Falk College Career Services will host the “Falk College Alumni Speaker Series: Improving Access for People with Disabilities” on Oct. 28 from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. in Grant Auditorium, with a networking reception with refreshments from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The panel discussion will focus on current issues surrounding accessibility in a range of environments, and will be of particular interest to students seeking internships or careers in healthcare, mental health, education, policy and advocacy, and sport and recreation.
This is the fourth event in a series of Falk College alumni panels, which bring alumni back to campus to discuss current industry trends of interest to Falk students and share valuable career experiences and insights. Previous alumni panels have focused on topics such as community health and wellness, promoting exercise and nutrition as natural approaches to health, and sport, health and social activism.
“For students, this is an exceptional opportunity to learn more about how they can be an advocate in whatever field they pursue,” says David Sly, director of Falk College Career Services. “In addition to learning about the specific careers of our panelists, students, faculty and staff can leave this event with ideas for better serving people with a range of disabilities in any setting.”
The “Improving Access for People with Disabilities” panel will include these Falk College alumni:
Scott Ebner G’97 (MSW)
Scott Ebner is the executive director at CIRCARE, a local agency that supports people with behavioral health disabilities, including family and employment support. Ebner has also worked with Provisions Bakery in Armory Square, a work transition site for people with mental illness.
Jeremy French-Lawyer ’14 (Public Health)
Jeremy French-Lawyer is the assistant director of evaluation, assessment and research at SUNY Upstate Medical University. He has prior experience as a disability integration fellow with SUNY Upstate, integrating disability-relevant information into medical school and continuing medical education curriculum. Previous roles also include working with children and at-risk parents in education and healthcare settings. French-Lawyer holds a master of public health degree, jointly awarded from ϲ and SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Ocesa Keaton G’15 (MSW)
Ocesa Keaton is the Central New York regional director for the New York Civil Liberties Union and has previously served as the ADA coordinator for the City of ϲ. Keaton has extensive experience in youth and advocacy programs, with a focus on at-risk pregnant and parenting teens, youth violence prevention and poverty.
Eileen May-West ’10 (Sport Management)
Eileen May-West is the program director at Wasatch Adaptive Sports and leads outdoor adaptive recreation operations for over 500 individuals with disabilities each year. May-West holds a master’s degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of New Hampshire.
For students, registration is appreciated, though not required, through Handshake. For faculty, staff and community attendees, RSVP to falkcareers@syr.edu. CART and ASL services will be provided. To request other accommodations, please contact Falk Career Services at falkcareers@syr.edu or 315.443.3144. For event information, visit .
