(HARLINGEN) – Texas State Technical College and the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Coalition in conjunction with the Southwest ADA Center, recently hosted an ADA Coalition training conference –  the first in South Texas.

The training was targeted to human resource personnel, disability service providers, campus police and behavior intervention teams from colleges and universities across the Rio Grande Valley.  Attendees were provided with technical assistance, facilitated learning and policy guidance relating to the ADA, ADA Amendments Act and Rehabilitation Act.

“Our goal is provide awareness on how to better serve employees and students,” said Corina De la Rosa, coordinator for disability services at TSTC. “The ultimate goal is to learn how to provide equal access and equal opportunity, and how to properly be ADA compliant.”

Nearly 90 people were in attendance and had the opportunity to hear from keynote speaker Diego Demaya from the ADA Resource Center. He is a Human Resources Consultant and ADA Technical Assistance Director who is a nationally known expert in providing policy guidance to healthcare and educational institutions.

“Training is the key,” Demaya told the audience. “It’s important to train supervisors and administrators on how to handle different situations, so it’s always in a professional manner.”

Other topics covered at the training included ADA Leave and the Interactive Process; Students with Psychiatric Disabilities; and Direct Threat and Clear and Present Danger.

The ADA Coalition was formed one year ago as a partnership between TSTC, South Texas College, Texas Southmost College and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The higher ed alliance is comprised of disability service providers from each campus.

“We always work collaboratively to provide the most consistent services for our students across all campuses,” said De la Rosa. “This is the first time we host a training like this and we’re excited that the Southwest ADA Center was able to provide us with the resources to make this possible.”

TSTC Human Resource Executive Mary Prepejchal said the training was a great reminder about what ADA means and stands for from an employer standpoint.

“ADA makes it unlawful for us to discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability,” said Prepejchal. “As the employer we are obligated to know the ADA language and be able to translate the needs of a person who has a disability and their need for accommodation.”

TSTC’s Disability Services office offers students accommodations on a case-by-case basis. Services such as interpreters and separate testing rooms are available.

“Our goal is to accommodate students who need the assistance so that they can participate in the classroom experience and get the best education possible.”

For more information on disability services call TSTC Support Services at 956-364-4521.