Great Lakes ADA and Accessible I T Center
September 2004
Volume 1, Issue 2
Announcements
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

U.S. Secretary of Labor, Elaine L. Chao, has selected "You’re Hired! Success Knows No Limitations!" as the official theme for October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The theme emphasizes one of President George Bush’s top priorities—economic opportunity through job creation and builds upon the New Freedom Initiative that seeks to increase the opportunities for persons with disabilities to be fully included in the 21st Century workforce.

National Disability Mentoring Day

October 20, 2004 is National Disability Mentoring Day (DMD). DMD is designed to enhance internship and employment opportunities for people with disabilities by bringing them together with employers for a day of job shadowing and other hands-on career exploration activities. DMD is a partnership activity between the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the American Association of People with Disabilities. This national event supports ODEP's goals of improving transition outcomes for youth with disabilities and building partnerships with employers and federal, state, and local agencies to increase awareness of the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.

2005 National ADA Symposium

The National ADA Symposium is the most comprehensive training event available on the Americans with Disabilities Act and related disability issues including accessible information technology. The ADA Symposium brings together nationally recognized experts in their fields to conduct dynamic, interactive trainings in a relaxed environment that encourages networking and group problem solving. The next National ADA Symposium will be held May 17-19, 2005 at the Overland Park Convention Center in Kansas City.

Audio Conference Series

The Audio Conference Series offers advanced information on the ADA to supplement basic ADA knowledge. Sessions are scheduled from 1:00 to 2:30 pm Central Time (90 minute sessions) and will be real-time captioned on the Great Lakes ADA Center web site. A written transcript and digital recording of each session is archived on the Great Lakes web site.

Is My Business Accessible? Conducting A Self-Assessment: What Do I Need To Consider? - September 21

Many business owners state that they want to make their business accessible but don't know where to start. The ADA Guide to Small Business produced by the US Department of Justice outlines some basic activities that a business can do to determine whether or not they are meeting the requirements of the ADA. Conducting a review of the physical accessibility of a facility can be an overwhelming task. Determining the scope of the review as well as potential accessibility solutions can stymie even the most seasoned businessperson. Many give up out of frustration. Join our speaker as he outlines the steps to be taken when initiating a self-assessment as well as tools and resources that are available. AIA and CRCC Credit is available for this session with verification of attendance. If you wish to participate on this session, you may register online.

2004-2005 Audio Conference Series Begins this October

The schedule for the 2004-2005 Audio Conference Series is in the final stages of development. Featured sessions will include a special three part series dedicated to reasonable accommodation, emergency preparedness, accessible information technology in the K-12 setting and physical Access to Courts, accessible voting, historic properties and many more exciting topics. For complete schedule & registration information visit our web site.

Great Lakes ADA Center – In Depth
Great Lakes Center Provides Disability Information to the Latino Community

The Great Lakes ADA and Accessible IT Center considers it a priority to provide material on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), resources and other disability related information to Spanish speaking individuals. Anel Gonzalez, Bilingual Technical Assistance Specialist for the Great Lakes ADA & Accessible IT Center, facilitates these efforts. His duties include providing informal technical assistance on the provisions of the ADA via the toll free 800 number or by email, conducting trainings on the ADA for Spanish speaking organizations and entities, translating documents into Spanish, and serving as a liaison for the center at various programs and groups in the Latino Community.

The center distributes over 150 publications in Spanish produced by Federal agencies and Federal grantees. The publications cover a wide range of topics including employment, State & Local Governments, places of public accommodations and facility accessibility. The center conducts educational trainings for employers, businesses, architects, lawyers, and individuals with disabilities on a wide range of disability related topics. Trainings are customized to meet the specific needs of the audience.

The Great Lakes Center is currently upgrading the Spanish portion of its web site. It will contain resources and publications that explain the rights and responsibilities of individuals and entities under the ADA. Additionally, there will be updated information on events and conferences happening in the region and throughout the country. Individuals and entities interested in additional information on the services the center provides in the Latino community can contact Anel Gonzalez at 800-949-4232 Voice/TTY (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI only) or 312-413-1439 Voice/TTY or by email.

Federal Agency Update
US Access Board
European Conference on Communication and IT Access

Representatives of the U.S. Access Board will participate in the European Conference on Communication and IT Access. The European Commission, the Access Board, and other organizations will hold an international workshop on accessible information and communication technologies October 19 - 21, 2004 in Brussels, Belgium. The conference will focus on harmonizing accessibility and requirements for use in public procurement of information technology and communication products and services. Briefings will be given on approaches taken and policies implemented in European Union member nations, the U.S. Canada, and Japan. The board plans to provide information on its standards for electronic and information technology and its guidelines for telecommunication products.

Department of Justice
DOJ Signs 100th Agreement Under Project Civic Access

The Justice Department has signed its one-hundredth agreement under Project Civic Access. The purpose of this initiative is to bring localities into full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As a result of these agreements, people with disabilities will be able to participate fully in fundamental aspects of American life, including attending town hall meetings, viewing government websites, accessing emergency services, and voting at their local polling places. Project Civic Access was initiated to ensure that people with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate in civic life. As part of the Project, Departmental investigators, attorneys, and architects survey state and local government facilities and programs across the country for the purpose of identifying modifications needed to comply with ADA requirements. Depending on the circumstances in each community, the agreements address specific areas where access can be improved. Most recently, the Department entered into 24 agreements with communities across the country.

DOJ Publishes Quarterly Status Report on ADA Enforcement Efforts

The Department of Justice (DOJ) publishes quarterly status reports that cover selected ADA activities of the Department. Through lawsuits and settlement agreements, the Department of Justice (DOJ) enforces the provisions of the ADA. The DOJ may file lawsuits in federal court to enforce the ADA, and courts may order compensatory damages and back pay to remedy discrimination if the Department prevails. The latest report covers their enforcement activities for the period of January-March 2004.

Department of Justice Online News

Disability Rights Online News is a monthly update about the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division’s activities in the area of disability rights. The Division enforces laws prohibiting discrimination based on disability in employment, housing, access to businesses serving the public, access to government programs and services including voting and public transportation, and unconstitutional conditions in institutions of confinement.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
EEOC Web Site Features ADA Enforcement Statistics

The EEOC web site features statistics on the number of complaints filed alleging discrimination under federal laws that they enforce. Included in these statistics are charges of discrimination filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Department of Transportation
Department of Transportation and America West Reach Settlement Over Treatment of Passengers With Disabilities

The Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Aviation Enforcement investigated America West's compliance with the Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA) after receiving complaints from passengers with disabilities alleging inadequate assistance in boarding and exiting aircraft and in making connections. The Enforcement Office also reviewed complaints America West received directly from passengers with disabilities that alleged failures in these areas. The investigation revealed a number of ACAA violations, including failure to provide wheelchair assistance entirely, prolonged delays in obtaining wheelchair assistance, and stranding individuals alone in wheelchairs in the terminal or on board an aircraft for extended periods of time. In addition, the office found that America West failed in a number of instances to comply with the requirements for providing a proper written response to a complaint and failed to provide its complaint resolution officials - staff who respond to complaints by disabled passengers - with sufficient training on the DOT disability rules. According to the terms of the settlement, of the $850,000 civil penalty, America West may use $775,000 toward specified activities to improve the carrier's services to persons with disabilities beyond the requirements of the ACAA rules.

Disability Law Update
Web Site Accessibility
New York Attorney Generals Office Reaches Settlement to Make Web Sites Accessible

New York Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, announced settlements with Ramada.com and Priceline.com to make their respective web sites accessible to persons with vision impairments. The companies will implement accessibility standards to allow customers who use assistive technology to navigate their web sites with increased ease. The accessibility standards follow recommendations from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an organization dedicated to improving Internet accessibility.

The Docket
Employee’s Termination Did Not Violate the ADA (7th Cir, 03-2256, June 3, 2004)

The U.S. 7th Circuit ruled that International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) when it fired Thomas Larimer. Mr. Larimer worked as a salesman for IBM and brought suit under the ADA alleging that IBM terminated him because of the exorbitant cost of medical care related to his newborn twins and this violated the “association” clause of the ADA. The provisions of the ADA prohibit discrimination based upon their association to a person with a disability. The Court identified three areas in which a claim of association can be raised: expense, disability by association, and distraction. Since Mr. Larimer did not fall within these three categories and he was suing on his behalf and not his daughters he did not have standing under the ADA.

U.S. 9th Circuit Court Rules Medical Student Does Not Meet Definition of Disability (9th Cir, 01-17432, August 18, 2004)

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Andrew H. K. Wong who alleged that the University of California discriminated against him in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act when it denied his request for learning disability accommodations and subsequently dismissed him for failure to meet the academic requirements of the medical school at the University’s Davis campus. The district court granted the University’s motion for summary judgment, concluding that Wong failed to present a triable issue of material fact as to whether he was "disabled" and thus legally entitled to special accommodations under those Acts. The court deemed Mr. Wong does not meet the definition of disability when considering his level of academic success in comparison to the average person and that he is not "substantially limited" in reading and learning, and thus be entitled to claim the protections afforded under the Acts to a "disabled" person.

Events
National
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) 2004 Annual Convention September 8-12, Washington D.C.

The conference will be held at the Washington Hilton and Towers. The conference agenda will address mental health services, research, forensic issues, housing, employment, consumer-run programs, fundraising, and other topics of critical importance to consumers and family members.

For more information visit the NAMI website at: www.nami.org
Job Accommodation Network (JAN) Symposium 2004, September 20-21, Orlando, Florida

"Charting the Course: Accommodating and Employing People with Disabilities", JAN's annual symposium, will offer three training tracks addressing accommodation issues, best practices, and ADA/legal issues. This event offers a unique opportunity for human resource managers, supervisors, and other management professionals to attend workshops presented by JAN consultants and gain valuable guidance and resources that can be shared with others in your company or organization.

For more information go to: http://symposium.jan.wvu.edu/
Conference on Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities September 22-24, Arlington, Virginia

The National Organization on Disability, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Capital Region, announces the Conference on Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities. This conference is the first to focus on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery specific to the unique emergency needs of people with disabilities. High-level authorities from the emergency management, disability, and special needs communities, government agencies, private business, and the service, advocacy, and care networks will be at this forum to share and learn about each other's experiences, resources, and best practice models.

For more information visit the National Organization on Disability website at: www.nod.org
2004 National Association of ADA Coordinators Conference October 25–28, Miami, Florida

The Fall 2004 National Association of ADA Coordinators will feature four tracks: Accessibility, College/University, Employment, and Transit. The conference covers new and updated issues for ADA Coordinators, Section 501/504 Compliance Officers, Human Resources and Risk Management Professionals, Transit/Transportation Professionals, Architects, and others working with these issues.

For more information go to: www.jan.wvu.edu/naadac
Regional
2004 Technical Assistance Program September 20, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The 2004 Technical Assistance Program (TAP) is a training program facilitated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). This one day training features workshops dealing with various topics such as “Harassment in the Workplace: Issues & Trends”, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), top 10 Ways to Know You are Going to Be Sued”, and Practical Solutions to Employing & Accommodating Disabled Individuals in the Workplace”. TAP will be held at Marquette University – Alumni Memorial Union. The registration fee is $295 with an early-bird discount for payment received on or before September 3rd. For Registration information call 800 – 600 – 6157 V, 800 – 600 –6158 TTY or email eeoc.traininginstitute@eeoc.gov.

Tools for Recovery...New Connections for the Future October 15–17 Lisle, Illinois

This is the 20th annual educational conference hosted by NAMI Illinois. This conference will feature exhibits as well as several guest speakers among them Marilyn Martin, author of Saving Our Last Nerve—The Black Woman’s Path to Mental Health. For more information on this event contact Holly McCaffrey at 217-522-1403 or email at hollymac@sbcglobal.net

The Great Lakes Vine

The Great Lakes Vine features information from various entities and organizations that partner with the Great Lakes ADA Center to foster voluntary compliance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Equip for Equality Announces the Illinois ADA Project

Equip for Equality (EFE), the Illinois Protection and Advocacy Organization for people with disabilities, will be the fiscal agent for the Illinois ADA Project, a statewide resource for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) information. A public introduction of the Illinois ADA Project will be held at Equip for Equality on September 29th at 3:30 P.M. Zena Naiditch, President and C.E.O of EFE will provide opening remarks, followed by a presentation about The Illinois ADA Project by Alan Goldstein, Senior Attorney for EFE. The project will provide information on the ADA for individuals, businesses, and organizations, answer ADA related questions, perform ADA Trainings for individuals, businesses, and organizations, and assist with finding additional ADA resources. Please contact EFE if you are interested in attending.
312-341-0022
Se Habla Español. 800/537-2632 V
800-610-2779 TTY
312-341-0295 F

Indiana's 2004 ADA Celebration: Celebrating 14 years and 14 Winners

ADA-Indiana commemorated the 14th Anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act by hosting an awards ceremony for the fourteen young Hoosiers who were winners in the Statewide ADA-Indiana Calendar Art Contest. The event took place on Saturday, July 24th at the Indianapolis Zoo. Many of the winners, their families, and ADA-Indiana members were on hand for the event. ADA-Indiana's Statewide Calendar Art Contest invited young people from Indiana communities to create an original piece of art that in some way depicts how the ADA has made a positive impact in their community and on people's lives. ADA-Indiana received more than 200 entries for all areas of Indiana. The winning artwork will be featured in ADA-Indiana's 15th Anniversary of the ADA Calendar to be published later this year. Please visit www.adaindiana.org for more information about Indiana's 2004 Celebration and ADA-Indiana.

ADA - Ohio Presents 1st Annual ADA Award

ADA-OHIO presented its first annual ADA Award on August 15 to Playhouse Square Center in Cleveland, Ohio, for its work in creating an isolation booth called ProtectoZone for persons with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). ProtectoZone allows individuals with MCS to participate in cultural events at the theater without being exposed to chemicals in the air such as perfume, deodorant, and hairspray. The annual ADA Award is presented to individuals and/or organizations that have made a significant contribution to compliance with The Americans with Disabilities Act. The Award is made possible through an ongoing grant from the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council. The Board of Trustees for ADA-OHIO determines the recipients. The next ADA Award will be presented at a luncheon on April 12, 2005, in conjunction with a seminar being planned by ADA-OHIO entitled, "Demystifying the Interplay of the ADA with FMLA and Workers' Comp." This seminar will be a pre-conference option associated with the Multiple Perspectives Conference, which is hosted annually by the ADA Coordinator's Office at The Ohio State University.

Question of the Month
Question

I am in charge of purchasing technology for my school. What should I look for when purchasing technology to ensure accessibility?

Answer

There are some things that you can do to determine if the technology you plan to purchase is accessible. Begin with asking the vendor some basic questions about accessibility of the product. Below is a list of questions about accessible technology the vendor should address:

  1. Can the product be used without a mouse?
    If the product is software based, or runs a software component, the vendor should be aware that not all technology users can operate a standard mouse, and keyboard-only access to the product should be available.
  2. Can the product be used by visually impaired users?
    If the answer is yes, determine under what circumstances it can be used. The vendor should provide information on how the device or software can provide functionality to visually impaired users, either directly or by augmentive measures.
  3. Are the technology system's fonts, display colors and contrast user-adjustable?
    By providing access to settings in a device or software, user's needs and preferences can be met with relative ease, and not require external devices or measures.
  4. Are the controls and layout easy and simple to understand, clearly labeled, and the controls easy to reach?
    The technology (software or hardware) should offer controls and displays that are non-cluttered, and involve processes that are not overly cumbersome or complicated. This includes peripherals, such as printers, copiers, portable computers, and other devices.
  5. Does the device or software interfere with assistive technology or any other accessibility features?
    The vendor should provide a statement regarding any known issues the Technology may cause to assistive technology or other adaptive equipment when used in conjunction.

You may also ask the vendor for a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), which consists of a table of accessibility checkpoints to correspond with the accessibility standards laid out by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Any vendor who has purveyed technology to the Federal government is required to submit a VPAT as a statement of accessibility, and can be used as a tool for evaluation by educational entities.

Resources & Publications

The Great Lakes ADA Center disseminates publications related to all aspects of the ADA to inform and raise awareness of disability issues and to foster voluntary compliance with the ADA. The Great Lakes ADA Center disseminates materials including posters, regulations and technical bulletins on various ADA topics. In addition, we also offer online technical assistance on the provisions of the ADA and Accessible Information Technology via our website at:

www.adagreatlakes.org

Resource of the Month
Accessible Information Technology - "Breaking Down Barriers"

"Breaking Down Barriers" is an information package developed to help educators, teachers, principals, administrators, and parents understand issues related to information technology accessibility. This resource was created through a collaboration with the National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education (AccessIT) and the ten regional ADA & IT Technical Assistance Centers. The packet contains information about accessible IT, a list of resources for accessible IT support, a parent-oriented pamphlet with information on how parents can help their children obtain accessible IT in their schools. A key feature of the packet is a CD-ROM, which is an interactive multimedia disc containing animation and information about how IT and accessibility are issues in the community. The disc highlights key accessibility features such as captioning and speech capabilities.

Accessible IT
Accessible IT Materials Available

The following is a list of publications addressing a variety of topics on accessible information technology that you can obtain copies of from the Great Lakes ADA and Accessible IT Center:

Additional Accessible IT Information Resource

The National Center on Accessible Information Technology in Education, or AccessIT, is a project funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education. AccessIT partners with the ten regional Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) to provide tools, information and resources on accessible information technology to individuals, businesses, public entities, and educational organizations.

Online Course Available - Designing Universally Accessible Web Resources

The University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign is offering an online course for web content developers to learn about access issues faced by people with disabilities when using the web. Jon Gunderson, Ph.D., ATP, Coordinator of Assistive Communication and Information Technology will teach this course. Developers will learn how web resources can be designed to improve accessibility and how people with disabilities access information on the web using mainstream browsers and specialized assistive technologies like speech renderings. The course will cover the two main standards for web accessibility, the W3C Web Content Accessibility Standards and the Section 508 requirements for web materials. In addition the strengths and weaknesses of different evaluation and repair tools will be presented to help participants understand how to use the available tools to evaluate and repair their web resources.

Staff and Credits

 

  • Robin Jones — Project Director
  • Claudia Diaz — Project Specialist
  • Bob Alvarez — Accessible IT Initiative
  • Julio Chavarria — Network Analyst
  • Nilay Shah — Assistant Network Analyst
  • Peter Berg — Technical Assistance Coordinator
  • J. Anel Gonzalez — Bi-lingual Technical Assistance Specialist
  • Stan Wakefield — Technical Assistance Specialist
  • Brian Mardis — Staff Specialist
 

If you have questions or comments about the Great Lakes Chronicle contact:
Stan Wakefield Great Lakes Chronicle Editor 312-413-7756 or Email Great Lakes Chronicle
The Great Lakes Chronicle Editorial Staff: Robin Jones & Peter Berg

 

Great Lakes ADA & Accessible IT Center
University of Illinois at Chicago
Department of Disability and Human Development (MC 626)
College of Applied Health Sciences
1640 W. Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608
800-949-4232 (V/TTY)
312-413-1856 (Fax)
Email Great Lakes ADA Center
www.adagreatlakes.org

 

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Grant# USDEH133D010203
The contents of this newsletter were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. However the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.
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