A project of the Institute for Human Centered Design | |
ADA Question of the Month | |
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Question: I think I have a disability because of my heart condition; however, a friend told me that the ADA is for people in wheelchairs so they can get into buildings. Is that right?
The answer is at the end of the newsletter.
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ADA 32nd Anniversary Celebrations | |
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Mondays, July 18, and July 25
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EDT
Zoom Webinar
Tune in as teams from the ten regional ADA Centers test their ADA knowledge and ability to provide an answer in the form of a question! Topics to challenge the teams include: ADA and employment; digital access; effective communication; facility access; and reasonable modifications in policies, practices, and procedures. Cheer for your regional Center team, and learn along the way. Top two regional Center teams advance to the final championship showdown on July 25th.
Register for ADA Jeopardy!
| Americans with Disabilities Act 32nd Anniversary Updates | |
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Tuesday, July 19
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EDT
Zoom Webinar
Mark the 32nd Anniversary of the ADA by joining this session as we hear from representatives of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) provide an update on their litigation, technical assistance, and enforcement efforts. Participants will have an opportunity to pose questions to the presenters regarding issues in their own workplace or community.
Register for Americans with Disabilities Act 32nd Anniversary Updates.
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New Britain, Connecticut Annual “Walk & Roll” Ability Awareness Day Celebrates 32 Years of the ADA | |
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Wednesday July 20
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. EDT
Live Event
The city celebrates the 32nd Anniversary of the ADA. The free event begins at the Darius Miller Band Shell with a one-mile walk/roll around Walnut Hill Park. There will be a free concert, children's activities, raffles and refreshments. Also, there will be prizes for best decorated wheels! Rain date is July 27.
Annual “Walk & Roll” Ability Awareness Day.
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Newington, Connecticut 2022 Summer Concert Series to Celebrate the ADA | |
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Thursday July 21
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT
Live Event
The Newington Parks and Recreation department continues its Edythe and Harry Mandell 2022 summer concert series. To celebrate the 32nd anniversary of the ADA organizers will note the significance of the day. A special proclamation will be read to renew the community’s commitment to equity for all. The event will take place at Mill Pond Park. Daily Planet will perform. Free ice cream will be provided (while supplies last).
Newington, Connecticut 2022 Summer Concert Series to Celebrate the ADA.
| Who are the Heroes? A History of the Disability Rights Movement | |
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Friday, July 22
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT
Zoom Webinar
In celebration of the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the ADA, this program explores the key moments and personalities of the disability rights movement over the past one hundred years. Participants will learn about our heroes who, through their courage and conviction, fought for equality and laid the foundation of the four "pillars" of the ADA, full participation, independent living, equality of opportunity, and economic self-sufficiency.
Register for Who are the Heroes? A History of the Disability Rights Movement.
Image source: image courtesy of Southwest ADA Center.
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Exploring the Intersections of Person and Place | |
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Thursday, July 14
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EDT
Zoom Webinar
The webinar will include five interdisciplinary experts, including several with lived experience. They will conduct an interactive, dynamic conversation about healthy aging with disabilities and the importance of environmental factors such as the built, attitudinal, and policy environments. Panelists will also discuss high-priority concerns, including housing, social disconnectedness and isolation, home and community-based supports, and steps to improve outcomes. Registration is free and required.
Register for Exploring the Intersections of Person and Place.
Image source: image courtesy of IDEAL RRTC.
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Intersection of Addictions, Race, and Criminal Justice | |
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Wednesday, July 27
3:00-5:00pm ET
Zoom Webinar
The continuing fight for racial equity and social justice has increased focus on racial inequities in the criminal justice system and prompted discussion about the relationship between criminal justice and addiction treatment. Mandating individuals to treatment has led to dependency between the treatment and the criminal justice systems. Has this relationship caused disparate negative impacts on Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC)? Has it contributed to trauma and victimization of BIPOC populations with substance use disorders? Join us as we explore the intersection of criminal justice, addiction treatment, and race.
Register for Intersection of Addictions, Race, and Criminal Justice.
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HUD's Fair Housing Accessibility First to Offer Trainings | |
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Tuesday, July 26 thru September 27
8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Zoom Webinar
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Fair Housing Accessibility First office recently published their training events calendar. Over the next three months they will be providing comprehensive virtual training on kitchens, bathrooms, accessible routes, making housing accessible, accessible areas, and providing an overview of the Fair Housing Act. Individuals can register for these virtual events that begin on Tuesday, July 26, 2022, and taking place until September 27, 2022, by visiting the Training Calendar. As part of these virtual training events, there will have a question-and-answer session where subject matter experts will answer your questions on these topics.
Register for HUD's Fair Housing Accessibility First Trainings.
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Join the 29th Annual Mid-Atlantic ADA Center’s ADA Conference | |
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October 12 - 13
Alexandria, Virginia
The Mid-Atlantic ADA Center will host ADACon 2022!, which is a comprehensive conference on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria, Virginia. The in-person conference offers attendees the opportunity to select from over 30 breakout sessions, network with other professionals with similar interests and concerns, and earn continuing education hours for professional development requirements. Conference session topics will cover ADA implementation and disability inclusion. A limited capacity pre-conference will be held Tuesday, October 11. Save $50 during early bird registration! Conference registration fee is $600 through August 8.
Register for 29th Annual Mid-Atlantic ADA Center’s ADA Conference.
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Mary Mahon McCauley Addresses Lizzo and Ableist Language | |
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Musical artist Lizzo recently issued an apology and released a new version of her song, "Grrrls", after disability activists criticized her use of an ableist slur in the song. Lizzo was widely praised by the disability community for her quick action and for listening to and learning from the disability community. Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD) Executive Director Mary Mahon McCauley spoke with Magic 106.7 about the use of ableist language. She went on to discuss the incident and the lessons we can learn from it.
Mary Mahon McCauley Addresses Lizzo and Ableist Language.
Image source: image courtesy of MOD.
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Disability Law Center: Notice of Proposed Settlement Agreement | |
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A proposed settlement has been reached that would resolve the class action lawsuit Giannaros v. Poly-Wood, No. 1:21-cv-10351 (D. Mass.). The lawsuit alleges that Poly-Wood violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101, et seq. by failing to take the necessary steps to ensure its Websites do not discriminate against blind or visually disabled consumers who use screen reader auxiliary aids to access digital content. Poly-Wood denies the allegations. Under the settlement, Poly-Wood agrees to take additional steps to make its websites, mobile apps, and any new website or mobile app it develops or acquires accessible to screen reader users.
Disability Law Center: Notice of Proposed Settlement Agreement.
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Justice Department Finds Maine in Violation of ADA For Over-Institutionalization of Children with Disabilities | |
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The Department of Justice announced that it has concluded that Maine unnecessarily segregates children with mental health and/or developmental disabilities, in psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities, and a state-operated juvenile detention facility. Disability Rights Maine filed a complaint with the department on behalf of a group of children with disabilities, alleging that the children cannot access needed community-based services, resulting in their institutionalization or risk of institutionalization in violation of the ADA and the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead. The department’s findings are result of a thorough investigation into the complaint and the State’s system of care for children with behavioral health needs.
Justice Department Finds Maine in Violation of ADA For Over-Institutionalization of Children with Disabilities.
Image source: file photo.
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Massachusetts: Accessible Kayaking with All Out Adventures | |
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Join All Out Adventures for kayaking at Quinsigamond State Park in Worcester kayakers will paddle together in a small pod. There will be 1 hour 15 minute timeslots to allow for time to get set up and recreate on the water. Instruction, adaptive equipment and assistance as needed is provided. Cost: $8 per participant. One guest of a program participant with a disability can attend at no charge.
To register: call (413) 584-2052 or email [email protected].
Image source: image courtesy of All Out Adventures.
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Biden Administration Encourages the Extension of Telehealth Addiction Treatment | |
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The Biden administration is making a play to set in stone the pandemic era-expansion of telehealth access for people struggling with addiction, offering up a series of suggestions for federal agencies and lawmakers in a new report. Rahul Gupta, director of the Office for National Drug Control Policy, said in a statement, telehealth provides “a cost-effective way to increase access to care for vulnerable people with substance use disorder by meeting them where they are.”
Biden Administration Encourages the Extension of Telehealth Addiction Treatment.
Image source: file photo.
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Smithsonian’s Latino Gallery Makes Big Gains for Accessibility | |
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The first permanent Latino exhibition on the Mall also represents a milestone for Smithsonian accessibility by embedding technology and displays that engage visitors with physical, sensory and cognitive conditions. “We made an early decision to make the gallery as accessible as possible. We felt it was the right thing to do,” said Eduardo Díaz, acting deputy director of the National Museum of the American Latino. “The ‘aha’ moment was that it made it better for everyone.”
Smithsonian’s Latino Gallery Makes Big Gains for Accessibility.
Image source: file photo.
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To Protect People with Addiction from Discrimination, the Department of Justice Turns to a Long-Overlooked Tool: the ADA | |
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In a 2020 settlement, the U.S. Justice Department found that Massachusetts General Hospital discriminated against a person in recovery from substance use disorder under the ADA, which is landmark 1990 civil rights law meant to ensure that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else. It’s not a well-known element, but the ADA classifies substance use disorder as a disability, meaning disfavoring someone for being in recovery or based on their past drug use is illegal. Increasingly, Department of Justice attorneys are leveraging the law to try to overcome some of the rampant discrimination that people with substance use disorders face.
To Protect People with Addiction from Discrimination, the Department of Justice Turns to a Long-Overlooked Tool: the ADA.
Image source: image courtesy of STAT by Mike Reddy.
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New Web Course: Introduction to Assistive Technology | |
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Some people with disabilities use assistive technologies (AT) to assist them with a variety of tasks. In this training, the focus is on understanding what assistive technologies are, including the variety of types available, their benefits, and how they meet the needs of people with disabilities. The course takes approximately 60 minutes to complete.
New Web Course: Introduction to Assistive Technology.
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Answer to the ADA Question of the Month | |
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Answer: The ADA goes beyond just wheelchair access. The ADA defines disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. It may be a disorder or condition, that affects one or more body systems like the cardiovascular system. This would include a nonapparent conditions like heart disease or a mental health illness, to apparent disabilities like people with mobility impairments.
July marks the 32nd anniversary of the ADA. To learn more about the ADA see the fact sheet An Overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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Participate in our monthly interactive quiz feature where you answer our disability-related question.
Question:
Which individuals listed below have protections under the ADA?
1) Individuals participating in medical assisted treatment programs for substance
abuse disorders who are not currently illegally using drugs.
2) Individuals who compulsively gamble.
3) Individuals who have kleptomania
4) All the above.
Email your answer to [email protected] by July 31.
First person to respond with the correct answer will be featured in next month’s newsletter.
Last month’s Show You Know! answer
Thank you to, Jessie Butterfield, at the Vermont Center for Independent Living, for being the first person to submit the correct answer.
The question was, A person without an apparent disability shows up at a town meeting with a leashed dog. May the municipality:
A) Tell them no dogs are allowed.
B) Ask “Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and
what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?”
C) Ask for a service animal identification card.
D) Tell them only people who are blind have service dogs.
“B” was the correct answer.
The municipality can have a “No Pets” policy for their facilities; however, they would allow people with disabilities and their service animals in to the building wherever the public is allowed. If it is not clear that the animal is a service animal, a municipal employee can ask, “Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability, and what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?” If the need for a service animal is obvious, the attendee and their service animal should be allowed to proceed without being questioned. The employee should never ask for an identification card or any other documentation of service animal validity.
June was awareness month for several nonapparent disabilities like Dravet Syndrome, Tourette Syndrome, Alzheimer’s, and PTSD. Many people with nonapparent disabilities use service animals. To learn more about service animals see the ADA National Network’s Service Animal fact sheet.
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We strive to ensure the Newsletter and the content we share is accessible. Unfortunately we have limited control of external websites. Please email us at [email protected] if you encounter any issues accessing the newsletter or related content.
Access New England features topics related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), originating from the ADA Center, our state affiliates, the ADA National Network, and national sources.
The New England ADA Center is a member of the ADA National Network funded by the Administration for Community Living through National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research Grant 90DPAD0011.
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