Preparing for the Government Knock on Your Door

Presented at 2:15pm in Cotton Creek II on Thursday, November 16, 2017.

Speaker(s)

• Ken Nakata, Director of Accessibility Consulting Practice, Cyxtera
• Mary Lou Mobley, National Disability Expert, Office for Civil Rights

Session Details

• Length of Session: 1-hr
• Format: Lecture
• Expertise Level: Intermediate
• Type of session: General Conference

Summary

This presentation focuses on what to expect in a compliance review or investigation by the Department of Education or other Federal agency.

Abstract

Colleges and universities often receive Federal funding at one or more of their programs. They also rely on student loans. Both of these forms of Federal funding are triggers for Section 504, which prohibits discrimination anywhere within the organization. The Department of Education and other Federal agencies regularly conduct compliance reviews and investigate alleged discriminatory conduct at colleges and universities. This session, which is a perennial favorite at AHG, tells colleges and universities what to expect during one of these reviews. It is presented by two former Senior Trial Attorneys with the U.S. Department of Justice Disability Rights Section—one now working with the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights and the other in private practice conducting compliance reviews for Federal agencies.

Keypoints

1. Understand Section 504 and ADA Title II as it relates to website accessibility
2. What federal agencies are looking for during Section 504 review
3. How to proactively manage website accessibility to avoid compliance concerns

Disability Areas

Topic Areas

Legal, Uncategorized, Web/Media/App Access

Speaker Bio(s)

Ken Nakata

Ken Nakata is the one of the most well-known attorneys in the area of IT accessibility and is the Director of Cryptzone’s Accessibility Consulting Practice (ACP). His work focuses on Web and software accessibility from both a legal and technical perspective. Nakata’s ACP team helps organizations manage the change towards accessibility in all aspects, providing consulting services aimed at shaping their accessibility policies and practices, and evaluating the overall state of their Web properties leveraging the company’s accessibility solutions. Nakata worked for twelve years as a Senior Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice. He has argued on behalf of the United States government many times before the federal courts and has helped shape the government’s policies for the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Nakata also worked as Director of Accessibility and Government Compliance at BayFirst Solutions, a Washington, DC consulting firm.

Mary Lou Mobley

Mary Lou Mobley is the National Disability Expert for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. She has extensive experience in ADA and Section 504 policy and enforcement, including areas such as architectural and website accessibility. Before joining OCR, she served as a Trial Attorney for 14 years with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section.