Employment Panel 7: The Business Case for a Strengths-based and Collaborative Approach to Neurodiversity
Event Details:
Location
The Business Case for a Strengths-based and Collaborative Approach to Neurodiversity
Moderator: Jessamy Tang, MBA
Objectives:
- Formulating ideas of how understanding and reflecting on neurodiversity and neurodivergence can help us as managers do better at work.
- Putting forward a compelling business case, as opposed to a moral case, of why and how workplaces should adopt and advance a model of inclusive leadership at work, and what that might look like with respect to neurodivergence.
- Appreciating the significance of perspective and context in a strengths-based approach to neurodiversity.
Understanding how neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals can engage in strengths-based collaboration in various aspects of employment
Ting Cheung, Associate, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP
Ting Cheung is an Associate at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP. Ting focuses her practice on employment law and whistleblower/qui tam claims. She has represented neurodivergent employees who encountered disability discrimination at the workplace. Ting also handles cases of wrongful death, contractual disputes, and sexual violence. Given her native proficiency in Mandarin and Cantonese, and her legal training in Hong Kong and the U.S., Ting understands the cultural nuances in representing Asian American employees and whistleblowers. Since 2020, Ting has been serving as an Expert on the World Bank Group’s Women, Business and the Law project. Prior to her studies at Harvard Law School, Ting practiced law at the Hong Kong Department of Justice. She is experienced in criminal prosecution, civil litigation and bilingual legislative drafting. Ting was also seconded to an international law firm where she practiced family law and commercial litigation. Ting is an advocate for neurodiversity and LGBTQ+ rights. She has presented and authored publications on these topics.
Salomon Chiquiar-Rabinovich, Chair, Attorney with Disabilities Section, Hispanic National Bar Association
Salomon Chiquiar-Rabinovich is a business immigration lawyer based in Boston, specializing in organizational leadership and change management consulting. He chairs the HNBA Section for Attorneys with Disabilities and previously led the Boston Bar Association's Attorneys with Disabilities Committee. He is also a board member of the BBA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Section.Salomon holds a BSFS, MSFS, and JD from Georgetown University, served as a Junior Fellow at its Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, and completed an MS in Leadership Administration from Boston College in 2023. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate School of Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts Boston, focusing on comparative international modules for the inclusion of neurodiverse professionals.His leadership roles include serving as president of the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic Attorneys and regional president of the HNBA for New England, as well as being the first chair of the HNBA International Business Law Section. In April 2024, he was appointed to the American Bar Association Presidential Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.
Rebecca Rodgers, Lead Attorney, AARP Foundation
Rebecca Rodgers (she/her) is a Lead Attorney at AARP Foundation. She litigates impact civil rights cases on behalf of older adults in the fields of employment discrimination, disability rights, and health care. Prior to joining AARP Foundation, Rebecca was Managing Attorney at Disability Rights Advocates, where she led disability rights class action lawsuits related to access to health care, emergency preparedness, transportation, and public programs and services. Her representative cases include lawsuits against the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that challenged their failure to make the New York City subway system accessible for people with mobility disabilities. Rebecca earned her law degree from The George Washington University Law School.
Bethel Habte, Associate, Katz Banks Kumin LLP
Bethel Habte is an Associate at Katz Banks Kumin. Her practice involves representing clients on employment matters, including civil rights and whistleblower actions, with a particular focus on racial and gender discrimination cases. Previously, she was an associate and civil rights litigation fellow with a public interest law firm, focused on labor and employment law, and a law fellow at the National Education Association’s Office of General Counsel, focusing on labor, employment, and civil rights law. Bethel earned her Juris Doctor degree from Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL), where she was a Public Interest Law Scholar. During her time at NUSL, she was actively engaged in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, serving on several relevant committees. Through her work, Bethel seeks to create more equitable, safe, and healthy work environments.