Athens, Ga. – Disability Services at the University of Georgia has received federal funding to host a two-day regional leadership academy for providers of disability services at institutions of higher education throughout the Southeast.
The Leadership Academy for the Southeast Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC) will be held Sept. 23-24 at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. The academy will focus on accessible information technology issues in higher education.
During the academy participants will receive in-depth training in information technology issues like policy development, technology advancement and access to specific products. Participants will also collaborate with the DBTAC to remove barriers for students with disabilities at their individual campuses.
“This academy will allow teams of technology professionals to work together with disability services providers in higher education settings to build collaborative and accessible programs for their campuses,” said Martha Wisbey, grant coordinator. “Many times these two constituents do not get the chance to exchange knowledge but this leadership academy will provide a perfect venue for this important work on behalf of students with disabilities on college campuses.”
Karen Kalivoda, director of Disability Services and adjunct assistant professor in the College of Education’s department of counseling and human development services, secured the $30,000 grant to fund the academy, which is a collaborative effort with the DBTAC and the University of Florida.
The joint partnership will bring 24 representatives to UGA from 12 higher education campuses, including community colleges and technical institutes, from across the Southeast.
Each campus selected to participate will send one representative from its disability services office and one representative from its information technology office. The two representatives will work as a team in the academy to learn more about the barriers facing students with disabilities in information technology and to develop a plan for removing those barriers on their campuses.
This is the second grant awarded to UGA Disability Services to host and coordinate such academies. The grant was awarded by the DBTAC – one of 10 such regional centers created by the Americans with Disabilities Act and funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research since 1991.
The DBTAC has a regional center in Atlanta at the Georgia Tech Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access and works with professionals in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
For more information about UGA Disability Services please visit http://www.dissvcs.uga.edu/.