Disability and Physical Difference
This session will draw you into an educational discussion on disability and physical difference. We will lead you through a conversation covering topics on disability such as the proper etiquette for guiding appropriate questions to ask, how to support these team members in the work environment, and how to develop personal and strong relationships with them. Furthermore, this session will increase cultural awareness and understanding of people with disabilities. Not only will you be able to support people with disabilities in the work environment, you will also be able to connect them with other diverse team members.
Josh McKee Crary
Joshua Crary was born with Choroideremia (CHM), a rare, inherited eye disorder that causes retinal deterioration and blindness. 26-year-old Josh is currently serving as Diversity Programs Advisor in the Office for Diversity and Inclusion at Berklee College of Music.
Josh attended undergraduate study at the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Sociology with a dual minor in Women Studies and Race, Class and Power. He currently is working on an M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Boston College. His experience is strongly rooted in student advocacy for accessibility, universal design of culture and empowering students to become messengers of social justice. Additionally, Josh works to motivate others with disabilities to go after their most extreme goals by training and running in various marathons.
Kevin Johnson
Kevin Johnson has passionately worked with Educational Opportunity Programs in higher education for more than a decade. He has served hundreds of young people in the Boston area, providing mentoring, tutoring and assistance applying to and enrolling in Colleges and Universities throughout the country and world. In 1999 he joined the first in the nation, Federally Funded Educational Talent Search program to work exclusively with students with disabilities called Project REACH at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. He also served as the Marketing Director for the Massachusetts Educational Opportunity Association (MEOA) helping to design and develop their first web site.
From 2007 to 2010 he served as Multicultural Educator - Program Manager in the Office for Cultural Diversity at Berklee College of Music. In this role he was instrumental in developing student engagement and programming. He also helped establish and co-chaired the Universal Access Committee, which has worked on developing a Universal Access Policy & Mission for Berklee. In 2010 Kevin was promoted to Director of the Office for Diversity & Inclusion. In this new roll he collaborates with many departments and student groups across the college to foster an atmosphere of access and respect for all.
Kevin Johnson received his M.A. in Critical and Creative Thinking from the University of Massachusetts Boston.