Disability Advocacy Week 2025
Monday, March 24
Event: Disability Advocacy Week- Picture with Pouncer T-shirt Giveaway
Time: 11 am-12 noon
Location: UC Fountain View Lobby
Audience: Students, faculty, staff, community members
Description: Pick up your free Disability Advocacy Week T-shirt, get your picture taken with Pouncer, and post it on social media. Tag Disability Resources for Students to show your support for UofM Students with Disabilities.
Event: The Unexpected: Navigating Emergency Disability Issues
Time: 12 noon- 1:30 pm
Location: UC Fountain View Room/Join The Unexpected: Navigating Emergency Disability Issues
Audience: Students, faculty, staff, community members
Description: Join us for lunch, and a presentation and conversation about handling emergency flare-ups
or hospitalizations, campus resources, student and employee experiences, and how to
better support students and employees in these moments.
Menu: Potato bar, crudité, and seasonal fruit
Presenter: Dr. Jennifer Benford
Dr. Jennifer Benford is an Assistant Professor of Teaching and Director of the Biology Advising and Resource Center (BARC) for the Department of Biological Sciences. She received her B.A. from Wellesley College, and her Ph.D. from Emory University. Dr. Benford has previously served on the faculty of Emory University, Middle Georgia State University, and the University of Montevallo before joining the University of Memphis in January 2019.
In addition to teaching general biology and anatomy/physiology, Dr. Benford’s areas of expertise include renal physiology and endocrinology. Dr. Benford has received specialized training in the creation and implementation of Problem Based Learning (PBL) and Investigative Case Based Learning (ICBL) curriculum design and development.
Dr. Benford has worked in the field of student disability services for most of her academic career, and her interest is very personal: she lives with physical, learning, and mental health related disabilities and is always looking to help students and colleagues navigate and find support to help everyone achieve their goals.
Panel Members: Amanda Rodino, DRS Associate Director of Digital; Physical, and Communication Access, Katy Rentschler, DRS Access Coordinator; Marian Bacon, American Sign Language/Deaf Studies student; Loletia Oliver, Art student; Gabe Rowin, Speech-Language Pathology graduate student; Dr. Gretchen Peterson, professor in the Department of Sociology and Graduate Studies Coordinator Suprena Grear, Human Resources Benefits Specialist
Event: Disability Rights in the Workplace
Time: 2 pm-3 pm
Location: Join Disability Rights in the Workplace
Audience: Students, faculty, staff, community members
Description: This presentation focuses on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the employment context. In addition to a general overview of how the ADA operates, the speakers will discuss job interviews, accommodations in the workplace, and the rights of workers who are terminated.
Presenters: Dale Moore and Muhammad Aamir Iqbal, Disability Rights Law Clinic students
Dale Moore is a law student graduating from University of Memphis Cecil C Humphreys School of Law this May. Throughout her law school career, she has had experience being an extern for Memphis-Shelby County Schools in-house counsel. Currently, she is a student- attorney in the Disability Rights Law Clinic. As an individual with Tourette Syndrome, Dale is passionate about advocating for the rights of children with disabilities and their families. After law school, she plans to work in civil litigation with a focus on civil rights.
Muhammad Aamir Iqbal is a law student at the University of Memphis Cecil C Humphreys School of Law and a student-attorney in the Disability Rights Law Clinic. Muhammad's professional journey includes work at law firms, immigration courts, and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, where he worked as a judicial intern. Muhammad is currently working for the legal department of a mental health facility.
Tuesday, March 25
Event: AI for Good: Building Bridges to Every Learner
Brought to you by the AI Community of Practice Brownbag Lunch and Learn Series
Time: 12 noon-1pm
Location: Patterson Hall Room 229/Join the AI for Good Presentation
Audience: Students, faculty, staff, community members
Description: Please join the AI Community of Practice for a presentation and discussion highlighting the innovative ways AI can contribute to student learning, particularly for students with disabilities, and foster a deeper understanding of how technology can break down barriers in education. Bring your own lunch!
Panel Members: Dr. Xinhua Yu, Dr. Chrisann Schiro-Geist, and Mr. Patrick Krolik MBA; from the University of Memphis Institute on Disability
Event: One Love Workshop: Healthy Relationships & the Disability Community
Time: 3 pm-4:30 pm
Location: UC Fountain View/Join the One Love Workshop
Audience: Students, faculty, staff, community members
Description: Join us for an interactive experience as we explore healthy love and disability.
Wednesday, March 26
Event: Enhancing User Experience: Canvas Accessibility for All Learners
Time: 2 pm-3 pm
Location: Register for Enhancing User Experience: Canvas Accessibility for All Learners
Audience: Faculty and Staff
Description: In this training participants will learn how to ensure that your Canvas is accessible to all learners. Accessibility enhances the user experience by enabling students with diverse needs to fully engage with course materials. This training explores tools for improving accessibility in Canvas to support all learners, including individuals who have disabilities.
Presenter: Dr. Lavonnie Perry Claybon
Dr. Lavonnie Perry Claybon is an experienced educator and instructional technology expert dedicated to creating
accessible and inclusive learning environments. She is an instructional technology
trainer and Canvas administrator for UM3D under the University Libraries at the University
of Memphis and an adjunct instructor in the Instruction and Curriculum Leadership
Department.
Previously, she served 19 years as Director of the Mid-South Access Center for Technology,
specializing in assistive technology and accessibility support. She holds a Ph.D.
in Education (Instructional Design for Online Learning) from Capella University and
a Master’s in Education and Human Development (Educational Technology Leadership)
from George Washington University.
In 2009, Dr. Perry Claybon founded Project C.Ar.E.S., a community S.T.E.A.M. (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) tutoring and enrichment program for rural
and urban at-risk students. Her work focuses on integrating technology to enhance
learning outcomes and ensure equitable access to quality education for all learners.
Time: 4 pm-5 pm
Location: UC Fountainview Room/Join Understanding Ableism
Audience: Students, faculty, staff, community members
Description: Learn about ableism and the lived experiences of students with disabilities.
Presenter: Verties Sails Panel
Verties Sails III has worked with students with disabilities since 2003. He first served as Coordinator of Student Disability Services at Southwest Tennessee Community College for 8 years. From January of 2018 through September of 2022, he served as the Senior Access Coordinator of Disability Resources for Students (DRS) at the University of Memphis, where he primarily served students with AD/HD and Learning Disabilities. In November of 2022, Mr. Sails was promoted to Assistant Director of DRS. Additionally, he has worked in athletics, residence life, and grant programs at the collegiate level. He is currently a member of the Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and is the Treasurer of the Tennessee affiliate organization, TN AHEAD. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Tennessee State University and a Master of Science from the University of Memphis.
Panel Members: Gabe Rowin, Speech-Language Pathology graduate student; Loletia Oliver, Art student; Ladarrius Williams, Social Work student
Thursday, March 27
Event: Documentary & Discussion: Unseen
Time: 6 pm-8 pm
Location: Watch and Discuss Unseen
Audience: Students, faculty, staff, community members
Description: Join us to watch and discuss Unseen, a documentary about an aspiring social worker, Pedro, who faces the uncertainty of life as a blind, undocumented immigrant
Panel Members:
Dr. Bert Burraston joined the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice (CJUS) at the University
of Memphis in August 2012. Prior to that, he taught in the Sociology Department at
Brigham Young University for eight years. His Ph.D. is in Sociology from the University
of Oregon. While in Oregon, he was a research methodologist at the Oregon Social Learning
Center. He is currently serving as the chair of the CJUS Department. He served as
the graduate coordinator for the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice from
Fall 2013 to Fall 2017. He has been involved in prevention and intervention research
focused on criminal and antisocial behavior since 1995. In addition, he researches
offender re-entry and neighborhood crime. He has worked collaboratively with local
and state criminal justice agencies in Tennessee, Utah, and Oregon. He teaches Criminology,
Social Statistics, Intervention Strategies, Research Methods, and Juvenile Delinquency.
Dr. Susan Neely-Barnes is professor of social work and chair of the School of Social Work at the University of Memphis. She has eleven years of experience directing Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) training grants and has received over $12 million in grant funding. She is also an accomplished researcher focusing primarily on building the knowledge base in social work around effective supports for people with disabilities and their family members and improving the education and training of social work students. She has authored thirty-seven peer-reviewed publications and five book chapters and given more than fifty juried presentations.
Jaafar Al-Azzawi graduated from the University of Basrah – College of Medicine in 1986 and practiced medicine from 1986 to 2004. Since 2002, he has worked as a faculty member, and served at the University of Diyalah – College of Medicine, American University of Healing Arts, University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College, and Sullivan University. He currently serves as an Access Coordinator at the DRS where he coordinates accommodations for students with sensory disabilities and has been doing so since July of 2022. He also works in the area of assistive technology.
Community members planning to join our events in person may park in the Zach Curlin Parking Garage and pick up a parking pass from the check-in table to avoid being charged parking fees. Any other questions regarding parking on campus should be directed to Parking & Transportation Services | parking@memphis.edu | 901-678-2212.
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including those with disabilities, to engage fully. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, please refrain from wearing strong fragrances. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Dannise Hobson Scott at 901-678-2880 or dhobson@memphis.edu.