Indianapolis – The Indiana Civil Rights Commission (ICRC) and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) will host a two-day conference April 26-27, 2012 in Indianapolis focused on providing equal opportunities for all Hoosiers.
Entitled “Navigating the Changing Landscape in Housing, Education and Employment”, the gathering will offer the community, educational experts, service providers, property owners and researchers an opportunity to share best practices on bringing an end to discrimination statewide.
“To celebrate Fair Housing Month this April, we wanted to provide a forum for information sharing and community action,” said Jamal L. Smith, Executive Director of the Indiana Civil Rights Commission. “We hope this conference acts as a catalyst for change in Indiana communities throughout the state.”
On Thursday, April 26th, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission is sponsoring a session titled: “Moving Towards Equity.” The two-hour program, held at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis, will be led by Indiana University Professor Dr. Russ Skiba.
“Dr. Skiba is a nationally-recognized expert in disproportionality, and we are excited he is a part of the conference,” added Smith. “His insight and perspective on these topics will help to facilitate statewide collaboration and bridge gaps that continue to exist.”
Friday’s session will include a comprehensive overview of the Fair Housing Act. Signed in April 1968, the Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate in housing transactions based on a person’s race, color, national origin, religion, gender disability or familial status.
The training, led by Joshua Brewster with the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and Merilyn Brown with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is worth 3.0 CEU’s for housing providers, property owners and housing authorities.
Agenda
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Moving Towards Equity WorkshopIndiana Government Center South
302 W. Washington Street, Conference Room A
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
5:30 pm-6:00 pmRegistration and refreshments
6:00 pm-6:50 pmThe Achievement Gap and Indiana's Changing Economic LandscapePanel Discussion
Panelists:
-Kris Deckard, Program Director for Ready Indiana, Indiana Chamber of Commerce
-Marie Mackintosh, Director of Educational and Training Programs, DWD
-Gerardo Gonzalez, Dean for the School of Education, Indiana University
-Dennisha Murff, Principal, Westlake Elementary School, Metro School District of Wayne Township
7:00 pm-8:00 pmDisproportionality in Special Education in IndianaDr. Russ Skiba, Indiana University
Friday, April 27, 2012
Fair Housing WorkshopIvy Tech Community College
50 W. Fall Creek Parkway, North Drive
North Meridian Campus, Room 428
Indianapolis, Indiana 46208
8:30 am-9:00 amRegistration and refreshments.
9:00 am-10:00 amFair Housing Overview (1.0 CEU credits)
Indiana Civil Rights Commission
10:00 am-12:15 pmAffirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (2.0 CEU credits)
Merilyn Brown, Esq., U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Registration
The conference is free and open to the public. To register call Brad Meadows at (317) 232-2651 or e-mail bmeadows@icrc.in.gov.
Conference Materials
Click here to view the event flyer.
Click here to listen to a :30 second Radio PSA in English.
Click here to listen to a :60 second Radio PSA in Spanish.