Disability services office slates employee lunch and learn series

Contact: Jeanne Baron

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Being successful in college can be daunting for students who have a variety of disabilities.

To promote awareness of the accommodation challenges in the classroom that those students face, the Disability Services for Students office at Western Michigan University is offering a series of lunch and learn programs this semester.

The series, which is being funded by an implementation grant, will focus on how faculty and staff can help support students with disabilities on their path toward academic success. It consists of seven programs being held at various locations around campus.

Programs take place on Fridays from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. and start with a provided meal. They feature:

  • A short video on the week's disability topic.
  • Student panelists who identify with the week's disability topic discussing concerns, experiences and ways that faculty can provide support.
  • A question-and-answer session.
  • Staff members from Disability Services for Students facilitating discussion.

Programs in the series

The dates of the programs, along with their topics and meeting locations, are:

  • Feb. 6—Hearing impairments, 2908 Wood Hall.
  • Feb. 13—Autism spectrum disorder, D-132 Engineering and Applied Sciences Building.
  • Feb. 20—Visual impairments, 1320 Schneider Hall.
  • March 20,—Autism spectrum disorder, 2302 Freidmann Hall.
  • March 27—Learning disabilities and ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 2021 Brown Hall.
  • April 3—Learning disabilities, 1284 Health and Human Services Building.
  • April 10—Hearing impairments, 6623 Everett Tower.

To register for a program, visit the Office of Faculty Development website at wmich.edu/facultydevelopment and click the Register for workshops button. Direct program questions to Kellie Skiba at kellie.l.skiba@wmich.edu or (269) 387-2116.

For more information about Disability Services for Students, visit wmich.edu/disabilityservices.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.