forms.gle/TJBhqqdxUSg5Ckia9
10–11 a.m. Universal Design: Improving Equity and Access for All through the Lens of Disability
Presenter: Vanessa Maybruck (she/her), environmental engineering PhD student
Universal design was born out of the disability rights movement and advocates for the design of products, services and infrastructure that are accessible to all people. In this talk, Maybruck will outline specific campus practices, envisioned by students with disabilities for students with disabilities, that are necessary to implement on the trajectory toward universal design. Along the way, she will demonstrate how people with disabilities contribute valuable perspectives that aid in improving access and equity for all. This presentation will conclude with an interactive portion in which audience participation in a discussion on improving universal design on college campuses and beyond is welcomed and encouraged.
Host: Sarah Hunt, third-year psychology student
Location: IBS 155 A/B
Register here to join in-person: https://forms.gle/Yrf9E4f5geaxKsEg6
Register here to join virtually: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvcuGupzosEtCG7CYi0_VsNhxAEsCno6vc
11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Keynote Address and Luncheon
Presenter: Marisa Hamamoto, transformational speaker and movement artist and founder of Infinite Flow Dance
The first professional dancer to be named People Magazine "Women Changing the World," Marisa Hamamoto is a stroke survivor with two invisible disabilities: PTSD and autism. Marisa is the founder of Infinite Flow, an award-winning nonprofit and professional dance company that employs disabled and nondisabled artists with a mission to foster inclusion. Marisa is a speaker, thought leader, performing artist and multi-dimensional creator on the rise, seeking to creatively inspire inclusion, innovation and transformation through movement, dance and storytelling.
www.MarisaHamamoto.com
Host: Marysia Lopez, program manager, College of Arts and Sciences Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Location: IBS 155 A/B
Register here to join in-person: https://forms.gle/Nmxc7UidQgbR4TGw6
Register here to join virtually: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqdumtrTMsH9UzpUeSow2adqLZ0Kff-slc
1– 2 p.m. Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Superstrength and Kryptonite
Presenters: Eileen Brown, program coordinator, International Affairs Program
Kaysie Larson, undergraduate program assistant, Department of Political Science
Stefani Harrison, marketing and operations manager, Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, Leeds School of Business
During this workshop, we will: give a brief overview of what neurodiversity is; share workplace examples of neurodivergent individuals’ superstrength and kryptonite; provide helpful resources, research, and support for staff and supervisors to improve workplace communication, productivity, and culture; hopefully leave enough time for guided small group discussion or individual reflection.
Host: Marysia Lopez, program manager, College of Arts and Sciences Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Location: IBS 155 A/B
Register here to join in-person: https://forms.gle/jJb39aoz5Jt5jkCk9
Register here to join virtually: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0kce2qrjspH9W5I8PFdRWQEWJM9MCtc63l
2:15 p.m.–3:15 p.m. Seeing CU Boulder Through an Entirely New Lens: The Perspective of People with Disabilities as Provided by the Association for Students with Disabilities
The Association for Students with Disabilities is a registered student organization focused on building a sense of community and connection among disabled students at CU Boulder. This is achieved through weekly meetings in which participants discuss individual struggles and broader issues encountered by those in the disabled community. Given the nature of the organization, participants have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges students and staff with disabilities face.
This panel presentation will center on a detailed question and answer session hosted by the organization. A moderator will introduce panel members and facilitate the Q&A. The presentation will focus on several topics of interest to help attendees better understand the perspective of disabled students at CU Boulder. Topics of discussion, with necessary background, will include: communication, listen and learn, addressing accessibility and intersecting identities. Panelists will help attendees better understand the lived experiences of disabled students at CU Boulder.
Panelists: Casey Boyd, chemistry graduate student
Mae Anderson (she/her), physics graduate student
Ben Little, computer science graduate student
Emmet Easter, undergraduate student
Moderator: Marissa Oakley
Location: IBS 155 A/B
Register here to join in-person: https://forms.gle/CD8rJWFLWKKrnKyH9
Register here to join virtually: https://cuboulder.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwpcOyrrTIiGdxjs7OBZ8mnaxfFLor_ZaOy
Please note that the Digital Accessibility Office also is hosting multiple events in October regarding disability awareness. More information can be found here: Digital Accessibility Offices Disability Awareness Month Celebration.
*Special thanks to the Dean’s Office in the College of Arts and Sciences; the Office for Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences; the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; the University Libraries; and the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for their support.
