Back to School: Challenging Disability Issues in a Return to Campus

Phil Catanzano is co-founder of Education & Sports Law Group. Prior to starting Education & Sports Law Group, Phil was Senior Counsel at Holland & Knight for seven years and an attorney at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for almost a decade before that, where he investigated institutions accused of discrimination on the basis of disability, gender, or race/ethnicity, among others. 

Phil’s practice includes advising institutions with regard to disability law issues on campus (including digital accessibility), helping institutions comply with the federal laws around gender and racial/ethnic equity, and maintaining a safe campus. Phil serves on the faculty at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, where he teaches courses regarding higher education law, disability law, and the intersection of speech and harassment.

Abra Francois is Associate General Counsel at Tufts University. She joined Tufts from the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) where she practiced for six years.  As a Supervisory Civil Rights Attorney, Ms. Francois enforced several federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in colleges, universities, and K-12 schools.  She investigated complaints of discrimination, conducted compliance reviews, provided trainings, developed legally sufficient policies and procedures, and negotiated agreements to resolve compliance concerns.  Prior to joining OCR, Ms. Francois worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she practiced in the areas of employment and civil rights law.  She provided legal counsel to offices throughout the national organization and represented the EPA in appeals before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Ms. Francois started her career as an Assistant Corporation Counsel at the New York City Law Department, where she litigated individual labor and employment cases in federal and state court on behalf of New York City agencies.

Ms. Francois is a graduate of Simmons College and Boston College Law School.

Kirsten Behling serves as Associate Dean of Student Accessibility and Academic Resources at Tufts University. She oversees the day-to-day management of the StAAR Center; including expanding awareness of the center across the institution. She fosters collaborative relationships, expands disability diversity awareness, and works to ensure that each aspect of the collegiate experience is inclusive for all. Kirsten attended Bates College as an undergraduate and graduated from Boston University with her Master’s degree. She is the author of two books focusing on access in higher education: Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning and Disability Services in Higher Education: An Insider’s Guide. When not at Tufts, you can usually find her on some outdoor adventure with her two kids.