ODA Staff
Ron Venable
Ron Venable is the Director of the Office of Disability Accommodation. His career working with students with disabilities began with the Texas Rehabilitation Commission (now known as the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services) as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor. In this position, he provided transition counseling for people with disabilities, job placement and eligibility determination for services. Ron's caseload at DARS was primarily comprised of college students from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and the Tarrant County College District. He gained experience working with a wide range of physical disabilities but the majority of his work was with Learning Disabilities, and Attention Deficit Disorder.
After DARS, Ron was the Assistant Director of the Office for Students with Disabilities at UT Arlington. There, he worked with students and faculty to determine appropriate accommodations in the classroom for three years before coming to UNT. This work continues at UNT with an expanded administrative role. Ron received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Baylor University in 1995 and a Masters Degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1999.
Ron became the Director of the Office of Disability Accommodation in July 2004.
Randy Batiste
Randy Batiste, Associate Director has a long history in social services. After completing his B.A. in Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, he returned to San Antonio and began a career in direct disability services. In 1987, he was recruited to Dallas to create a supported employment program for persons with epilepsy. The bulk of his career has been as a vocational rehabilitation counselor with the Texas Rehabilitation Commission (DARS).
Based on his knowledge and personal experience with disability needs, Randy detoured into medical equipment sales, where he served as the mobility and rehabilitation technology expert for an area medical equipment company. He retained an intrinsic desire to serve others and returned to employment with the State of Texas in 1994. In 1999, Randy returned to school and completed an M.S. degree in Rehabilitation Counseling here at the University of North Texas. He is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Randy went on to provide vocational rehabilitation services to victims of family violence and served as an adjunct faculty member at UNT.
Randy joined the Office of Disability Accommodation team in May 2005.
Randi Johnson
Randalynn (Randi) Johnson is the Student Services Coordinator/Deaf Services Counselor for the Office of Disability Accommodation. She began working in the area of Deaf services at the Deaf Action Center in Dallas, Texas, first as Employment Specialist then as Interpreter Coordinator. As Employment Specialist, she assisted clients in the Deaf Community in finding employment, providing interpreting services for job interviews and through the hiring process. She has been employed at the University of North Texas since 2001 as a full time Sign Language Interpreter, providing communication access to students who are Deaf or have hearing impairments. She was promoted to Student Services Coordinator in 2005. Randi graduated in 1997 from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources Counseling and Services to the Deaf with a Minor in Interpreting.
Rebecca Cagle
Rebecca Cagle has over ten years of experience working in both testing and technology areas of postsecondary disability accommodations. She is a graduate of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School Rehabilitation Science Program.
Rebecca French
Rebecca French is the Administrative Assistant for the Office of Disability Accommodation. Rebecca has a wealth of experience in office management, having 10 years of service at the university and 14 years in the banking industry. She is currently serving as a facilitator for the CASA (Creating a Service Attitude) program, training provided to student employees and she served on the selection committee for the Spring 2008 UNT Eagle Ambassadors. A native of Denton, Rebecca resides in Denton with her husband and daughter.
Valerie Nelson
Valerie Nelson is a Sign Language Interpreter for the Office of Disability Accommodation. Her educational background includes a B.S. in Communication from Ohio University and an A.A. in Interpreting from Tarrant County College. She remains active in the Sign Language community and the Deaf Community and holds a Basic Interpreting Certification from the Texas Board for Evaluation of Interpreters.