Ohio University Southern announces 2022 Envision Access Conference

Ohio University Southern will host the Envision Access Conference (EAC), a virtual conference to increase awareness and understanding of trends in addressing the needs of students and staff with disabilities, on Friday, March 4.

The goal of the conference is to help foster working relationships between guidance counselors, interventions specialists, higher education accessibility/disability services administrators, and other professions who work with students with disabilities, and to learn best practices related to students with disabilities.

This year’s presenters include Dr. Josephine Bennett, assistant director of HR data and HR advisor for Everett Advisory Partners; and Dr. Rosa Oroyan Kissling, analyst for Homeland Security Investigations.

Bennett’s presentation, titled “It’s Not Magic: Creating an Inclusive Work Environment for Employees with Disabilities,” will outline the importance of creating inclusive work environments for individuals with invisible disabilities. The presentation will identify various types of invisible disabilities and the necessary consideration that should be made in accommodating individuals who possess these types of disabilities. It will also present strategies that support disability inclusivity within the workplace to ensure all employees perform at their highest potential.

An experienced adjudicator, Bennett has worked performing vocational analyses, disability assessments, and preliminary hearing evaluations for both state and federal governments. For over a decade, Bennett has worked to understand the physiological and psychological factors that impact individuals’ functional abilities in the workforce. At Everett, her work focuses on quantitative analysis and utilizing data to solve problems in the workforce ranging from compensation and benchmarking analysis to proper measurement of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. She also serves as an adjunct instructor at ECPI University and works as a dissertation coach helping doctoral candidates cross the U.S. navigate the dissertation process. 

Kissling’s presentation, titled “Perspectives of College Freshmen Students with Disabilities: What Makes Them High Risk for Early Departure,” will provide participants with an overview of current body of information associated with retention of college students with disabilities. It will focus on college student retention, barriers for students with disabilities, institutional challenges, and support for students with disabilities in higher education. At the conclusion of the session, participants will be provided with information important to help college administrators establish practices that promote learning and retention for students with disabilities.

As a public servant working for Homeland Security Investigations, Kissling is currently an analyst working side by side with agents ensuring counter proliferation of national defense armaments. She has also worked in computer forensics with agents working diligently in child exploitation cases. Prior to that, she retired after 21 years in the United States Air Force in the intelligence and communications arena. As a disabled veteran, she has a passion for serving others, especially those who strive to better themselves despite their disabilities. Kissling’s degree is conferred by Northcentral University.

The following is the conference schedule:

• 9-10:30 a.m. – Welcome and Session 1: It’s Not Magic: Creating an Inclusive Work Environment for Employees with “Invisible” Disabilities,” presented by Dr. Josephine Bennett, Everett Advisory Partners, Assistant Director of HR Data & HR Advisor
• 10:30-10:45 a.m. – Break
• 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – Session 2: “Perspectives of College Freshmen Students with Disabilities: What Makes Them High Risk for Early Departure,” presented by Dr. Rosa Oroyan Kissling
• 12:15-12:20 p.m. — Closing

For more information about the conference, visit the EAC webpage or contact Dr. Teresa McKenzie, OHIO Southern Accessibility Services Coordinator and Veteran Services Coordinator, at 740.547.3875 or mckenzt1@ohio.edu, or Robert Pleasant, Director of Student Services, at 740.533.4608 or pleasanr@ohio.edu.