Office of the Ombuds, National Deaf Center present to the International Ombuds Association

Elizabeth Stone, University Ombuds and Director of Ombuds Programs, and Norma Morán, Associate Ombuds, co-presented a webinar on September 8 with Tia Ivanko, Co-Director, National Deaf Center, and  Lore Kinast, Director of Strategic Support, National Deaf Center.  The webinar, “Creating the Connections: Using Inclusive Practices for Deaf People and Visitors,” was described as follows:

Are you meeting with a deaf visitor in your office who has requested accommodations? Or are you practicing inclusion efforts and want to ensure that your next Ombuds activity is accessible for your deaf colleagues? This webinar is for you! Attendees will learn that deaf people are not all the same and, although there is no one-size-fits-all approach for creating an accessible Ombuds visitor experience, there are effective practices based on universal design principles that lower or remove communication barriers for deaf people.  Accommodations for communication access are intended to provide deaf people equal and equitable opportunities to participate in educational and employment settings.  This is also an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of what ableism and audism are and how they are prevalent in systemic operations and practices. Attendees will also identify strategies for collaborating with their campus’ disability services office or local deaf services agency in order to proactively plan for accessibility and inclusion for deaf and disabled people. 

Webinar objectives

1. Understand what ableism and audism are. This will lead to a discussion on how stories of ableism and audism impact deaf people navigating a predominantly hearing world.
   
2. Create inclusive interactions and experiences for deaf visitors and people.
   
3. Reflect and identify strategies to cultivate positive, equitable interactions and relationships with deaf people at the personal and organizational levels.