ArkAHEAD is proud to announce our 2023 Fall Workshop.
What: Autism as an Identity:
An Introduction for Disability Support Professionals
When: November 9th, 2023, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Central Time
Where: On Zoom
Description:
Autism remains a critical topic for disability services professionals, however, many have only scratched the surface of this deep issue. This session will approach autism from the paradigm of neurodiversity, including developing self-advocacy, the history and politics of the neurodiversity movement, and discrimination issues. Further, it will discuss intervention and accommodation practices, and give an overview of how autism may present in the college population.
Target audience:
- Disability resource professionals
- Faculty and staff
- Others interested in learning about neurodiversity
About the Presenters:
John Caldora, M.Ed.
Disability Accommodations Consultant
University of Kentucky
John Caldora, M.Ed., is a Disability Accommodations Consultant at the University of Kentucky. Previously he has worked in Behavioral Intervention, Threat Assessment, Residence Life, and Student Conduct. He earned his M.Ed. in Student Affairs from the University of Maryland. The presenter draws on his lifetime of experience as a neurodivergent learner, his career spent acting as an advocate for autistic students in higher education, and his experience working with autistic organizations. John has a decade of experience presenting on the emergence of Autism as an Identity starting with a Disability KC Sponsored Presentation at NASPA 2012. In his role at UK, John is the coordinator of the Neurodiverse Educational and Social Initiative (NESI), a cross institution initiative to support the success and sense of belonging for neurodivergent students. Additionally, he acts as primary consultant for students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. John has previously presented to numerous professional and paraprofessional audiences and conferences. John also previously volunteered with the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network and worked as an editorial board member for Stairway to STEM an NSF grant funded project to support the recruitment, retention, and matriculation of Autistic students in STEM fields. John has recently co-authored a chapter on Self-Advocacy in the new book “Supporting Neurodiverse College Student Success.”
How to Register: We are offering two options for registration—Individual ($25) and Institutional ($50). The individual registration allows one person to attend. The institutional registration allows as many people from the same organization to attend. Attendees who join under the institutional registration must use their institutional email to join. You may also choose to gather people in one room to join.