Monday, September 22

7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Registration and Help Desk open. Promenade.

8:00 - 9:00. Continental Breakfast. Promenade.

9:00 - 10:15. Opening General Session. Rosslyn A.
Dr. D.J. Hendricks, Project Manager, Job Accommodation Network.
Dr. Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor.
Suzanne Gosden, Human Factors Consultant, Job Accommodation Network.

9:00 - 6:30. Exhibitor Displays Open. Promenade.

10:15 - 10:30. Break.

10:30 – 11:30 Concurrent Sessions

Safe Evacuation and Accommodation of People with Disabilities. Rosslyn A.
Linda Batiste, J.D. and Beth Loy, Ph.D.
This presentation will address how to include people with disabilities effectively into workplace emergency preparedness procedures. Specifically, the presentation will highlight evacuation plans, look at specific accommodation situations and solutions, and address current Americans with Disabilities Act issues.

Reasonable Accommodation and the ADA Process. Shenandoah A/B.
Tracie DeFreitas Saab, M.S.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a complex federal civil rights law. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a work-site accommodation and ADA compliance assistance project, has created the ADA Process, a 5-step tool to use when implementing accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. This session will demonstrate JAN’s ADA Process and acquaint participants with the Job Accommodation Network.

Promoting Disability Awareness: 5 Things You Can Do Today. Dogwood.
Suzanne Gosden, M.A.
In this interactive one-hour session, Suzanne Gosden will teach you how to promote disability awareness in your place of business. You will be introduced to methods, activities, and resources that develop tolerance, heighten sensitivity, and challenge stereotypes of people with disabilities.

11:45 - 1:15. Luncheon. Rosslyn B.
Dinah F. B. Cohen, M.S., Director for the Department of Defense Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP).
Dinah will provide an enlightening and entertaining discussion of the history of disability, the future of accommodations, and the CAP/JAN partnership.

1:30 – 2:30 Concurrent Sessions

Workplace Accommodations for Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities. Rosslyn A.
Kendra Duckworth, M.S. and Carmen Fullmer, M.S.
This session is designed to familiarize employers with common types, characteristics, and limitations of psychiatric impairments. The presenters will explore accommodation ideas such as modifying the work environment, offering a flexible schedule, and adjusting supervisory methods. The session will feature situations and solutions based on insight from JAN consultants.

Telework as an Accommodation: The ADA and Other Considerations. Shenandoah A/B.
Kim Cordingly, M.A. and Tracie DeFreitas Saab, M.S.
Has your place of business discovered the benefits of telework? This session will discuss how both employers and individuals with disabilities can benefit from telework opportunities, and will offer information provided by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regarding telework as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA.

Legislative and Legal Issues Roundtable Discussion. Dogwood.
Chaired by Linda Batiste, J.D. with panelists Dinah F. B. Cohen, M.S.; Beth Loy, Ph.D.; Mandy J. Gamble, M.S., M.B.A.; and Mayda LaRosse, M.A.
This session will provide audience members with an opportunity to ask questions about legal issues they have faced under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. JAN consultants and others will provide guidance and resources for dealing with these issues.

2:30 - 2:45. Break.

2:45 - 3:45 Concurrent Sessions

Current Issues in Disability Legislation. Rosslyn A.
Jeanne Goldberg, J.D., Senior Attorney Advisor, ADA Policy Division, Office of Legal Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
This session will address the most common legal mistakes employers make when processing reasonable accommodation requests, and the best practices that will help you avoid these pitfalls. The session will also cover new EEOC regulations and enforcement guidance regarding disability discrimination, as well as special considerations regarding reassignment and telework as reasonable accommodations.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN) Program. Shenandoah A/B.
Lisa Lahrman, Supervisory Program Specialist, Division of Program Management, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor.
The Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN) is a national toll-free telephone and electronic information referral service. It is designed to assist employers in locating and recruiting qualified workers with disabilities. EARN, which is a service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, also can provide technical assistance on general disability employment-related issues.

EARN connects employers who have job vacancies to employment service providers who have direct access to job-ready individuals with disabilities. EARN also provides technical assistance to assist employers in locating appropriate organizations and information as they seek to hire qualified candidates with disabilities.

Focus on Assistive Technology in Industrial, Office and Medical Employment Settings. Dogwood.
John Greer, M.S. and Mandy J. Gamble, M.S., M.B.A.
In this session, participants will learn about existing and emerging assistive technology for motor, sensory, and cognitive limitations. Emphasis will be on high-tech and low-tech assistive technology and the benefits of both. Resources will be identified helping employers address training, application, and support of assistive technology used in the workplace.

3:45 - 4:00. Break.

4:00 - 5:00 Concurrent Sessions

Applying Ergonomics in Making Accommodations. Rosslyn A.
Beth Loy, Ph.D. and John Greer, M.S.
In this session, JAN's ergonomic team will provide background information on ergonomics, including job analysis, universal design, and other principles that help identify reasonable accommodations. Case studies addressing office and industrial settings will be used to demonstrate step-by-step procedures for applying ergonomics in making reasonable accommodations.

Accommodation Ideas for Individuals with Attention Deficit Disorder. Shenandoah A/B.
Mayda LaRosse, M.A.
This session is designed to familiarize employers with the characteristics of an employee who has ADD. The presenter will explore accommodation ideas specifically in the area of managing the physical environment, concentration, and memory. The session will feature situations and solutions based on insight from JAN consultants.

Employer Roundtable. Dogwood.
Chaired by Louis E.Orslene, M.P.I.A., M.S.W.
We encourage employers to join JAN staff for this roundtable discussion where we jointly discover better ways to serve the business community. This session provides an opportunity to openly discuss the issues facing employers during their quest to employ people with disabilities. Questions to be discussed include "What are the best vehicles for providing accommodation information?"

JAN is continuously striving to improve our services so that we may better support employers in their desire to retain and hire people with disabilities. Throughout the session, employers will be challenged to offer ways that JAN services may be enhanced to benefit both the employer and the person being hired.

5:00 - 6:30. Reception. Promenade.

Tuesday, September 23, 2003.

7:30 - 8:30. Continental Breakfast. Promenade.

8:30 – 9:30 Concurrent Sessions

Pathways to Accommodation: A Process for Successfully Choosing Assistive Technology. Rosslyn A.
Mandy J. Gamble, M.S., M.B.A.
Determining what assistive technology (AT) will be needed as a job accommodation can be challenging. Contacting AT related resources and applying a decision-making process might be the key to finding a successful AT match. Ms. Gamble will explore a five-step process in choosing AT as an accommodation while demonstrating JAN’s Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR). SOAR is an online tool that helps the user move through the accommodation process, suggests accommodation ideas, and provides resources for further exploration. AT job accommodation situations and solutions also will be presented. Using this five step decision-making process for choosing AT for individuals with disabilities will provide a pathway to successful accommodation outcomes.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Shenandoah A/B.
Michael Seymour, U.S. Department of Labor.
This session will provide attendees with a general understanding of OSHA's current Ergonomics Strategy and the development of guidelines for various employment settings. Sample guidelines will be provided and the current status of those guidelines already developed will be discussed.

Accommodate THIS! Roundtable discussion. Dogwood.
Chaired by Tracie DeFreitas Saab, M.S. with panelists Kendra Duckworth, M.S.; Carmen Fullmer, M.S.;John Greer, M.S.; and Mayda LaRosse, M.A.
An opportunity for attendees to present unusual, unique, or difficult accommodation questions and obtain accommodation information from JAN consultants and other attendees.

9:30 - 9:45. Break.

9:45 - 10:45. The Cost of Accommodations: Research, Myths, and Realities. Rosslyn A.
Peter Blanck, Ph.D., J.D., Kierscht Professor of Law, Director Law, Health Policy and Disability Center, University of Iowa.
ADA Accommodations: Supreme Court Interpretations, Research, Myths, and Realities. Peter Blanck, Ph.D., J.D., Kierscht Professor and Director of the Law, Health Policy and Disability Center, University of Iowa College of Law. This session will discuss ADA accommodations, Supreme Court decisions on the ADA, and research on accommodations, economic implications of accommodations, and the benefits for employers of making accommodations. The session will present aspects of various studies conducted and written by Dr. Blanck and his associates.

10:45 - 11:00. Break.

11:00 - 12:00. Charting the Course. Rosslyn A.
D.J. Hendricks, Ed.D., Project Manager, JAN.
James Schmeling, J.D., Associate Director of the Law, Health Policy and Disability Center, University of Iowa.
Helen Schartz, Ph.D., J.D., Director of Research of the Law, Health Policy and Disability Center, University of Iowa.

This session will present a lighthearted look back, as well as a thought-provoking look forward at the JAN project and its annual symposium. This will include:

• the purpose, mission, and future plans for the symposium and
• JAN's 20-year history, its current status, and upcoming plans and activities.

This will be an audience participation session. Tell us how we can make JAN better for you and other employers! The session will end with an audience challenge for next year's symposium.