Sometimes helping each other has a learning curve, but the UO Disabilities on Campus Forum looks to ease that process.

Throughout the day May 6, several organizations such as the Graduate Teaching Fellows Federation, the UO Teaching Effectiveness Program and the Accessible Education Center will be hosting an entire day of forums in Straub Hall focusing on accommodating to people with disabilities in the workplace or classroom.

Meaghan Emery, the organizer of the event, said she hopes it will help clear up a general lack of knowledge and elevate the discussion on disabilities in universities.

“As a grad student, I’ve had some friends go through the accommodation process, and I’ve seen that there’s been confusion in workplaces or academia about how to approach or understand certain disabilities that a person might have,” Emery said. “This forum is hopefully going to serve as an opportunity to engage with everyone on a lot of levels about disabilities.”

Nine forums are planned, and they range from discussions on mental health resources on campus to recognizing disability bias. For Emery, one of the events she’s most looking forward to is about designing a course for a diverse classroom.

“I'm excited about all of them but universal course design is going to be really interesting for me,” Emery said. “Course design plays a really important role to all students, so making sure a course is challenging but also accessible is an interesting balance.”

The event will conclude with the film “Life Worth Living: Fighting for Disability Rights,” which is provided by Mobility International USA.

—By Craig Garcia, University Communications intern