Schedule

The JAN Conference offers three concurrent training tracks addressing accommodation issues, innovative employment practices, and ADA/legal issues. See the following Conference schedule for a pre-view of the Keynote speakers, session topics, and expert speakers to be included in this year's event. Use the schedule to plan a training experience that best suits your interests and training needs. Follow a specific track or choose the sessions that interest you most. And, enjoy the Conference!

Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) are available for each session.

*Sessions are subject to change without notice.

Sunday, September 17

7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Exhibitor Setup. Prefunction Area.

Monday, September 18

6:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. Exhibitor Setup. Prefunction Area.

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast. Sponsored by EARN. Prefunction Area.

7:30 a.m. Registration Opens. Prefunction Area.

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Welcome. Ballroom.
W. Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor

9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Opening Keynote Address. Ballroom.
The Honorable Christine M. Griffin, Commissioner, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

10:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Exhibits Open. Prefunction Area.

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions.

How to Handle Psychiatric Disabilities in the Workplace: Balancing Issues of Behavior, Direct Threat, and Reasonable Accommodation (Accommodation Track)
This session will focus on enforcing standards of behavior and conduct and accommodating employees with psychiatric disabilities in the workplace. Participants will learn about common psychiatric disabilities and how to accommodate an employee who has performance and behavior problems, including issues of direct threat. Active participation and discussion will be encouraged.
Kendra Duckworth, M.S., Consultant, Job Accommodation Network
Handout: Employees with Psychiatric Impairment (MS Word)

Best Practices and Employment of People with Disabilities: Employment, Customers, and Community Relations (IEP Track)
This diverse and expert panel of employers will share each organization’s best practices in the areas of recruitment, retention, customer service, positive community relations, and partnerships with individuals with disabilities.
Oswald Mondejar, Vice President, Human Resources, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital/Partners Health Care System
Patrick Flavin, Manager of Government Programs, TJX Companies, Inc.
Carole McDonough, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Citizens Bank
Marie Trottier, Compliance Officer, Harvard University
Carmen Vega-Barachowitz, Massachusetts General Hospital
Sabrina Williams, Director of Diversity, Stop and Shop Companies

Basic ADA: Old Issues, New Trends (ADA Track)
In this session, JAN Consultants will provide a basic overview of ADA concepts that they most frequently deal with involving employers. Learn about the fundamental aspects of the ADA and share an engaging discussion of how the ADA has aged. Bring your basic questions to fill a busy hour and a half.
Linda Carter Batiste, J.D., Job Accommodation Network
Donielle Harsh, M.P.A., M.S., Job Accommodation Network
Beth Loy, Ph.D., Job Accommodation Network
Handout: Employer's Guide to Reasonable Accommodation (MS Word)

11:45 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Luncheon Keynote Address. Ballroom.
John D. Kemp, Disability Rights Leader, Principal at the law firm of Powers, Pyles, Sutter, & Verville, P.C.

1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions.

Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact (Accommodation Track)
What are the benefits and costs associated with implementing successful accommodations? Learn what employers are telling JAN about the benefits and costs of accommodations they have successfully implemented after consultation with JAN. Presenters will review the results of the JAN follow-up survey, discuss examples of accommodation situations and solutions, and share effective employer practices and experiences.
DJ Hendricks, Ed.D., Job Accommodation Network
Anne Hirsh, M.S., Job Accommodation Network
Lou Orslene, MPIS, MSW Job Accommodation Network
Handouts: PowerPoint Slides, Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact (MS Word)

Evacuation Planning: Creating a Safe Work Environment for All Employees (IEP Track)
Safety in the workplace requires preparing for the unexpected and having systems in place to effectively evacuate all employees, including employees with disabilities. The Institute for Community Inclusion, an employer, has established a comprehensive evacuation plan that creates individualized support plans that ensure that employees with disabilities can be safely evacuated. The session will offer practical tools and successful strategies to aid participants in developing safe evacuation plans for the entire workforce.
Melanie Jordan, Institute for Community Inclusion
Heike Boeltzig, Institute for Community Inclusion
Handouts: ForEmployers.com Info (MS Word), Full Evacuation Plan (MS Word), Info Card (MS Word), PowerPoint Slides

Untangling the Web: Understanding the FMLA and the ADA (ADA Track)
This session will provide a general backdrop of an employer's obligations under both the FMLA and the ADA. The session will highlight certain "hot topics" under each statute but will also focus on the interplay between the two statutes and the vexing issues presented for employers when employees exhaust their FMLA leave and either directly or indirectly seek continued leave as an accommodation under the ADA.
Gregory C. Keating, Shareholder, Littler Mendelson
Handout: PowerPoint Slides

2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions

Learning Disabilities: Finding Practical Solutions to Workplace Accommodation Situations (Accommodation Track)
Two consultants from the Job Accommodation Network will provide information about accommodations for individuals with learning disabilities, focusing on situations that involve assistive technology. The consultants will simulate actual calls they have received at JAN and provide time for Q&A. Participants will learn how to identify common workplace issues and to develop strategies to implement successful accommodation solutions.
Anne Hirsh, M.S., Job Accommodation Network
Beth Loy, Ph.D., Job Accommodation Network
Handout: Employees with Learning Disabilities (MS Word)

On Becoming "Disability Friendly" (IEP Track)
Join us in exploring an AccessAbility Index and applying an access eye to business. View online demos highlighting access solutions.
Marthalee Galeota, Senior Diversity Specialist, Global Diversity, Starbucks Coffee Company
Corey Lindberg, Starbucks Coffee Company

Medical Inquiries and the ADA: Who, What, When, and How Much To Know (ADA Track)
The ADA limits employers in making disability-related inquiries during three stages of employment: pre-job offer, post-job offer, and employment. This session will provide an overview of the scope of medical inquiries permitted during the various employment phases and will offer practical tools that employers can use when requesting medical information during the interactive accommodation process.
Tracie DeFreitas Saab, M.S., Job Accommodation Network
Handouts: Medical Inquiry; Medical Inquiry Form (MS Word); Pre-Offer, Disability-Related Questions: Dos and Don'ts (MS Word); Medical Inquiries and the ADA Resources on the Web (MS Word); Sample Reasonable Accommodation Form for Employers Part 1 (MS Word); Sample Reasonable Accommodation Form for Employers Part 2 (MS Word)

3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Extended Break.

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Concurrent Sessions

Focus on Technology (Accommodation Track)
Join JAN Consultants for a discussion about the use of technology to accommodate employees with motor, sensory, and cognitive impairments. Participants will have the opportunity to ask their accommodation questions and will receive information about how to choose assistive technology as an accommodation.
JAN Consultants

Shaping Your Corporate Culture to be Inclusive of People with Disabilities (IEP Track)
During this session participants will gain an understanding of how commitment, training, communication, accountability, and measurement play a role in successfully establishing a corporate culture that is inclusive of people with disabilities. The presenters will share real life examples to aid participants in applying concepts that foster successful disability employment and retention strategies.
Jane Rath, Project Manager, Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN)
Stephen M. Wing, Director, Government Programs, CVS Corporation
Handouts: Brochure, PowerPoint Slides

Legal Update: Employer Pitfalls and Best Practices (ADA Track)
(Repeated on Tuesday at 9:30 in an extended session.)
This session will use recent court decisions to illustrate some of the most common legal mistakes employers make when processing reasonable accommodation requests and the best practices that will help you avoid these pitfalls.
Jeanne Goldberg, J.D., Senior Attorney Advisor, ADA Policy Division, Office of Legal Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Handouts: Employer Pitfalls and Best Practices, Links to Disability-Related Documents

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Networking Exhibitor Reception. Prefunction Area.

Tuesday, September 19

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast. Prefunction Area.

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Opening Keynote Address. Ballroom.
Dinah Cohen, Director, Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP)

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Exhibits Open. Prefunction Area.

9:30a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

Accommodations for Employment Tests: "Examine" Your Practices (Accommodation Track)
This session will ask HR Professionals to look at their accommodation practices when administering employment examinations. Applicants or employees with disabilities can have many different types of limitations that affect their ability to take tests. These individuals may need accommodations when taking employment exams, standardized tests, licensure exams, etc. Participants can expect to learn how to accommodate test-takers with physical, sensory, or cognitive impairments.
Suzanne Gosden Kitchen, ABD, Job Accommodation Network
Handout: PowerPoint Slides

Addressing Psychiatric Stigma at the Workplace (IEP Track)
This workshop outlines strategies of addressing workplace stigma of mental illness that are relevant to employers, providers of vocational services and individuals with psychiatric disabilities who aspire to gain and maintain competitive employment. Presented approaches of diminishing psychiatric stigma at the workplace are based on research findings about the manifestations of workplace stigma and its impact on work performance. These findings have been generated through a national sample of individuals with psychiatric disabilities who have successfully sustained competitive employment. This workshop will also offer employers strategies to minimize stigma and create a work environment that is better for everyone.
Zlatka Russinova , Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Boston University, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Debbie Nicolellis , M.S., Director of the Vocational Psychiatric Rehabilitation Certificate Program, Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Joan Rapp, M.Ed, CAGS, Rehabilitation Training Associate, Boston University, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Kimberly Bisset, Ed.D., Employment and Training Manager, Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Handout: PowerPoint Slides

Legal Update: Employer Pitfalls and Best Practices (ADA Track)
(Repeat and Extended Session)
This session will use recent court decisions to illustrate some of the most common legal mistakes employers make when processing reasonable accommodation requests and the best practices that will help you avoid these pitfalls.
Jeanne Goldberg, J.D., Senior Attorney Advisor, ADA Policy Division, Office of Legal Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions

The Invisible Barrier: Chemical Sensitivity in the Workplace (Accommodation Track)
Is something in the air affecting the performance of your workforce? A growing number of people are impacted by exposure to fragrances and chemicals.  While the existence of chemical sensitivity often sparks a debate among employers and the medical community, there is still a growing need to address the accommodation needs of individuals who are affected at work.  In this session, a consultant from the Job Accommodation Network will provide worksite accommodation situations and solutions for individuals with chemical sensitivities and respiratory impairments.
Tracie DeFreitas Saab, M.S., Job Accommodation Network
Handouts: Employees with Fragrance Sensitivity (M.S.Word), Employees with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Environmental Illness (M.S. Word), How to Determine Whether a Person Has a Disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (Web Page)

Understanding Disability Management (IEP Track)
The presenter will review requirements and best practices regarding the employment of people with disabilities throughout their employment life cycle, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention. The session will also address accommodations to support employees with disabilities and wounded service members.
Dinah Cohen, M.S., Director, Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program
Handout: PowerPoint Slides

ADA and the Employment Life Cycle (ADA Track)
In this session, JAN consultants will provide information about the ADA and the employment life cycle (application, training, performance, conduct, and termination phases of employment). The focus will be on accommodation situations that involve: emergency evacuation, hygiene, substance abuse, carpal tunnel syndrome, and cancer in the workplace. The consultants will simulate actual calls they have received at JAN and provide time for Q&A and discussion after each simulation. This will give a look inside the real world of a JAN Consultant's day.
Linda Carter Batiste, J.D., Job Accommodation Network
Beth Loy, Ph.D., Job Accommodation Network
Handout: Video based on PowerPoint Slides

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Luncheon Keynote Address. Ballroom.
Joan M. McGovern, Vice President, Employee Relations, and head of Access Ability Resource Center at JP Morgan Chase
Handout: PowerPoint Slides

1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Concurrent Sessions

Hocus, Pocus: A Disability Manager's Guide to Understanding Ergonomics (Accommodation Track)
It's not all smoke and mirrors. This session will start with general ergonomic principles to help the participant build a base for integrating ergonomics into a disability management program. The presenters will identify ergonomic resources, apply ergonomics to the accommodation process, and discuss how an ergonomic accommodation can prevent new injuries from occurring and reduce the likelihood of secondary injuries for workers with disabilities.
John Greer, M.S., Job Accommodation Network
Donielle Harsh, M.P.A., M.S., Job Accommodation Network
Handout: Ergonomics in the Workplace (M.S. Word)

Discover an Untapped Resource: Recruiting and Hiring Deaf Students
NTID Center on Employment (NCE) provides services to help connect deaf and hard-of-hearing students with employers. This presentation will provide information on the different services used by NCE to help employers to recruit and hire deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Participants will also learn about the various technologies available for deaf individuals in the workplace, and accommodations that employers have successfully implemented.
John R. Macko, Associate Director, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Center on Employment, Rochester Institute of Technology
Kim Appleton, EEO Manager, Defense Contract Management Agency
Handouts: PowerPoint Slides

Reasonable Accommodation and the ADA: Technology, Changes in the Physical Environment, and Beyond (ADA Track)
As the ADA continues to develop, courts are increasingly calling upon employers to consider new ways to accommodate employees with disabilites. This session will discuss the ADA, the courts, and accommodations like assistive devices and workplace equipment, personal assistants, and alterations to the physical environment.
Anthony Rizzotti, Esq., Ropes & Gray

2:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Extended Break

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Concurrent Sessions

A Practical Approach to Accommodating Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities> (Accommodation Track)
This session will provide practical solutions for providing accommodation for workers with psychiatric impairments. Attendees will learn about common psychiatric disabilities and workable accommodations to enable the employee to be productive on the job. Actual accommodation solutions from the JAN data base will be shared and active participation will be encouraged.
Kendra Duckworth, M.S., Job Accommodation Network
Handout: Psychiatric Accommodations (M.S. Word)

Promising Practices in Workplace Personal Assistance Services (IEP Track)
This presentation will summarize the current findings of the Center for Personal Assistance Services' research into promising practices for employers providing workplace personal assistance services (PAS). The promising practices overcome barriers in employer and PAS user perception preparation and attitude as well as organizational structure. These practices contribute to hiring retaining or promoting workers with disabilities; they are available in a written policy; and they are longstanding.
Lewis Kraus, Vice President, InfoUse
Linda Jackson, Director, Center for Disability Services, Office of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, Social Security Administration
Handout: Center for PAS Brochure (Text)

The ADA and Employment: Hiring, Firing and Everything In-between (ADA Track)
Who is covered under the ADA? What do you do if an employee becomes disabled or if his/her medical condition deteriorates? When does an accommodation become "unreasonable" - if ever? Can you terminate the employment of someone with a disability? Can an employer require that an employee provide documentation of disability when requesting a reasonable accommodation? What rights does someone with alcoholism have that a person who is using drugs illegally doesn't? This session will address these and other sticky ADA issues. Find out how the law applies to your business.
Kathy Gips, Director of Training, New England ADA & Accessible IT Center
Handouts: ADA Employment (M.S. Word), Employment Questions (M.S. Word), PowerPoint Slides

4:15 p.m. CEUs Issued at Registration Desk. Prefunction Area.