Our purpose is to convene the top law schools in the nation working on disability inclusiveness, accessibility, and campus climate to share ideas and resources, identify existing challenges and barriers, and ultimately form a taskforce that works toward a more disability inclusive future in legal education. We seek to deepen our conversations on the intersection of disability and race with particular attention to (1) how ableism and racism function together; (2) racial disparities in COVID-19 that impact our students of color; (3) race-based trauma; and, (4) the need to combat anti-blackness in disability advocacy.

The other co-hosts are the ABA Commission on Disability Rights, National Disability Law Student Association, Law School Admissions Council, and lead, Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy and Innovation at Loyola Law School

Tuesday, July 7th through Thursday, July 9th

9-11 am PT; 11-1 pm CT; 12-2 pm ET

Topics:

• Day 1: Disclosing Disability: Should I or Shouldn’t IWhen applying to law school, deciding whether to request accommodations for classes, the bar exam, internships and externships, and applying for a job after graduation, law students with disabilities grapple with the same decision: “Should I or shouldn’t I disclose my disability?” Depending on whether you have an apparent or non-apparent disability, the decision may be framed differently. And, the decision to disclose is complicated by stigma, discrimination (i.e., ableism, racism, sexism), and fear of retaliation. This workshop will discuss topics including students’ personal experiences with and concerns about disclosure, factors that students should consider in making the decision, and how law school administrators can help counsel students.
• Day 2: How Law Schools Can Best Serve Students with DisabilitiesFor law schools, diversity and inclusion are core values.  Nonetheless, disability is often forgotten in this conversation.  Further, students with disabilities are not monolithic.  They possess multiple identities and experiences. Are we effectively thinking about disability climate from a holistic perspective that considers intersectionality?  How does combatting anti-blackness in our institutions converge with our work on disability inclusion?  Are we offering training for law school personnel on disability, equity, accessibility, and inclusion?  This workshop will address how law schools and students can work together to create a campus climate that better serves people with disabilities, including disabled people of color, and not just for the accommodations process.
• Day 3: Accommodations: Creating a Level Playing Field More and more students in higher education are requesting accommodations, with a rise in the number and complexity of requests sought for anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, and other non-apparent disabilities.  This workshop will examine recent trends in accommodations requests including in the COVID-19 virtual learning environment, ways in which law school administrators can work together to address these requests, what a fair accommodations process looks like, challenges students encounter, and teaching self-advocacy skills for students requesting accommodations in the workplace, among other topics.