The event starting July 26 and running through Aug. 28 features national and international speakers covering a wide array of topics on disability rights. All seminars and speaker panels will be online due to COVID-19 precautions.
The ABILITY Event is a student-led conference hosted by the St. Cloud State University Rehabilitation Counseling program each spring.
This year’s event celebrates the ADA, a civil rights law passed in 1990 that prohibits discrimination based on disability, provides guidelines for organizations and businesses on accommodation, and regulates accessibility requirements for public accommodations. The ADA covers both mental and physical medical conditions and applies to employers with 15 or more employees, employment agencies, labor-management committees and labor organizations.
Each week of the conference focuses on a different theme:
- Week 1: Advancing Disability Rights during the ADA
- Week 2: Advancing Disability Rights in the United States
- Week 3: Advancing Disability Rights in the Black, Brown, and Indigenous Communities
- Week 4: Advancing Disability Rights Globally
- Week 5: Advancing Disability Rights in the State of Minnesota
Keynote Speaker Tom Harkin will speak on the formation of the ADA and efforts to preserve the protections it first granted in 1990 following court challenges. The ADA was Harkin’s signature legislative achievement during his 30-year senate career. Harkin was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to support people with disabilities in the United States and around the world. Joseph Jones, executive director for the Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement, will serve as emcee.
Admission to the virtual conference is free and Certified Rehabilitation Counselors CEU’s will be available to participants at no charge.
