The Access Board approved updated requirements for information and communication technology (ICT) and new standards for medical diagnostic equipment at its meeting on September 14. The Board will proceed to submit both final rules to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance.

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance clarifying the obligation of schools to provide students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with equal educational opportunity under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Over the last five years, OCR has received more than 16,000 complaints that allege discrimination on the basis of disability in elementary and secondary education programs, and more than 10 percent involve allegations of discrimination against students with ADHD. The most common complaint concerns academic and behavioral difficulties students with ADHD experience at school when they are not timely and properly evaluated for a disability, or when they do not receive necessary special education or related aids and services.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued its final Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues, to replace its 1998 Compliance Manual section on retaliation. The guidance also addresses the separate "interference" provision under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits coercion, threats, or other acts that interfere with the exercise of ADA rights.The Commission has also issued two short user-friendly resource documents to accompany the new guidance: a question-and-answer publication that summarizes the guidance document, and a short Small Business Fact Sheet that condenses the major points in the guidance in non-legal language.

Wynn Las Vegas, LLC violated federal law when it discriminated against a disabled employee, a U.S. Army veteran who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed. According to the EEOC lawsuit, in 2010 Wynn began requiring its security guards to work mandatory overtime. One of the unarmed security bike officers requested an accommodation for his disability, and Wynn not only refused, but required the employee to submit burdensome doctor's notes. This denial exacerbated the employee's PTSD, and when the employee filed a complaint with EEOC, Wynn retaliated against him by suspending him pending an investigation, EEOC said.

M.G. Oil Company, which operates Happy Jack's Casino in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, violated federal law by refusing to hire an applicant when her drug test showed that she was taking legal prescription drugs for her disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed.

Harbor Hospital, Inc., doing business as MedStar Harbor Hospital, violated federal law when it refused to provide a reasonable accommodation to and instead fired a respiratory therapist because of his disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it announced. According to EEOC's suit, nine years before starting working as a respiratory therapist at MedStar, Jerome Alston received a kidney transplant due to renal failure. As a result, he is required to take medication which compromises his immune system and increases his risk of infection. Due to his weakened immune system, MedStar gave Alston a "work-around" hich excused him from working in negative pressure rooms, which are isolation rooms with a mechanical ventilation system designed to trap infectious airborne materials. MedStar also gave pregnant employees similar work-arounds. In November 2013, however, when Alston requested such a work-around, MedStar refused and abruptly terminated him because of his disability, EEOC charged.

New Mexico Orthopaedics Associates, P.C. (NMOA), which owns and operates a medical facility in Albuquerque, will pay $165,000 to settle a lawsuit for associational disability discrimination filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced. According to EEOC's suit, NMOA violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by firing Melissa Yalch Valencia, a temporary staffing agency employee, and failing to hire her for a full-time position because of her relationship with her then three-year old daughter, who had disabilities or was regarded as disabled.

Apria Healthcare Inc., a home medical provider that offers medical equipment and services in Albuquerque, will pay $100,000 to settle a lawsuit for disability discrimination filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced. According to EEOC's suit, Apria violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by firing Hilda Padilla approximately one week after she returned from medical leave to remove a 23-pound tumor. Although the company alleged the termination was due to a reduction-in-force, Padilla was not given notice of the impending layoff, and another warehouse clerk's position was not considered for elimination, according to EEOC's suit. The company initiated its decision to lay off Padilla only two days after she provided notice of her medical restrictions.

New Image Building Services, Inc., a Troy, Mich.-based cleaning company, has been sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for discharging an employee because of his medical condition, the federal agency announced. According to the lawsuit, New Image unlawfully discharged the employee because of his scoliosis.

A Scottsdale, Ariz., car dealership company violated federal law by rescinding a job offer after a pre-employment drug test revealed a prescription drug used to treat a disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed.

Minnesota-based Regis Corporation, doing business as SmartStyle, will pay $60,000 in damages and back pay to former hair stylist Nora Jacquez to settle a federal disability discrimination suit, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced. According to EEOC, Regis denied Jacquez an accommodation for her claustrophobia and then fired her.

American Blue Ribbons Holding, LLC, dba Legendary Baking, violated federal law by refusing to accommodate an employee with a disability and then firing her and failing to rehire her, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charged in a lawsuit it filed.

Wayne Farms, LLC, one of the nation's largest poultry producers, illegally discriminated against a class of employees because of their disabilities, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed on August 18, 2016. In its suit, EEOC charged that Wayne Farms violated the rights of a class of workers with disabilities by maintaining an inflexible attendance policy. The policy capped the number of allowable employee absences in a manner that made little to no allowance for disability-related absences.

In response to several Supreme Court decisions that narrowly interpreted the ADA's definition of "disability," Congress passed the ADAAA to ensure that the ADA definition of "disability" would be broadly construed. The ADAAA made a number of significant changes to the meaning and interpretation of the ADA definition of "disability" to ensure that the term would be applied without extensive analysis, so that all individuals with disabilities could receive the law's protections. The final rule ensures that the Department's regulations are consistent with the changes Congress made to the ADA.

Wells Fargo has paid a total of almost $15.2 million to 925 people who experienced discrimination in banking in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is the largest payment under an ADA settlement with the department. The agreement resolved numerous ADA complaints alleging that individuals with disabilities were not able to fully access Wells Fargo's facilities and services. Along with the settlement payment to eligible claimants, Wells Fargo removed physical barriers; provided auxiliary aids and services; hired an ADA coordinator; and adopted an effective communication policy to provide equal access to its retail banking and financial services.

The Justice Department reached a settlement agreement today with the YMCA of the Triangle in Raleigh, North Carolina, to resolve allegations that it violated title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by refusing to assist a child with diabetes-related tasks, including administration of the emergency medication Glucagon, so that the child could participate in a YMCA after-school program.

The Justice Department announced that it filed a complaint and consent decree resolving claims that the county violated Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) after failing to comply with the ADA under a Project Civic Access (PCA) Settlement Agreement. Under the consent decree, the county will, among other things, bring all county facilities, programs, services and activities into compliance with the ADA within three and a half years; ensure that the county website conforms with the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0AA; provide curb ramps at all county intersections; ensure that emergency management procedures, policies and shelters are accessible to individuals with disabilities; hire an ADA coordinator, independent licensed architect, web accessibility coordinator and website accessibility consultant; and pay $275,000 to compensate individuals with disabilities who faced barriers to facilities, programs, services or activities. The agreement has a term of three and a half years.

On August 22, 2016, the United States filed a Statement of Interest in the case of Ball v. Kasich. In Ball, individuals on a wait list for home-and community-based services allege that Ohio's ongoing denial of services has placed them at serious risk of institutionalization. The Statement of Interest clarifies that non-institutionalized individuals with disabilities who are not currently receiving state-funded home-and community-based services may bring a claim that a public entity has placed them at serious risk of institutionalization or segregation in violation of Title II's "integration mandate." The Statement of Interest also makes clear that a serious risk of institutionalization need not be imminent to state a valid Olmstead claim.

The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort among several disability and business organizations that seeks to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace as well as the dividend to be realized by fully including people with disabilities at work. People with disabilities can and do make important contributions to America's businesses every day. By implementing good workplace practices, like maintaining a flexible and inclusive work environment, businesses can capitalize on the talents of qualified people with disabilities, benefiting everyone.

Answer:
A service animal is defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act as:

Any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.

A service animal in training would not meet this definition contained in the ADA regulations. In addition, an individual with a disability using a service animal is the one protected by the ADA from discrimination on the basis of disability. The service animal not being used by an individual with a disability has no protection status under the ADA.

If a trainer is accompanied by a trained service animal there is nothing in the ADA that would require that the service animal be allowed into a covered entities facility. To summarize, a service animal in training does not meet the definition of a service animal under the ADA and a service animal meeting the definition under the ADA only must be allowed into covered facilities when with an individual with a disability.

Some states do require public facilities to allow a trainer to bring an animal in training into a public facility. Individuals should check with a state attorney general's office to get information about a particular state's requirements.

For additional information please contact the Great Lakes ADA Center at (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY) or by completing the online form: http://adagreatlakes.com/WebForms/ContactUs/>

For more information please call 800-949-4232 (Voice/TTY) or Online via Contact Us form.