COSD 2009 Conference Summary
10th Annual National Conference SummaryThe COSD 10th Annual National Conference was held at the Intercontinental Hotel Dallas in Addison, TX on November 8 – 9, 2009. In attendance were 60 representatives from university Career Services and Disability Services offices, national employers, US Government agencies and private sector agencies, as well as a small number of college students.
The sponsors included Walmart and AT&T as hosts. Other valuable sponsors included Merck, American Airlines, Bank of America, Dow Chemical, Lockheed Martin, Ernst & Young, Exxon Mobil, Motorola, Nordstrom, Procter & Gamble, Shell Oil, Medtronic, Microsoft and SunTrust. The following is a summary of the events at the Conference:
Day 1 Sunday, November 8, 2009
Student Led Discussion Groups (SLDGs) - After a brief welcome by Alan Muir, Executive Director, the program began with our Student Led Discussion Groups.
The objective of the SLDGs was to provide a safe place to share questions and answers and provide an understanding to perspectives of students with disabilities, higher education professionals and employers. The theme of this segment was “Authentic Answers to Unspoken Questions.” The attendees were divided into three groups and each had two students or recent graduates, either attending higher education or living in the area to be co-facilitators with COSD facilitators. The students and recent graduates were Miguel Carlin of Texas A&M, Marci Simmons of University of North Texas, Dale Moore of Texas A&M Commerce, Cito Pellegra of University of Memphis, Margaret Knox-Kruschke of University of Texas Arlington and Tomas Ojeda of Texas A&M Commerce.
To begin the discussions in each group, there were several questions asked of each of the students and corresponding questions to employers in the audience. The questions for the students included:
What is your biggest concern/apprehension in preparation for an upcoming interview?
What aspect of the interview do you find the most difficult? Is there anything recruiters can do to make this part of the interview more comfortable?
What one thing would you like employers to know about interviewing/hiring applicants with disabilities?
The questions for employers in the audience included:
Please describe a time when an applicant or employee with a disability did or said something to put you at ease regarding their disability.
If you could name one consistent area in which applicants with disabilities tend to be underprepared during the interview process, what would it be?
What suggestions can applicants follow to be better prepared?
How will your organization change any disability recruiting efforts in light of the current economic climate?
COSD Dinner and Opening Keynote Speaker - After additional brief remarks by Alan Muir, he introduced Victoria Maxwell who presented her one-woman show, “Funny, You Don’t Look Crazy!” which chronicled her “lived” experience of a person with three psychiatric diagnoses, as she moved from treatment and rehabilitation into re-assimilation into the workforce. For more information on Victoria, please go to her website at www.victoriamaxwell.com or contact Alan Muir at COSD.
After Victoria completed her presentation, she received a long-standing ovation and answered a few questions. She met with some of our attendees interested in purchasing her DVD of her original one-woman show, “Crazy for Life!”
We adjourned for the evening.
Day 2 Monday, November 9, 2009
Employer Best Practices Panel – Recruiting – moderated by Tari Hartman Squire of EIN SOF Communications, Inc.: Tari was joined by Jeff Lichon of Dow Chemical, Kathy McCreedy of DiverseAbility and consultant to Dow Chemical, Carrie Corbin of AT&T, Jose Fiallos of AT&T, Jerry Kirby of Lockheed Martin and Casey Monnerjahn of Ernst & Young. Each of the employer representatives had a brief presentation describing their company’s efforts in the area of recruiting college graduates with disabilities.
Think Tank – Sarah Helm introduced the Think Tank that placed all attendees into three groups that were mixed with employers and higher education professionals.
The objective of this year’s Think Tank was to gather information from COSD constituents about how COSD can more effectively engage with all sectors of the membership. The information gathered will be used as a guide for the development of resources, events, and activities that will aid Career Services, Disability Services, and
employers in successfully preparing and hiring postsecondary graduates with disabilities. Each Think Tank group discussed the following categories. Facilitators encouraged participants to consider how the resources and services within each of these categories can be maximized to better serve their particular needs.
Annual Conference
Communication and Outreach
Education and Research
Career Gateway
Phase 2 of the Think Tank, was the recap of the individual group discussions. The report of this year’s Think Tank and a summary of all previous Think Tank sessions from each of the previous seven Conferences will be posted on the COSD website.
Luncheon – Lunch was served to our attendees and there was a brief program that included the COSD Recognition for our sponsors and the third annual Dr. Robert Greenberg Award for Innovation presented by COSD. The winner, chosen by a select group of COSD members, was Herzing University Online, based in Milwaukee, but nationwide in its web-based programs. Ms. Amy Chastek, Director of Career Services and Ms. Holly Franson, Internship Specialist and Unique Needs Liaison were present to accept the Award. Herzing has a fascinating method of working with college students with all disabilities across the country. Their delivery of career development services have been highly effective in the limited time the program has been instituted. Herzing is a model to other online institutions and those “brick and mortar” institutions seeking to develop ways of service delivery in the online world.
Keynote Speaker – Dr. Paul Harrington, Associate Professor Law Policy and Society Program at Northeastern University in Boston presented an engaging study of the current economic crisis, dubbed the “Great Recession.” He related the effects of the downturn to all college students graduating and seeking careers and also to college students with disabilities and their prospects. He presented with humor and anecdotes, with a few glimpses of avenues toward full economic recovery.
After thanking Paul, Alan Muir adjourned the Conference.
Thanks to the great work of our planning committee, the Conference was a huge success with Evaluations reflecting 97% of 30 respondents rating the Conference in the Very Good to Excellent range.