Disability Symposium

21st Annual Weingarten Center Disability Symposium

Being a Leader in Disability Services, Being a Leader in Higher Education

Friday, March 10, 2023

Location: University of Pennsylvania, Houston Hall

Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, “It can’t be done.”

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Each one of us has thoughts and expectations of a leader. Fair, honest, decisive, and strategic might be some of the characteristics that you expect from a leader. Leadership skills grow and strengthen through experience, feedback, and persistence. To accomplish our work as disability advisors, educators, and advocates, we problem-solve, research, and collaborate to find ways to eliminate barriers for people with disabilities. “It can be done” serves as the mantra for professionals in the disability field. The 21st Annual Weingarten Center Disability Symposium focuses on the theme of leadership. Think about your role, whether as a university administrator, a K-12 educator, a parent, a student. How have you used your leadership skills to get a project accomplished, to destigmatize what it means to have a disability, to foster universal design, to be a change agent in your organization?

Flyer for 21st Annual Weingarten Center Disability Symposium: Being a Leader in Disability, Being a Leader in Higher Education on March 10, 2023. The red Covenant statue on Penn's campus is featured in the background.

Deep appreciation to Mary Landy C’83 and Joseph Landy W’83 for their generous gift that supports and contributes to the Symposium’s ongoing success.

Event Details

Presentation Slides

A few presenters at the 21st Annual Weingarten Center Disability Symposium, Being a Leader in Disability Services, Being a Leader in Higher Education, have generously provided access to their presentation slides.

Reaching Our Leadership Potential

Presenter: Adam Meyer, University of Central Florida

Presentation Slides – Reaching Our Leadership Potential

Re-conceptualizing Disability in Higher Education Using a Social Model Lens for Equity and Success

Presenters: Dee Singley, PhD, and Joanna Timmerman, M.A., Ursinus College

Presentation Slides – Re-conceptualizing Disability in Higher Education

Forging Opportunities for Neurodiverse Students

Presenters: Val Ross, Director, Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing; University of Pennsylvania; Jon Argaman, Lecturer in Critical Writing, University of Pennsylvania; Amanda DiLodovico, Lecturer in Critical Writing, University of Pennsylvania

Presentation Slides – Forging Opportunities for Neurodiverse Students

Breaking Down Silos to Build Up Our Community Events

Presenter: Kate Keppen, Ursinus College; Dee Singley, Ursinus College; Joanna Timmerman, Ursinus College

Presentation Slides – Breaking Down Silos to Build Up Our Community Events