The University of Scranton: Annual Conference on DISABILITY
Registration and Contact Information
Conference Mission
Session Information
Speakers
Dante Q. Allen
Danté Q. Allen was confirmed on December 6th , 2023 by the U.S. Senate as the commissioner of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS).
In his role as RSA commissioner, Allen will oversee an administration that provides leadership and resources to assist state and other agencies in providing vocational rehabilitation and other services to individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment, independence, and integration into the community and the competitive labor market.
Prior to his role as RSA Commissioner, Allen served as the executive director for CalABLE, California’s qualified federal ABLE Act savings and investment program for people with disabilities. Prior to joining CalABLE, Allen served as a communications leader in the public and private sectors, including roles as a senior communications officer in the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity and at Kaiser Permanente as the communications director for the organization’s senior operations executive.
Born with Spina bifida, Allen is a fulltime wheelchair user. Allen is a staunch proponent of disability rights and equity. He has been a champion in advocating for the awareness of the reduction of healthcare and financial disparities especially among people of color and people with disabilities. He serves as a board member for Resources for Independent Living, Sacramento, a nonprofit that supports the needs of people with disabilities to live as independently as possible. He has also contributed in leadership roles in employee resource groups for people with disabilities throughout his career. Allen received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Davis and a Master’s degree at The University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism and Communication.
Gary Karp
At 18-years-old, Gary Karp’s spinal cord was injured when he fell from a tree. Following surgery, a long hospital stay, and seven weeks of intense rehabilitation, Gary learned how little access there was for wheelchair users at the time. Attending college to get a graduate degree in architecture included having to be carried up and down stairs for five years. As the world became more accessible — with curb cuts, ramps, elevators, accessible parking, and wide bathroom stalls — Gary became a direct witness and a key player to a dramatic evolution in accessibility and disability rights.
In 1999 the first of his four books on disability was published. Life On Wheels: For the Active Wheelchair User is a definitive guide that has helped many people find their way to acceptance and achievement following paralysis. Gary certainly embraced his life on wheels fully, performing as a guitarist/singer following his accident, becoming an accomplished juggler, backgammon player, and baker of bread.
Gary’s first career was in computer graphics and later established an ergonomics consultancy. In 2007 Gary was inducted into the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame as a disability educator. Later was sponsored by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center to speak at rehabilitation centers and to university students across the United States. Most recently he has been an emergency manager and trainer, currently a reservist, for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), being deployed to multiple disasters to help people with disabilities access recovery resources and assistance.
Renee Hakim
Renée M. Hakim, PT, PhD, NCS emerritus is a Professor and Chairperson/Program Director in the Department of Physical Therapy (PT) at the University of Scranton. She has been teaching primarily in the areas of adult neurologic rehabilitation and motor control/motor learning since 1996. Dr. Hakim received her entry-level PT degree from the University of Scranton, a MS degree in Neurologic PT from the University of Pittsburgh, and a PhD in Public Health from Temple University. She received American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) certification as a Neurologic Clinical Specialist in 1997, re-certification in 2007 and emeritus status in 2017. Her primary areas of research include community-based health promotion/wellness and use of technology (e.g., wearable sensors, robotics, VR) in rehabilitation.
Alison Levy
Alison Sutton Levy joined the U.S. Access Board in June 2022 as the Director of the Office of Information and Technical Services (OTIS). In this role, she leads a team of accessibility experts dedicated to enhancing both built and digital environments. Additionally, she serves on various international and interagency advisory groups and as the agency's primary representative for engaging with the public on the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence for Americans with disabilities.
The Access Board is an independent federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in accessible design and the development of guidelines and standards. OTIS comprises staff members who write these guidelines, respond to technical inquiries via a hotline and email, and conduct training both in-person and virtually.
Prior to her role at the Access Board, Alison served as the Manager of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disability Resource Center (DRC), a centrally funded office that supports supervisors, disabled applicants and employees in fostering an accessible and inclusive workplace through recruitment, hiring, outreach, education, and reasonable accommodations.
As a person with disabilities and with over 30 years of experience in the disability field, Alison has consistently worked to improve workplace attitudes, enhance accessibility, and ensure equal opportunities across post-secondary education, public, and private sectors. She is also fluent in American Sign Language.
Katherine Stefanelli
Katherine J. Stefanelli, PHD, LPC, NCC is an Assistant Professor in the Counseling and Human Services Department at the University of Scranton, Scranton, PA. Her work over the last 20 years includes clinical service in both the private sector and educational settings. As Penn State Scranton’s Coordinator of Counseling and Psychological Services, she worked to destigmatize mental health issues on college campuses by highlighting prevention and facilitating a robust proactive education calendar; she has also worked in the department of Psychology at Penn State Scranton as an adjunct professor. Her research in guided meditation for stress reduction (particularly for college students) has been promoted in Northeast Pennsylvania school districts; and, she has received wellness grants to administer collegiate wellness programming in the areas of mindfulness and self-care. Dr. Stefanelli is Licensed Professional Counselor, a National Board-Certified Counselor, and a Certified Educational Specialist. She is also a passionate animal rights advocate and belongs to several non-profit organizations which support animal welfare and the rights of all sentient beings.
Kathy West-Evans and John P. Evans
Kathy West-Evans is the Director of Business Relations for the national organization of the 78 public VR agencies in every state, the territories and D.C. She has her Bachelor of Science and MA in Public Administration; she is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) who is fluent in American Sign Language. Kathy started in the field of rehabilitation in 1978 working at a community agency managing a Projects with Industry program, then for the Washington State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation as a VRC, Assistant Regional Administrator and Statewide Program Manager in Business Relations and Marketing. She moved from DVR to the federal level with the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) and now leads the National Employment Team (NET) at CSAVR (Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation). The NET is a cross state team of VR business specialists working through a dual customer approach to develop strategies with business (private, public, and non-profit) to employ and retain the talents of individuals with disabilities across the company or organization.
Kathy is a past Chair of the Veterans Advisory Council on Rehabilitation and a former Commissioner on the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. In addition to impacting legislation focused on VR’s work with business, she is a frequent speaker and has co-authored articles focused on working with business to employ the talents of individuals with disabilities.
John Evans recently retired from the State of Washington – Department Social Health Services – Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, where he was the agency’s statewide VR Program Administrator for Employer Relations.
A 1983 graduate of Seattle University in Public Administration and Human Resource Development, John spent 31 years of public service in the fields of vocational rehabilitation; labor relations; human resource development; disability integration; and the employment of people with disabilities in the workplace.
Born with profound congenital deafness, John is a former beneficiary of the public Vocational Rehabilitation system, first becoming a VR Counselor working with the deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind in 1984. John’s career includes serving as a Lead VR Counselor, Regional Business Relations Specialist, Affirmative Action Officer, SR Human Resource Consultant, Statewide Reasonable Accommodation Specialist, State Personnel ADA Manager, VR Unit Supervisor, and Program Administrator. John is uniquely positioned to offer insights into the dynamics and benefits of “disability employment and business relations”.
Sponsors
UPMC - Luncheon Sponsor
MyCIL
NEPA SHRM
PA Inclusive
Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
