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2026 IaPELRA Fall Conference
City of Bondurant
9/10/2026 - 9/11/2026
Thursday, September 10th 8a - 4:30p
Friday, September 11th, 8a - 12:30p
Pricing
*Please note: To deliver the best possible experience, we are unable to accept registrations after the deadline. We appreciate your timely response and look forward to seeing you there.
Event Details
Join IaPELRA for 2 days of learning, including the following sessions from Rachel Shaw:
Where Has Everyone Gone? Navigating Leave and Accommodation in Today’s Workplace
Public sector employers across the country are asking the same question:
Where has everyone gone?
Workforces are shrinking, leave requests are increasing, and accommodation issues are becoming more complex than ever. HR, Labor Relations, and Risk professionals are being asked to manage competing demands with fewer resources—while legal risk continues to grow. This highly practical, 3-hour training goes beyond the law and into real-world decision-making.
Participants will learn how to:
- Navigate the intersection of ADA, FMLA, and other leave laws with confidence
- Manage increasing accommodation and leave requests without defaulting to unnecessary risk
- Address patterns such as high intermittent leave use, extended leave, and unclear medical restrictions
- Support supervisors in making better, more consistent decisions
- Build defensible processes that work in real time—not just on paper
Using real-world scenarios and practical tools, Rachel Shaw will walk attendees through how to move from uncertainty and inconsistency… to clear, confident decision-making in one of the most challenging areas of HR today.
Why We Matter: The Real Impact of HR, Risk, and Labor Relations in Today’s Workplace
In today’s workplace, HR, Labor Relations, and Risk professionals are being asked to do more than ever before—often with fewer resources, higher expectations, and increasing complexity.
But this work is about more than compliance.
It’s about impact.
In this engaging and thought-provoking keynote, Rachel Shaw challenges professionals to rethink their role—not just as problem-solvers, but as decision-makers who shape workplace culture, outcomes, and risk every single day.
This session will explore:
- Why technical knowledge alone is not enough in today’s environment
- The real-world impact of HR decisions on people and organizations
- How to build confidence in high-stakes, imperfect situations
- What it takes to move from reactive problem-solving to intentional leadership
Attendees will leave with a renewed sense of purpose, practical perspective, and a clearer understanding of why their work truly matters.
About Rachel Shaw
Rachel Shaw is a nationally recognized expert on disability, leave management, and workplace compliance, and the President of Shaw HR Consulting and Rachel Shaw Inc..
With over two decades of experience, Rachel works with public sector agencies, healthcare systems, and private employers across the country to build practical, defensible approaches to ADA, FMLA, and leave management. She is known for translating complex legal requirements into real-world strategies that HR professionals can actually use, particularly in high-risk, high-pressure situations where there are no easy answers.
Rachel is the creator of the Disability Interactive Process Hallway® framework, a widely used approach to navigating accommodation and leave decisions with consistency and clarity. She has trained tens of thousands of professionals nationwide and is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, known for her candid, engaging, and practical style. She is also the author of The Disabled Workforce: What the ADA Never Anticipated, and a frequent contributor to national publications including SHRM, Forbes, and Fast Company.
Additional Information
Event Contact:
Jessica Wright
Contact Organization:
IaPELRA
Email:
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Thursday, September 10th 8a - 4:30p
Friday, September 11th, 8a - 12:30p
Pricing
*Please note: To deliver the best possible experience, we are unable to accept registrations after the deadline. We appreciate your timely response and look forward to seeing you there.
Join IaPELRA for 2 days of learning, including the following sessions from Rachel Shaw:
Where Has Everyone Gone? Navigating Leave and Accommodation in Today’s Workplace
Public sector employers across the country are asking the same question:
Where has everyone gone?
Workforces are shrinking, leave requests are increasing, and accommodation issues are becoming more complex than ever. HR, Labor Relations, and Risk professionals are being asked to manage competing demands with fewer resources—while legal risk continues to grow. This highly practical, 3-hour training goes beyond the law and into real-world decision-making.
Participants will learn how to:
- Navigate the intersection of ADA, FMLA, and other leave laws with confidence
- Manage increasing accommodation and leave requests without defaulting to unnecessary risk
- Address patterns such as high intermittent leave use, extended leave, and unclear medical restrictions
- Support supervisors in making better, more consistent decisions
- Build defensible processes that work in real time—not just on paper
Using real-world scenarios and practical tools, Rachel Shaw will walk attendees through how to move from uncertainty and inconsistency… to clear, confident decision-making in one of the most challenging areas of HR today.
Why We Matter: The Real Impact of HR, Risk, and Labor Relations in Today’s Workplace
In today’s workplace, HR, Labor Relations, and Risk professionals are being asked to do more than ever before—often with fewer resources, higher expectations, and increasing complexity.
But this work is about more than compliance.
It’s about impact.
In this engaging and thought-provoking keynote, Rachel Shaw challenges professionals to rethink their role—not just as problem-solvers, but as decision-makers who shape workplace culture, outcomes, and risk every single day.
This session will explore:
- Why technical knowledge alone is not enough in today’s environment
- The real-world impact of HR decisions on people and organizations
- How to build confidence in high-stakes, imperfect situations
- What it takes to move from reactive problem-solving to intentional leadership
Attendees will leave with a renewed sense of purpose, practical perspective, and a clearer understanding of why their work truly matters.
About Rachel Shaw
Rachel Shaw is a nationally recognized expert on disability, leave management, and workplace compliance, and the President of Shaw HR Consulting and Rachel Shaw Inc..
With over two decades of experience, Rachel works with public sector agencies, healthcare systems, and private employers across the country to build practical, defensible approaches to ADA, FMLA, and leave management. She is known for translating complex legal requirements into real-world strategies that HR professionals can actually use, particularly in high-risk, high-pressure situations where there are no easy answers.
Rachel is the creator of the Disability Interactive Process Hallway® framework, a widely used approach to navigating accommodation and leave decisions with consistency and clarity. She has trained tens of thousands of professionals nationwide and is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, known for her candid, engaging, and practical style. She is also the author of The Disabled Workforce: What the ADA Never Anticipated, and a frequent contributor to national publications including SHRM, Forbes, and Fast Company.