Webinar: Best Practices for Employers and Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Webinar: Best Practices for Employers and Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

As California businesses reopen, there are many questions about how businesses can continue operations safely while considering the needs of employees and patrons with disabilities.

Webinar:
Best Practices for Employers and Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

About the webinar:

Join us for a panel discussion with business consultants, professionals and disability leaders to build your knowledge and become a model employer and business during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

  • What do businesses need to know about their responsibilities under the current Governor’s orders and other laws?
  • How has the COVID-19 pandemic changed the needs of employees and patrons with disabilities?
  • How can employers take steps toward ensuring a safe work environment for employees and patrons with disabilities?
  • How do businesses benefit from using best practices for safety and reasonable accommodations?  
  • Your questions!

Recording of Webinar

Resources

Speakers:

Aisha Novasky joined Disability Rights California in 2019 as a Staff Attorney in the Civil Rights Practice Group in the Ontario office. CRPG specializes in disability discrimination law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and Fair Housing Amendments Act, and we litigate complex discrimination cases statewide. Prior to DRC, Aisha was an attorney at Manhattan Legal Services in New York City, where she represented low-income tenants to prevent evictions and preserve safe and affordable housing. She was also an attorney at the NYC Administration for Children’s Services. Ms. Novasky is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton where she double majored in Philosophy and Political Science. She graduated from New York Law School in 2013.

David Fazio is the Founder of Helix Opportunity, an inclusive design business and organizational development consulting & training firm. Mr. Fazio survived a traumatic brain injury from a brain aneurysm 1996. David is an Invited Expert to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative Accessibility Guidelines Working Group, Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group, Cognitive Accessibility Task Force, Silver Task Force and contributing member to the development, and ongoing maintenance of the global standards for digital accessibility. He previously worked for the United States Air Force and was an American Federation of Government Employees Union representative representing employees in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Administrative Hearings of disability discrimination.

Jessica Lee is Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Spectrum Works, a non-profit organization transitioning gifted adults on the autism spectrum into meaningful talent for corporations. Through this organization, Jessica is eager to change business and society’s perceptions about autism and focus on integration and neurodiversity (a diversity of minds) in the workplace as an impetus for greater societal change and education. Prior to starting The Spectrum Works, Jessica was a management consultant for 8 years, and earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business and International Relations at the University of Southern California and an Executive Certificate in Social Impact Strategy through the University of Pennsylvania.

Louis Herrera is a Customer Programs Outreach Specialist for Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas. Serving the disabled, seniors and Veteran communities within SoCalGas’ service territory.

Louis, a native of the San Fernando Valley, has spent his career advocating for people with disabilities. He served as Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles Department on Disabilities for over 8½ years,  and in 2010, was appointed by President Obama to serve on the 21st Century Accessible Communications FCC Committee focusing on functional user accessibility interface design. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for 4 different organizations including President of Fiesta Educativa, an organization that is dedicated to serving the needs of Hispanic families with children with various disabilities, and President of Southern California Resource Services for Independent Living (SCRS-IL), an independent living center that serves individuals with disabilities throughout Southern California. Louis holds a Master’s degree in Assistive Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering from Cal State University, Northridge and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from the University of Arizona. Louis enjoys spending time with his wife Marie of 27 years, family and friends. His hobbies are: wood working, leather crafting, and solving puzzles.

Pamela Cohen is a Senior Attorney Mediator with the California Department of Fair Employment & Housing, the state's civil rights agency. She was previously an attorney at Disability Rights California, representing people with disabilities on legal matters including disability discrimination, reasonable accommodations and civil and criminal mental health law. Prior to DRC, Pamela worked as an independent consultant focusing on legal and policy issues related to community-based care for older adults with mental disabilities, fair housing law, and international mental health law. She has also served as a court-appointed criminal appellate defense attorney specializing in forensic mental health law. She has been a staff attorney at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, D.C., and a member of an International Commission of Jurists mission to study the rights of psychiatric patients in Japan. Her academic experience includes serving as an adjunct professor at New York Law School and Stanford Law School, a clinical lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, and a Visiting Scholar at Sophia University in Tokyo.

Facilitator

Rebecca Hoyt is a Senior Advocate with the Client Assistance Program at Disability Rights California. She joined DRC in 2007. In her current role she works to preserve and advance the employment opportunities of people with disabilities through direct representation and by fostering the self-advocacy skills of clients and applicants of the Department of Rehabilitation and Independent Living Centers.

Register for the Webinar

You can identify your accommodation requests when you register. After you register you will receive an email with the link to log into the webinar.