MDA Hosting Four Webinars in August Aimed at Young Adults

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MDA’s public webinar series has a host of offerings in August for young adults with neuromuscular diseases who are interested in higher education and employment.

Participation in the webinars is free and open to all, and offers opportunities to ask questions of an array of expert panelists. All MDA webinars are archived on the MDA Transitions Center website, under the “Resources” tab.

Ramping Up for Success: Moving into the Workforce, Part 1

Presented Aug. 1, this webinar is full of specific tips for getting hired, it features two panelists with expertise in helping people with disabilities find permanent gainful employment:

• Dot Kret, president and founder of DK Advocates, Tucson, Ariz.; and
• Paul Hippolitus, director of the Disabled Students’ Program at the University of California, Berkeley.

Going the Distance: Community College and Distance Education

This education webinar will be presented Friday, Aug. 10, at 12 p.m. Eastern time (9 a.m. Pacific time).  Expert panelists include:

• Jason Abramowitz, a member of MDA’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) community and a community college veteran;
• Lori Hockley, Dean of Students and Academic Success, and Acting Dean of Academic Affairs at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College; and
• Robert Todd, senior research scientist, Georgia Institute of Technology’s Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access.

To participate, log in to this event online. The event password is mdawebex2012; the call-in number is (650) 429-3300 (long distance rates apply), and the event number is 667 136 490.

Riding Solo: Living Independently in College with a Neuromuscular Disease

Presented Friday, Aug. 10, at 2 p.m. Eastern time (11 a.m. Pacific time), this webinar offers tips for successfully living in campus housing. Expert panelists include:

• Ben Cumbo, a member of MDA’s DMD community and former MDA National Goodwill Ambassador who is pursuing a master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies at George Washington University in Upper Marlboro, Md.; and
• Scott Hatley, also a member of MDA’s DMD community, and director of development and community relations at Incight, an organization he co-founded based in Portland, Ore., that seeks to “empower people with disabilities to become contributing members of society.”

To participate, log in to this event online. The event password is mdawebex2012, the call-in number is (650) 429-3300 (long distance rates apply), and the event number is 664 449 623.

We’re on a Roll: Moving into the Workforce, Part 2

This webinar will be presented Wednesday, Aug. 15, at 2 p.m. Eastern time (11 a.m. Pacific time). It will focus on reasonable accommodations, having an aide at work, an employee’s legal rights in the workplace and dealing with workplace discrimination.

Panelists include:

• Katrina Gossett, a member of MDA’s spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) community and an attorney at Faegre Baker Daniels, Indianapolis;
• Angela Wrigglesworth, a third-grade teacher in the Houston area and member of MDA’s National Task Force on Public Awareness, who also has SMA; and
• Vance Taylor, who has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD). Taylor has worked on Capitol Hill as a congressional aide, and now works at one of Washington’s top-ranked homeland security consulting firms.

To participate, log in to this event online. The event password is mdawebex2012, the call-in number is (650) 429-3300 (long distance rates apply), and the event number is 665 504 806.