Julie E. Grisham, M.Ed., MATC, CPACC, is an internationally certified accessibility professional, certified by the International Association of Accessibility Professionals. She is available to provide a variety of presentations, trainings and other opportunities around accessibility, hearing loss, and advocacy.

Presentations

Julie has given several presentations through the years. The following is a list of her most recent presentations that can be modified to suit your company or school. Contact Julie if you would like to discuss one of these presentations or discuss other possible topics.

Hearing Loss and Communication Access in a Digital World: Presented at the CSUN 2018 International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, this presentation is a discussion about communication access in a digital world as an important aspect of accessibility for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Optional Presentation Add-Ons:

(1) Current technology demonstrations

(2) Panel of deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals

Advancing Accessibility Needs of Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Individuals: Presented at the CSUN 2017 International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, this presentation is an open discussion on the evolution of accessibility needs for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals and how needs change when moving from K-12 to postsecondary education.

Optional Presentation Add-Ons:

(1) Current technology demonstrations

(2) Panel of deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals

(3) What’s Next? Transition from High School

Breaking Digital Barriers: ASL Accommodations & Computer-Based Assessments: Presented at the 2016 National Conference on Student Assessment Council of Chief State School Officers and the CSUN 2016 International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, this presentation provides information or insight about the access to and the creation of high-stakes, computer-based ASL assessments for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Challenges of creating a high-stakes assessment accessible for learners who are deaf or hard of hearing as well as recommendations resulting from these challenges are highlighted during this presentation. In addition, best practices will be provided for different non-assessment situations in which the ASL video accommodation might be implemented.

Trainings

The following training topics are ideal for awareness trainings and other professional development events. Any topic can be adjusted to cover all disabilities or disability-specific.

Disability Allyship: What is allyship? Allyship is an ongoing process of building relationships with individuals or groups. Typically, allyship conversations are around gender and race, but there is a need for conversations around disabilities, especially in a digital space where we are so ingrained in social media, technologies, and have fewer opportunities for face-to-face interactions.

What is an Ally? “Being an ally is analyzing how we can be more inclusive on (1) an individual, (2) a structural, and (3) an institutional level, and taking action to eliminate
discrimination in those three areas” (from Singapore Management University
Allyship 101 program).

For this training, the above definition of “Ally” guides the presentation structure with the goal of providing information about why allyship is important and how it can be impactful for individuals with disabilities and accessibility. Effective allyship will be discussed at three levels: individual, structural, and institutional, as well as allyship in a relatively new area – the digital space. Toward the end of the presentation, there will be a time of audience discussion around the “Spheres of Influence,” created for Allyship 101 initiative at the Singapore Management University (SMU). The audience will learn about the spheres and hear about the need for a fifth sphere for digital community and have an opportunity to contribute some examples of opportunities when one might practice effective allyship in the digital space.

DeafAbility: 

Accessibility Language & You: Have you heard about “People First Language”? Did you know that words are important, especially when it comes to accessibility? In the world of accessibility, it is important to look at how you use language. This training will give some tips how to utilize People First language and discuss the nuances of specific language or terminology within various disability communities. In addition, audience members will have opportunities practice People First language among each other.

Mentoring

One of Julie’s longterm passions has been to mentor deaf and hard-of-hearing middle- and high-school students. She has worked as a group leader for statewide deaf/hard-of-hearing student retreats and camps. She also has served as a counselor-in-training coordinator, working with future group leaders to develop their leadership skills. If you are interested in mentoring opportunities such as leadership training for your child(ren) or students, contact Julie to discuss.