Ohio University Southern will host a virtual conference to increase awareness and understanding of trends in addressing the needs of students and staff with disabilities.

The Envision Access Conference will be Friday, March 4. There is no cost to attend but registration is required at https://www.ohio.edu/southern/events-southern/eac

The goal of the conference is to help to foster working relationships between guidance counselors, interventions specialists, higher education accessibility/disability services administrators and other professions who work with students with disabilities, and to learn best practices related to students with disabilities.

This year’s presenters are Dr. Josephine Bennett, assistant director of HR data and HR advisor for Everett Advisory Partners; and Dr. Rosa Oroyan Kissling, analyst for Homeland Security Investigations.

Bennett’s presentation is titled: “It’s Not Magic: Creating an Inclusive Work Environment for Employees with Disabilities.” This workshop will outline the importance of creating inclusive work environments for individuals with invisible disabilities. It will identify various types of invisible disabilities and the necessary consideration that should be made in accommodating individuals who possess these types of disabilities. It will also present strategies that support disability inclusivity within the workplace to ensure all employees perform at their highest potential.

Bennett is an experienced adjudicator who has worked performing vocational analyses, disability assessments and preliminary hearing evaluations for both state and federal governments. For over a decade, Bennett has worked to understand the physiological and psychological factors that impact individuals’ functional abilities in the workforce. At Everett her work focuses on quantitative analysis and utilizing data to solve problems in the workforce ranging from compensation and benchmarking analysis to proper measurement of DEI initiatives. She also serves as an adjunct instructor at ECPI University and works as a dissertation coach helping doctoral candidates cross the U.S. navigate the dissertation process.

Kissling’s presentation is titled: “Perspectives of College Freshmen Students with Disabilities: What Makes Them High Risk for Early Departure.” The presentation will provide participants with an overview of current body of information associated with retention of college students with disabilities. It will focus on college student retention, barriers for students with disabilities, institutional challenges and support for students with disabilities in higher education. At the conclusion of the session, participants will be provided with information important to help college administrators establish practices that promote learning and retention for students with disabilities.

Kissling is a public servant working for Homeland Security Investigations. Her current role is as an analyst working side by side with agents ensuring counter proliferation of national defense armaments. She has also worked as computer forensics with agents working diligently in child exploitation cases. Prior to that, she retired after 21 years in the United States Air Force in the intelligence and communications arena.

As a disabled veteran, she has a passion for serving others, especially those who strive to better themselves despite their disabilities. Kissling’s degree is conferred by Northcentral University.

For more information about the conference, visit the EAC webpage or contact Dr. Teresa McKenzie, OHIO Southern Accessibility Services Coordinator and Veteran Services Coordinator at 740-547-3875 or mckenzt1@ohio.edu, or Robert Pleasant, Director of Student Services, at 740-533-4608 or pleasanr@ohio.edu