Disability Justice and Advocacy Roundtable

Viscardi Center consultant Derek Shields will return to host this final activity in the Blazing Trails to Inclusion series. Participants will apply what they’ve learned in previous events to advocate for change to access and inclusion at Farmingdale and beyond.  

Participants will be taught how to effectively communicate a message via letter writing, social media, etc, and brainstorm ideas for what needs improvement on campus.  Students will then take action by writing letters to campus administration to voice their concerns and highlight the importance of the change they wish to see made.

One hour of applied learning credit

 

Derek Shields is a disability inclusion consultant with over twenty-five years of experience. Derek has worked with Federal Government agencies, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions on a variety of inclusion and accessibility initiatives. He also serves as the Director of the National Disability Mentoring Coalition  A certified Project Management Professional, Derek earned his undergraduate degree from Bucknell University and his Masters in Management and Disability Services from the University of San Francisco.  

Founded by Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., who served as disability advisor to eight U.S. Presidents and became one of the world’s leading advocates, The Viscardi Center is a nonprofit organization that educates, employs, and empowers people with disabilities. It serves children, adolescents, and adults with a wide variety of disabilities, providing Pre-K through High School education (up to age 21), school-to-work youth transition services, vocational training, career counseling and employment placement, and assistive technology. Nationally, it advances inclusive business cultures through the Center’s National Business & Disability Council and connects aspiring entrepreneurs to self-employment success at its National Center for Disability Entrepreneurship. Learn more at ViscardiCenter.org.