• Affirmative Action Office Welcomes New Staff Members
• Equal Access/Equal Opportunity Briefing
• Resources for Filing Complaints
• Disability Awareness Month
• Upcoming Learning Opportunities
• On the Hiring Front - Do you use “fit” to screen out those who are different from you?
• Affirmative Action Plans for 2006-07 Released
• Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities

Monica Bloom, Assistant Director for Conflict Resolution

Monica is AAO's newest staff member.  She joined AAO in January 2007.  In her position, Monica handles complaints of harassment and/or discrimination brought to AAO. Individuals at the University wishing to discuss the University's procedures for filing complaints of discrimination or harassment should contact Monica. In addition to handling complaints filed under the University's procedures, Monica prepares responses on behalf of the University to charges of discrimination and/or harassment received from external civil rights agencies. Monica also makes certain that the required federal and state employment posters are posted in University buildings and visible to University employees.

Lynne Horngren, Training Specialist

Lynne’s primary responsibility is to bring equal access, equal opportunity policy and understanding to the faculty and staff at Purdue to further the development of an inclusive campus community where all members are free to pursue their educational and career aspirations without fear of discrimination or harassment.  Prior to this position, Lynne was an Assistant Dean of Students in the Office of the Dean of Students for four years. She possesses extensive experience in both academic and private industry settings. With a Master's degree in counseling, her career has focused on counseling and consulting, training and development and career development activities. Her main interest has been in facilitating individuals and groups in their pursuit of academic, professional and career-related goals.

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This comprehensive briefing shares with participants the University’s commitment to foster an equitable and inclusive campus climate by ensuring equal access and equal opportunity for all members of the university community. The briefing invites faculty and staff to partner with Purdue to ensure a campus environment free of discrimination and harassment.

The session is designed to provide participants with a foundation in the areas of equal access and equal opportunity. Information on discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, disabilities, retaliation, and the process at the University for the resolution of complaints will be presented. The University’s Nondiscrimination Policy Statement, Antiharassment Policy, and Procedures for Resolving Complaints of Discrimination and Harassment will be provided to every participant.

The applicable laws and policies of equal access and equal opportunity are presented and the topics in the areas of equal access and equal opportunity are discussed through the use of case studies and scenarios. Participants are asked to assess the role personal behavior and conduct play in ensuring an inclusive university community free of discrimination and harassment.

Briefing sessions will be an hour and a half in length and will not exceed attendance by more than 50 participants per session.

Individuals may contact the Affirmative Action Office for more information or to arrange a session for their unit.

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Employment-related issues

Employees who feel they have been discriminated against through the course of their employment should bring their complaints to the attention of their department head or supervisor, or seek assistance from the Affirmative Action Office, 49-47253, or the Human Resource Services Employee Relations team, 49-41679.

Student-related issues in the Academic Environment

Students who feel they have been discriminated against in the academic environment should bring their complaints to the attention of the Office of the Dean of Students, 49-41250.

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The Affirmative Action Office at Purdue University is pleased to offer the following opportunities in recognition and celebration of Disability Awareness Month.

Murderball Documentary
Thursday, March 1, 2007
8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Stewart Center, Fowler Hall

Murderball, a documentary about the competitive sport of quadriplegic rugby, features keynote speaker Mark Zupan. Peter Travers of the Rolling Stone calls it, “Mesmerizing! Creates a new definition of courage,” and Details magazine says, “More intense and nerve-racking than anything you’ve ever seen on Sports Center.” Murderball is presented by the Purdue Student Union Board.

Room for Everyone
Disability Awareness Month Reception
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Purdue Memorial Union, West Faculty Lounge

Mark Zupan will speak at this reception honoring the 2007 Focus Award recipients. Recipients have made outstanding contributions to the University’s commitment to disability accessibility and diversity.

Smashing Stereotypes, One Hit at a Time
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Stewart Center, Fowler Hall

Mark Zupan, a Paralympic rugby player featured in the documentary Murderball, will speak on disability awareness. Zupan helps shatter stereotypes about people with disabilities and speaks to the point that all people are capable of accomplishing amazing feats.

National EEOC ADA Research Project: What Does The Data Tell Us About Title I Complaints and Resolutions?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Stewart Center, Room 320

The EEOC has entered into a cooperative agreement with researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University to mine the data collected by the EEOC since the implementation of the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Some of the questions that the researchers hope to answer through this effort include:

• What is the specific nature and scope of workplace discrimination against people with disabilities?
• To the extent that employers perpetrate workplace discrimination, does it vary as a function of the employers industry, location or size?
• Does workplace discrimination affect Americans with disabilities in different ways as a function of personal characteristics such as type of impairment, gender, age, race or ethnicity?

ADA for Supervisors
Thursday, March 22, 2007
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Stewart Center, Room 313

This session is an employment-focused workshop for campus supervisors addressing the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the workplace.

Guide Dog Etiquette
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Stewart Center, Room 320

Purdue Advocates for Disability Issues (PADI) will perform role-playing scenarios that address issues such as petting, feeding, and talking to guide dogs and will speak about the laws that affect service animals.

ADA Overview
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Stewart Center, Room 313

In this workshop, learn about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): what the law means, its history, and what is in store for the future.

For more information, to reserve a space, or to request a reasonable accommodation, please contact the Affirmative Action Office.

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ADA Audio Conference Series
"ADA Restoration Act: Legislative Update "
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
STEW 314

The Essentials of Staff Recruitment and Selection

The Affirmative Action Office has again teamed up with Human Resource Services Employment to bring you two sessions of “The Essentials of Staff Recruitment and Selection” workshop this spring.  Directed toward hiring supervisors and committees as they proceed through the staff hiring process, the session will provide guidance on adding diversity to the search process, enlarging applicant pools, evaluating applicant credentials, conducting a fair and legal interview, and conducting reference checks.  All hiring supervisors and committee members who have not been to a previous session are encouraged to attend.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007                                      Tuesday, April 24, 2007
2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.                                           2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
STEW 218 A&B                                                   STEW 314

If you would like to attend any of the learning opportunities being offered, please contact the Affirmative Action Office to reserve space and/or request a reasonable accommodation.

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Have you ever heard a supervisor comment that an applicant “just won’t fit in here very well” when making a hiring decision?  Depending on one’s interpretation of “fit”-ness, that comment could mean trouble for the decision maker.  An applicant who is perceived as different from his/her potential colleagues based on a legally protected class, such as race/ethnicity, sex, or disability, could have a legitimate claim of discrimination against the employer if this meaning of “fit” is used to determine that the applicant would not be a suitable match. 

When you have the opportunity to hire a new employee, consider carefully why you think each interviewee may or may not be a “good fit” for your department, and then document that reasoning in clear, understandable terms.  For example, if an interviewee indicates in the interview that he/she likes to take his/her time when working on a project and your department has a very fast-paced work environment, you should note this discrepancy in your justification for not hiring the interviewee, rather than just jotting down “not a good fit”.  Conversely, if an interviewee indicates that he/she would work well with other members of your team by demonstating a willingness to be open to suggestions, pleasant to work with, and/or exhibit good listening skills, be sure to include this information in your justification for hiring, instead of simply stating “good fit”.

In the end, supervisors make hiring decisions on a variety of dimensions, such as knowledge, skills, and experience related to the specific job.  Using undefined criteria, such as “fit”, can be the downfall of an otherwise very well conducted search.

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The Affirmative Action Office is please to announce that the latest editions of the University’s Affirmative Action Plans for Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and for Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities are now available online at http://www.purdue.edu/humanrel/aao/plans.shtml or by calling the office.  These plans cover the period from October 2006 to September 2007. 

Supervisors and managers wishing review their unit’s progress toward affirmative action goals may refer to these plans.  It is recommended that affirmative action goals be reviewed at the beginning of a new vacancy search in order to formulate a recruitment plan that is relevant to the goals for the unit and/or position.  Individuals needing assistance in recruitment plan development or goal interpretation may contact the Affirmative Action Office.

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Our society has made a number of significant advancements in the last century.  One such advancement is the creation of the World Wide Web.  The internet is used by millions of people every day for a variety of reasons, including getting the latest updates on news and sports and buying a multitude of items through online stores.  Tasks that might have taken a few hours to do fifty years ago might now take only a few minutes if done so through the internet…or, at least, that is what most people would probably expect.

Consider how a person who is blind or has low vision might access the information on a web page.  Ponder how a person who is deaf might hear the words that are spoken on a video.  Technology has allowed people with disabilities to gain access to web page information presented in various formats.  For example, screen readers allow people who are blind, have low vision, or have learning disabilities to hear the text on a web page by reading it to them.  However, people with disabilities may have difficulty accessing a web page if the page is not designed with particular features in place.  Topics such as these should be kept in mind when developing web pages.  Below are some tips for developing web pages that are accessible to people with disabilities and will most likely benefit all users regardless of disability status.

• A text equivalent of every non-text element should be provided.  For example, a web page that has pictures should have an alt tag for each picture providing a narrative description of the picture so that a person who is blind or has low vision can access the information.  Similarly, videos should be either captioned or a transcript of the video should be made available so that individuals who are deaf can access the information.
• Clearly identify the target of each link. Multiple links called the same thing (ex: “more info,” “results,” or “click here”) can be problematic.
• Background colors and foreground colors should provide ample color contrast.  If color is used to convey specific information, make sure that the information is also available without color.
• Style sheets should be used to create layout and presentation as opposed to tables.
• Use Header (H1, H2 etc.) to indicate headers and sub-headers, and use them in the correct order. Do not use headers to embellish fonts.
• Avoid the use of screen flicker and blinking at rates faster than 3 per second.  Flashing, flickering, and blinking of a document or document element can cause seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.
• Frames shall be titled with text that describes its purpose or the type of information contained within the frame.

These tips are only a few things to keep in mind when developing web pages accessible to people with disabilities.  If you have questions concerning web accessibility, please contact the Affirmative Action Office at 49-47253, 49-61343(TTY), or aao@purdue.edu. For additional information regarding web accessibility for people with disabilities, please refer to the following sources:

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973:  http://www.access-board.gov/508.htm

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI):  http://www.w3.org/WAI

Web Accessibility In Mind (WebAIM):  http://www.webaim.org

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