ANNOUNCING 2021 VIRTUAL MENTORING CIRCLE FOR DISABILITY INCLUSION PROGRAM

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas announces participants selected for Cohort III of the 2021 Virtual Mentoring Circles for Disability Inclusion (MCDI) program. The MCDI program seeks to strengthen the university by broadening participants’ perspectives on disability inclusion; providing knowledge, technical assistance and expertise on disability inclusion and providing opportunities for participants to use their new perspectives to change and improve disability inclusion within their own workplace and the university. 

Participants are grouped into one of eight mentoring circles, with approximately five individuals in each circle. The mentoring circles will meet weekly for eight weeks during the spring semester for disability inclusion trainings, discussions, assistance and professional support and development. Each mentoring circle will complete a disability inclusion project and report back to the full group. 

Catherine E. Johnson, director of the ADA Resource Center for Equity and Accessibility, will serve as the primary mentor, and participants will serve as peer mentors within their respective mentoring circles. Each Mentoring Circle also will be paired with a coach. All coaches participated in the first or second cohort of the MCDI pilot program and have been designated as Ambassadors for Proactive Disability Inclusion. The coaches will provide help and support to their circle throughout the eight week program.

The program will cover various topics, such as an overview of the history of the disability rights movement, the Americans with Disabilities Act, intersectionality, disability studies, People First Language, employment accommodations, microaggressions, bystander intervention and proactively creating an accessible workplace. 

KU’s ADA Resource Center for Equity and Accessibility developed the Mentoring Circles for Disability Inclusion program to teach proactive disability inclusion to at least one individual in each of KU’s 200 campus units. Those individuals will serve as Ambassadors for Proactive Disability Inclusion to advocate for disability inclusion within their units and help ensure campus practices support disability inclusion. The Ambassadors will meet regularly to proactively address campuswide issues related to disability inclusion. 

Spring 2021 Mentoring Circles for Disability Inclusion participants

• Mytrice Allen — Administrative Associate, Department of English
• Regan Baker — Academic Advisor Senior, University Honors Program
• Ben Brown — Art/Design Lab Specialist, School of Architecture Design
• Jack Campbell — Police Investigator, Office of Public Safety
• Nick Carswell — Radio Program Coordinator, Audio Reader Program
• Jeff Chasen — Associate Vice Provost, Office of Integrity & Compliance
• Marilynn Chavez — Education Program Coordinator, Achievement & Assessment Institute
• Natalie Chen — Research Project Coordinator, Bureau of Child Research
• Dale Cope — Research Project Director, Achievement & Assessment Institute
• Seth Coulter — Communications Specialist, Bureau of Child Research
• Tabitha Crews — KU Affiliate-Memorial Union, KU Memorial Unions
• Keila Feree — Student Program Coordinator, International Support Services
• Jeri Glynn — Director of Ticketing, The Lied Center
• Kylie Grater — Creative Director, Bureau of Child Research
• Monroe Hanson — Research Project Specialist, Achievement & Assessment Institute
• Mary Hastert — Research Assistant, Bureau of Child Research
• Jon Havner — Manager, Continuing Education, Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center
• Carsten Holm — Student Program Coordinator, Achievement & Assessment Institute
• Suzanne Kerich — Facility Manager, Office of Research
• Lori Kesinger — Program Coordinator, KANU/Audio-Reader Network
• Terrianne Lavin — Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Geography & Atmospheric Science
• Gabriele Leite — Education Program Coordinator, Achievement & Assessment Institute
• Haiying Long — Associate Professor, Psychology & Research in Education
• Joliene Lummis — Administrative Associate, Continuing Education
• MarSue Mackey — Administrative Associate, School of Business
• Sara Outhier — Assistant Librarian, University of Kansas Libraries
• Anna Paradis — Administrative Associate Sr, Music Administration
• Maranda Scheller — Honors Program Teaching Assistant, The University Honors Program
• Sarah Strickland — Accounting Specialist, O'Leary SSC
• Shuai Sun — Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Chemistry
• Cherie Tapahonso — SSC HR Coordinator, Carruth SSC
• Lisa Timmons — Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biosciences
• Saron Tran — IT Technician, Information Technology
• Casey Wallace — Education Program Manager, Office of the University Registrar
• Megan Williams — Education Program Specialist, Emily Taylor Center
• Michelle Wilson — Education Program Coordinator, Achievement & Assessment Institute

Spring 2021 Mentoring Circles for Disability Inclusion coaches

• Monica Bradshaw — employee relations specialist, Human Resources Management
• Emily Doffing — KU senior in Psychology
• Adina Duke — education program manager, Spencer Museum of Art
• Shawn Harding — director facilities services, Operations 
• Lindsay Koon — assistant research professor, Life Span Institute 
• Meg Kumin — photographer, Marketing Communications 
• Amalia Monroe-Gulick — librarian, KU Libraries 
• Jennifer Nigro — career advisor, senior, Engineering Administration 

Spring 2021 Mentoring Circles for Disability Inclusion Coach Advisor 

• Katelynn Schultz, Disability Inclusion Fellow, ADA Resource Center for Equity and Accessibility