AHEAD 2014 Concurrent Session: “Collaborating & Leadership
Outside of Disability Services – It Takes a Village”
Wednesday, July 16, 2:00 – 3:00 pm
Introduction:
University and college campuses are highly collaborative places where individuals
often build alliances and relationships across departments and divisions. In
addition, most campus communities offer opportunities to develop relationships in
local communities or their state (town and gown relationships).
Summary of Panel Members Experiences
Name: Emily Lucio
Email: lucio@cua.edu
Institution: The Catholic University of America
Position on campus: Disability Support Services
Leadership Role Outside Disability Resources:
Provide a short explanation of your role and what were the benefits/fruits of
involvement?
We work closely with our Center for Academic Success ( CAS) and our Freshman
Advising Center to support students who are at-risk. Each 1st year student who registers
with us has a freshman adviser. We ensure that students connect with them and
collaborate throughout the year as issues arise. We also introduce them to the staff at
CAS. We will pull together meetings of all three offices to discuss particular students.
Having a strong relationship with our IT department is critically important. We do
presentations with them to faculty about universal design and making lectures
accessible. We also work with them to ensure that all technology on campus is
accessible (i.e. library journals, lab hardware, webpages, etc.)
Name: Jamie Axelrod
Email: Jamie.Axelrod@nau.edu
Institution: Northern Arizona University
Position on campus: Director, Disability Resources
Leadership Role Outside Disability Resources:
Provide a short explanation of your role and what were the benefits/fruits of
involvement?
One of the leadership roles I have outside of D.R. is as the co-chair for the
President’s Commission on Disability Access and Design.
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This position has given me the opportunity to spearhead and help direct campus
wide efforts related to all aspects of campus function and how it intersects with
disability issues. This opportunity helped broaden the scope of access and influence
I could have over areas on campus I would not have naturally interacted with from
my D.R. position. Being a President’s Commission it gave me an avenue to bring
issues and ideas for helping make the campus and the campus culture more
welcoming, inclusive and barrier free, right to the highest levels of administration.
Name: Linda Nissenbaum
Email: lnissenbaum@stlcc.edu
Institution: St. Louis Community College -Meramec
Position on campus: Manager, Access Office
Leadership Role Outside Disability Resources:
Provide a short explanation of your role and what were the benefits/fruits of
involvement?
Some of the leadership roles that I have outside of D.R. are:
Member of the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT)- I meet weekly/or as needed
with the other members of the team (VPSA, Chief of Police, Rep from Counseling) to
address BIT reports that are submitted by the campus community. The team
assesses potential problems with individuals that may have violated policies and
procedures or may present a danger to themselves or others and determines what,
if any steps that need to be taken. As a member of the team, I will work with faculty,
staff, and students about our code of conduct and how to deal with difficult people. I
co-wrote a campus wide publication called, Responding to Disruptive Student
Behavior that was shared with faculty and staff. Additionally, it provides an
opportunity for input and education on students who have disabilities and might be
misunderstood. This position helps to show my leadership abilities on our campus.
Chair of the College-wide Sexual Harassment Committee-This position has given
me the opportunity to work directly with leadership throughout St. Louis
Community College to ensure our compliance with Title IX and to have to
opportunity to educate students, faculty, and staff about behaviors as they relate to
Title IX. As part of this committee, I am responsible for holding the hearings and
determining if a violation has occurred. This position helps to show my leadership
abilities to the college-wide community.
Member of Campus and College-wide Governance-These roles all me to know the
important issues that are facing our campus and our college and have input into the
policies, procedures, and practices that are eventually taken to the Board for
approval. As needed, I am able to keep the need for equal access in the picture and
provide suggestions to show how this might be accomplished.
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Facilitator Name: Tom L. Thompson
Email: tltharper30@yahoo.com
Institution: Retired Director and current Higher Education Consultant
Position on campus: Directed Harper College’s Access & Disability Services; Spring
2014, served as Northern Illinois University’s Disability Resource Center
Leadership Role Outside Disability Resources:
Provide a short explanation of your role and what were the benefits/fruits of
involvement?
I have been advising higher education institutions about Disability Resources,
accessibility and program improvement since 1990. I have also mentored newer
professionals in the field of Disability Resources and served on the boards of
ILLOWA – Illnois/Iowa AHEAD and the national AHEAD Board. These roles have
given me continuing insight into the workings and changes in this field. I have been
an AHEAD member since 1981. I have enjoyed being involved in service to various
professional associations, particularly AHEAD. It has been my pleasure to connect
professionals with people and information to advance their own careers.
I now work primarily as a higher education consultant on accessibility and
Disability Resources. I have done external evaluations, strategic planning, training
and curriculum development work.
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