Mastering the Accommodation Process: Navigating Challenges with Confidence

The employment accommodation process may seem straightforward—receive a request, evaluate needs, and implement solutions—but human factors can complicate every step. Miscommunication, conflicts, and differing expectations often arise, especially when performance concerns come into play. This dynamic session equips you with practical strategies to mediate conflicts, negotiate agreements, and keep the process on track, even in the toughest situations. Learn how to proactively integrate dispute resolution techniques and human-centered approaches to create smoother, more effective accommodations. This session will give you the confidence to handle challenges head-on!

Amber Cheek

Amber Cheek is the Director of Accessibility and ADA Coordinator for the University of Missouri – Columbia and for UM System. She assists with managing all aspects of ADA compliance, including facilities accessibility, digital accessibility, program access, and reasonable accommodations for faculty and staff. Amber joined Mizzou as ADA Coordinator in 2014 after working as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC. Amber is a person with a disability and a first-generation college student, and these experiences have shaped her approach to her work at Mizzou. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law. 

Ellie Stitzer

Ellie Stitzer is the Accessibility and ADA Manager for the University of Missouri – Columbia. She assists with managing all aspects of ADA compliance, including facilities accessibility, digital accessibility, program access, and reasonable accommodations for faculty and staff. Ellie is a Columbia native and Mizzou alum, having graduated summa cum laude from the College of Health Sciences in 2019. As an undergraduate, she was President of the Mizzou Disability Coalition, served on the Chancellor’s Committee for Persons with Disabilities, participated in the American Association for People with Disabilities summer internship program, and interned in the Office of Accessibility and ADA. Ellie then earned a Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, where she co-founded and served as President of the Disability Law Caucus. Prior to her return to Mizzou’s campus, she worked as a Legal Fellow at the Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council.