Academics

Disability Rights & Inclusion: The 3rd Annual Conference

Thursday, March 12 - Friday, March 13, 2026
In person at Touro Law and Online via Zoom

The conference will bring together an exceptional group of national and international experts who will provide deep insights into the most pressing issues facing the disability community. These distinguished speakers will guide participants through innovative approaches, critical lessons learned, and strategic recommendations for promoting disability rights and inclusion across various sectors.

Hotel Information
Arrangements have been made at a nearby Marriott for conference speakers and guests to receive rooms at a discounted rate. You can make reservations here.

CLE CREDIT:

A total of 13.5 credits are available for this full conference.

  • Day 1: 7.5 total credits: 4.5 Ethics and Professionalism and 3 Areas of Professional Practice
  • Day 2: 6 credits total in Areas of Professional Practice


Thursday, March 12, 2026 (Day 1)

8:30 a.m. — Breakfast

9:00 a.m. — Welcome

  • Elena B. Langan, Dean and Professor of Law, Touro Law Center
  • Samuel J. Levine, Professor of Law and Director, Jewish Law Institute, Touro Law Center
    (Conference Organizer)

9:15 a.m. — Employment  

  • Dominick Bruno, Vice President of People & Culture at Aspiritech -- Modernizing Universal Design in Recruitment
  • Laila Wendy Chouinard, Coordinator of Curriculum and Training, Helen Keller National Center & Joseph Melillo, National Business Relations Specialist, Helen Keller National Center -- Advancing Employment Justice: Strengthening Legal and Employer Partnerships with the DeafBlind, Vision, and Hearing Loss Communities
  • Jedzeidy Cruz, Neurodiversity Advocate -- Performing Professional: The Hidden Labor of Neurodivergent Professionals Why Inclusion Must Move Beyond Hiring and Into Workplace Culture
  • MODERATOR: Michelle Zakarin, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Legal Process, Touro Law Center

10:15 a.m. — Self-Advocacy 

  • John Kelly, Esq., Assistant Town Attorney, Town of Brookhaven & Owen Kelly, Self-Advocate -- An Inclusive Life: The Perspective of a Self-Advocate and His Brother
  • Bret Parker, Esq., Executive Director of the New York City Bar Association; Co-Chair of the Patient Council of the Michael J. Fox Foundation --The Last Workplace Secret: How and Why I Told Everyone That I Have Parkinson's
  • MODERATOR: Cara Dagostino, Assistant Dean for Academic Excellence & Bar Success and Assistant Professor of Law, Touro Law Center

11:00 a.m. — Judicial Perspectives  

  • Judge Joseph F. Bianco, United States Circuit Judge, United States Circuit Court for the Second Circuit
  • Judge Rachel E. Freier, Supreme Court Justice, Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term
  • Judge Loretta A. Preska, Senior United States District Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • MODERATOR: Myra Berman, Associate Dean for Experiential Learning & Special Programs and Associate Professor of Law, Touro Law Center

11:45 a.m. — Law and Society (I)

  • Crystal DeVoss Mahany, Adjunct Faculty, The George Washington University -- Using Feminist Jurisprudence as a Tool to Shape Disability Policy to Enhance Autonomy & Self-Determination for Disabled Individuals
  • Rob Sanchez, Esq., Board Member, Autism Communities -- Involuntary Commitment, Mental Health, and the Law

  • MODERATOR: Tiffany Graham, Associate Dean for Campus Engagement and Associate Professor of Law, Touro Law Center

12:30 p.m. — Lunch and Keynote Address 

  • John Elder Robison, Neurodiversity Scholar, College of William & Mary; New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye

1:30 p.m. — Law and Society (II)

  • Chasity Bailey, Esq., Associate Counsel: Corporate Transactions, Dominion Energy -- Redefining Justice Through Disability: Seeing Barriers as Bridges
  • Lucia Sillechia, Professor of Law, The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law -- The Hidden Treasure of Spiritual Care: A Forgotten Right of Persons with Disabilities
  • Alon H. Sugarman, Esq., Associate Attorney, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP -- Making Space at the Table: Disability and Belonging in Big Law
  • MODERATOR: Deseriee Kennedy, Professor of Law, Touro Law Center

2:30 p.m. — Education  

  • Solange Captan, Esq., Director of Tuition & Counsel, SINAI Schools -- Disability Rights and Religious Schools: The Fight for Full Tuition
  • Evelyn Ansah Karkkulainen, Postdoctoral Researcher in Educational Sciences (Special Education), University of Eastern Finland -- Perspectives of Teachers and Trainers on Providing Feedback to Learners with Learning Difficulties in Finnish Vocational Education and Training
  • Dr. Jeff Lichtman, Director, Student Mental Health Services and Director & Professor, Graduate Jewish Education & Special Education, Touro University -- Perspectives on Inclusion in the Jewish Community: Religious, Communal & Educational
  • MODERATOR: Melina A. Healey, Director of Clinical Programs and Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Touro Law Center

3:30 p.m. —  Services and Supports 

  • Dorollo Nixon, Jr., Esq., Principal Attorney, Nixon Disability Law -- Why Should Philanthropists Get Involved In The Disability Space? 
  • Stephen M. Shore, Clinical Associate Professor of Special Education, Adelphi University
    — Listening to Autistic Voices: What Participatory Research Reveals About Prioritizing Good Mental Health for Autistic Individuals
  • Dr. Veronica (Ronnie) Weinert, Clinical Legal Fellow and Occupational Therapist, Special Education Law Clinic, Notre Dame Clinical Law Center -- Measurable Mastery: A Data-Driven Approach to Managing ADHD in Career, Home, and Health
  • MODERATOR: Rivka Molinsky, Associate Dean of Students and Innovation, Touro School of Health Sciences

4:30 p.m. — Artistic Presentations  

  • Joel Felsenstein, Founder & CEO, RockstarX -- Is Music and Neurodiversity the Power of a Universal Language?
  • Isaac Zablocki, Co-Founder and CEO, ReelAbilities Film Festival-- Changing the Culture: How to use film to Reframe Disability in our Society
  • MODERATOR: Rebecca Feinberg, Distinguished Chair in Health Law, Bioethics & Policy and Associate Professor of Law, Touro Law Center

5:30 p.m. — Dinner and Keynote Address  

  • Hardeep Rai, Founder & CEO, The Kaleidoscope Group

Friday, March 7, 2025 (Day 2)


8:30 a.m. — Breakfast

9:00 a.m. — Welcome

  • Samuel J. Levine, Professor of Law and Director, Jewish Law Institute, Touro Law Center
    (Conference Organizer)

9:05 a.m. — Religion 

  • Jessica Lee, PhD Candidate in Church History and Historical Theology, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary --Fandom, Disability, and a Theology of Play
  • Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig, Professor of Jewish Law and Jurisprudence, Yeshiva University
  • MODERATOR: Rena Seplowitz, Bruce K. Gould Distinguished Professor of Law, Touro Law Center

9:45 a.m. — International Perspectives 

  • Dr. Emile Gouws, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of South Africa -- From Autism Self-Advocacy to Advocating for the Broader Neurodiverse Community
  • Eugene Nivorozhkin, Associate Professor, University College London -- "Don’t Build Me a Desk, Build Me a Map”: How Institutions Misunderstand Neurodivergence – and How to Actually Help
  • Dr Selvakumar Ramachandran, President & CEO, Eyemmersive, Inc.-- Building Inclusive Futures: Leveraging VR and AI to Empower People with Disabilities and Neurodiversity in Travel and Education: An Entrepreneur’s Perspective with Lived Experience
  • Tamar Schapira, Co-Founder/CEO, Senseit; Board of Directors, Accessibility Accelerator -- The Purple Vest Mission: Promoting Inclusive Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities and the Elderly
  • MODERATOR: Mauricio Noroña, Clinical Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic, Touro Law Center

11:00 a.m. — Cultural and Societal Perspectives (I)

  • Doron Dorfman, Professor of Law, Seton Hall Law School; Affiliate, Center for Bioethics at Harvard Medical School - Third-Party Accommodations
  • Randy Lee, Professor of Law, Widener University Commonwealth Law School — Yogi Berra and the Search for Firm Footing in a World of the Typical and the Divergent
  • Adam M. Samaha, Inez Milholland Professor of Civil Liberties, New York University School of Law -- Individualization in Disability Law
  • Max Stearns, Venable, Baetjer & Howard Professor of Law, University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law -- Law Professing While Dyslectic
  • MODERATOR: Rodger Citron, Associate Dean for Research & Scholarship and Professor of Law, Touro Law Center

12:15 p.m. — Lunch and Keynote Address 

  • Justice Richard Bernstein, Michigan Supreme Court – Overcoming Obstacles and Breaking Down Barriers

1:00 p.m. — Cultural and Societal Perspectives (II)

  • James Fisher, Professor Emeritus of American Studies and Theology, Fordham University — The Kallikaks of Kansas: The Committee on Provision for the Feeble-Minded and the Eradication of Intellectually Disabled Persons, 1915-1921
  • Lynn Smith, Hidden Disabilities Program Director, USA, HD Sunflower Program -- Proactive Inclusion, Recognizing Non-visible Disabilities
  • Avi Soifer, Emeritus Professor, William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi — An(Other)
  • Moish Tov, CEO, JoyDew Foundation — Neurodiversity Human Rights: How Does the Trend We See in Neurodiverse Environments and Later Autism Diagnoses Impact the Human Rights of People who were Diagnosed with Autism in Childhood?
  • MODERATOR: Jorge R. Roig, Associate Professor of Law and Director of Neighborhood Programs, Touro Law Center

2:15 p.m. — Closing Remarks

  • Samuel J. Levine, Professor of Law and Director, Jewish Law Institute, Touro Law Center (Conference Organizer)

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