Webinar: Disability Inclusion Matters and How You Can Make It Happen

Tune into an informative webinar presentation on inclusion for Federal Bar Association programming and beyond. The discussion will include the development of the FBA Accessibility Manual and Toolkit, best practices for making participating in bar associations accessible for people with disabilities, and planning accessible programs and events.  Panelists will also share personal experiences as disabled attorneys and suggestions for promoting disability inclusion. Questions are encouraged!

Scheduled as a pre-event session for the 2022 Annual Meeting & Convention.

Presented by the Diversity and Inclusion Standing Committee

About the Presenters

Denise Avant, Chair, ABA Commission on Disability Rights; Affiliate President, National Federation of the Blind of Illinois
Denise Renee Avant graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1980 with a B.A. in political science, and in 1983 with a J.D. She was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1984. Almost two decades later, Denise earned an M.A. in journalism from Roosevelt University. Denise worked for the Will County Legal Assistance Program, Inc. for two years, and then worked in the appellate and post-conviction units of the Office of the Cook County Public Defender for 30 years. Currently, Denise is the Affiliate President of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), as well as on the National Association of Blind Lawyers, a division of the NFB. Before being appointed as Chair of the ABA Commission on Disability Rights, Denise served three years as a Commissioner. She also was appointed to the ABA’s Center on Racial and Ethnic Diversity and the Commission on Youth At Risk, both for two-year terms. Denise serves as a Member at Large/Disability to the ABA’s nominating committee for the House of Delegates, the policy-making body of the ABA. Denise also participated in the Implicit Bias video series sponsored by the ABA. Additionally, the Government and Public Sectors Lawyers Division presented her with the Nelson Award at the ABA Annual Meeting in August 2018.  Denise was raised in and resides in Chicago. She enjoys reading, exercising, running, and cross-country skiing, and is a longtime member and a deaconess at Christian Tabernacle Church on the south side of Chicago.

William D. Goren, Attorney, William D. Goren JD LLM LLC
William D. Goren, Esq., of William D. Goren, J.D., LL.M. LLC in Decatur, GA, has been dealing with the ADA as an Attorney since 1990. His law and consulting practice, https://www.understandingtheada.com/, as well as his blog, Understanding the ADA,  (a member of the ABA Top 100 for five consecutive years, 2014-2018- there was no ABA 100 in 2019-2021), all focus on understanding the ADA so that the client understands what it means to comply with that law and related laws. In particular, he provides consulting, counseling, representation, and training services involving compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and related laws- such as the Air Carrier Access Act and the Fair Housing Act, among others. Mr. Goren also brings a deep, personal understanding of what it means to have a disability, equipping him with exceptional insight on how the ADA actually works. He is deaf with a congenital bilateral hearing loss of 65–90+ decibels, but functions entirely in the hearing world thanks to hearing aids, Bluetooth technology, and lip-reading. For reasons independent of his deafness, he also uses voice dictation technology to access his computer. He is also a frequent presenter, a trained mediator, a FINRA arbitrator (Chairperson eligible), and an arbitrator on the CPR employment panel. Finally, he is the author of Understanding the ADA, now in its 4th edition (ABA 2013), and numerous other articles on the rights of persons with disabilities. He is a member of various committees of the American Bar Association and is also a member of: the Federal Bar Association (FBA) Diversity and Inclusion committee; the FBA’s Civil Rights committee and its Governing Board; FBA’s Civil Rights Amicus committee; and the Chair of the FBA’s Working Group on Disability Best Practices, which formulated an accessibility manual for the FBA and its chapters. He is also a member of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar Association and its lead for its Amicus committee. He has an A.B. from Vassar College, a J.D. from University of San Diego School of Law, and was one of the first in the entire country to receive the LL.M. in health law, in his case from DePaul University College of Law. Interesting fact: He trained his miniature poodle to be a hearing dog while he practices virtually.

Moderated by:
Katherine Earle Yanes, Partner, Kynes Markman & Felman, P.A.; FBA Diversity and Inclusion Standing Committee Member
Katherine Earle Yanes concentrates her practice in the areas of criminal defense, appeals, and postconviction relief. In 1997, she graduated from Stetson University College of Law, magna cum laude, as valedictorian of her class. Following law school, Ms. Yanes served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich, United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Since 1999, she has successfully represented defendants at the trial, appellate, and postconviction phases of criminal litigation in federal and state courts, as well as in government investigations. Ms. Yanes has served as President of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, President of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers, Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Trial and Litigation Section, Chair of the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section, and Journal Editor of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers.

Registration

Registration is Closed

• Complimentary for FBA Members & Non-Members

Live Captioning: Closed captioning is available for all virtual webcasts.

Internet Requirements: Virtual programs require suitable internet strength to stream online panels. A minimum internet connection of 800 Kbps is recommended for an optimal attendee experience. Test your connection here. 

CLE

This webinar does not offer Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credit.

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If you have any questions regarding this program, please contact meetings@fedbar.org