Navigating the ADA

Sandy is a licensed attorney in both Delaware and Pennsylvania. Throughout her professional career she has had the opportunity to focus on civil rights, and more particularly the ADA people with disabilities. When she first began her career it was a learning experience, and also a great opportunity to use her knowledge and training to make a difference in employment rights for a very under-represented segment of society. Her career began with working as a staff attorney at Delaware Community Legal Aid for the Disabilities Law Program. She knew she had a calling in the area of civil rights after working in the Volunteer Legal Services clinic while in law school.

With the passage of the ADA inn 1990 Sandy began further research, study and direct work for the rights of people with disabilities. As the years have passed, she has also focused on unconscious bias in all areas of civil rights for protected classes. A message she'd like to convey to those she has the pleasure of speaking with is that people with disabilities still have the highest unemployment rate, are entitled to reasonable accommodations in employment, and are subject to the highest rate of bias. We need to move the needle forward and take advantage of the vast talent of people with disabilities. Her focus for her discussion will be on those with disabilities who are capable of bringing much talent, productivity and advancement to employers in this field. The law provides for this. Navigating the ADA can be difficult at times.

She will focus on who is covered by the ADA, all aspects of the employment process, and particularly how to navigate to reasonable accommodation provisions of the ADA.

Within the vast population of people with disabilities, there are individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities. Those with invisible disabilities have formed some of their own support group networks as they seek to obtain gainful employment.

When Sandy was at what would have likely been critical years in her career she was diagnosed with a serious auto-immune disease. So at this point she was advocating for herself and it became more personal. It remains personal based on the relationships she has formed throughout her career.

She transitioned from tradition courtroom law to working in Civil Rights program management and leadership roles in Delaware State Government. Her current title is Statewide Administrator for Equal Employment Opportunity. She has had to opportunity to focus on individuals with disabilities. She was also part of the former Governor of Delaware, Jack Markell's state award winning platform of "Doing the Right Thing: Employment of People with Disabilities". This was Governor Markell's platform when he chaired the National Governor's Association during his tenure.

She continues to be the statewide lead on the American's with Disabilities Act. She regularly works with individuals with disabilities who are seeking employment opportunities. She also spends a tremendous amount of time working on accommodations for employees with disabilities.

Hiring individuals with disabilities is not just the right thing to do. It is also a source of untapped incredible talent from dedicated individuals who want to see their workplace succeed and to contribute to society with their talents and dedication.

During her presentation she will focus on The ADA requirements and the realities that individual's with disabilities often encounter. She believes that the reasonable accommodations guaranteed through the ADA should be discussed and further explained.