Grayson Kargol
Clemson University's Student Accessibility Services will host 11 virtual events in October.
This October, Clemson University will host 11 virtual events for National Disability Employment Awareness Month — even after the Accessibility Commission was sunsetted.
Priscilla Harrison, director of ADA services and compliance and ADA coordinator at Clemson, explained that the commission did not need a budget for any of these events due to all the departments that have partnered with ADA services. Therefore, the events are still scheduled even though the University ceased the Accessibility Commission’s operations earlier this month.
Partners include the Division of Civil and Individual Rights, the Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, the Office of University Compliance and Ethics, Clemson Computing and Information Technology and Student Accessibility Services.
When asked what this shift means for ADA services moving forward, Harrison added that Clemson’s “Accessibility Services should not change as there are multiple offices at CU that maintain ADA compliance and their work is not impacted by this change.”
The annual campaign “aims to raise awareness about employment issues faced by individuals with disabilities while celebrating their diverse contributions to the American workforce,” according to Clemson News.
The virtual events are open to the public to join in celebrating the achievements of those with disabilities, as well as provide insights and strategies to help those with disabilities.
The events start on Oct. 6 and continue until Oct. 30, covering topics such as “digital accessibility and comprehensive instructional practices to Deaf culture, neurodiversity, and effective approaches to accommodation.”
Adam Gorlitsky, a para-athlete and founder of I GOT LEGS, will give the keynote address on Oct. 20. Gorlitsky plans to debut his new manual exoskeleton in partnership with the University’s biomedical engineering department.
The “Let’s Break to Educate: Celebrating All Abilities” virtual events informational sessions can be accessed through the webinar registration link, and a PDF flyer of events is also available. The schedule of NDEAM events is accessible using the NDEAM tag on the University events calendar.