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ADA Question of the Month - Do You Know the Answer?
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Question
:
I have a
problem
with
alcohol that is getting worse. I want to attend support meetings to help me stop drinking. The problem is that meeting times are during the day when I'm at work.
Must
my employer let me leave for a meeting?
The answer is at the end of the newsletter.
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The Changing Reality of Disability in America 2020
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This national project by IHCD intends to tell a compelling story about the experience of disability in America today to coincide with the 30
th
anniversary of the passage of the ADA
. A key focus of our quantitative and qualitative research will be to go beyond the data to tell stories of people who illuminate the 2020 experience and inform our understanding of what full participation requires today.
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Connecticut Municipal ADA Coordinator Certification Program
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Every municipality with 50 or more employees is required to designate at least one responsible employee to coordinate Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. The ADA Coalition of Connecticut (ADACC) has established the Municipal ADA Coordinator Certification program. It ensures that designated ADA Coordinators, most who fill this role in addition to other job duties, have the knowledge and understanding of the law to be effective.
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Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation's (DCR) Universal Access Program Adaptive Recreation Fair
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People with disabilities can enjoy family-friendly, accessible, and inclusive games and activities on the banks of the Charles River. The event will take place May 30, 2020. Try out adaptive bikes, trikes, and gear. Learn about adaptive and accessible recreation in Massachusetts state parks and beyond!
Image source: image courtesy of DCR.
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Research Findings Identify Challenges to Implementing the ADA Survey for Cities and Towns in New England
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Did you know that only 7.5% of municipalities in the New England region are in full compliance with the ADA? The New England ADA Center published the results of our research study about the challenges that municipalities face in implementing the ADA.
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On February 26th, 1-2pm ET the ADA National Network (ADANN) will host a Twitter Chat on Voting Access. Participants can follow @ADANational on Twitter and join the discussion, post questions, and test their knowledge about voting access and the ADA using the #ADANetworkChat hashtag. No registration is required. Participants do not need a Twitter account to follow the discussion, but must be logged into an account to post or respond to questions.
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The ADA ensures that people with disabilities, including people with addiction to alcohol have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. These protections also apply to people in recovery from the illegal use of drugs including but not limited to prescription drugs and opioids. The ADA National Network has released a new fact sheet addressing this topic.
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The Southwest ADA Regional Center is conducting a survey to investigate the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Participants must have personal or professional experience with disability issues. Results from the survey will help researchers understand what aspects of society have become more accessible due to the ADA and what areas still require further investigation and proposed solutions.
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Register Now: 2020 National ADA Symposium
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This annual four-day event is the most comprehensive conference on the ADA and provides the latest information on regulations and guidelines, implementation strategies, and best practices related to the ADA. Sessions cover all areas of the ADA including employment, state and local government, business, health care, higher education, and facility access. These sessions are presented by nationally recognized experts including representatives of the Dept. of Justice, EEOC, US Access Board, and Dept. of Health and Human Services
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 For someone who is deaf, communicating with a clerk at a retail store or non-ASL-speaking friend over dinner often involves laboriously writing notes. An app called Jeenie offers an alternative: Push a button, and a live ASL interpreter appears in a video call.
Image source: photo courtesy of Fast Company and Jeenie.
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Exploring the Onset of Disability in Rural Areas
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Research has found that people who live in rural areas begin to experience disability from mobility, cognitive, and sensory impairment as much as 10 years before people in urban areas. There are also higher rates of disability in rural areas across all age groups.
Image source: image courtesy of Pixabay.
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Unpacking The Spatial Implications Of Architecture's Accessibility Failures
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Built to Scale, an exhibition by artist Emily Barker is a new solo show that delves deep into the fundamental misunderstandings of architectural accessibility and its spatial impl
ications, particularly in the realm of the home.
Image source: image courtesy of Archinect and Josh Schaedel.
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Two productions at the Under the Radar Festival ask if the theater is ready to embrace the artistry of autism and other once disqualifying conditions.
Lindsey Snyder. Image source: photo courtesy of the New York Times by
Rachel Papo.
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Participate: Seeking Comment to Improve the Accessibility of Lavatories on Single-Aisle Aircraft
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The U.S. Department of Transportation is looking to improve the accessibility of single-aisle aircraft, which are increasingly being used by airlines for long-haul flights. At present, there is no requirement that airlines provide accessible lavatories on that style of aircraft. The inability to use the lavatory on long flights can present significant challenges to passengers with disabilities, and poses a deterrent to travel by air.
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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides free assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) to people with disabilities, seniors, and others who may need help in preparing their taxes. Information about eligibility, VITA locations, and documentation to bring to a help session is available from the IRS website. For people with disabilities, the IRS also provides a page with accessibility information, including large print tax forms and instructional videos in American Sign Language.
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The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN), in collaboration with the National Industry Liaison Group (NILG), recently published a new guide called "Engaging Employees to Measure Success: Innovative Approaches to Encouraging Self-Identification of Disability." The guide focuses on strategies companies can use to encourage employees with disabilities to self-identify, providing ideas for how to counter what research has shown to be the main barriers to self-identification.
Image source: image courtesy of EARN.
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Why Companies Shouldn't Label Their Clothes "Adaptive"
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Retailers and brands have recently launched adaptive apparel lines. Clothing for people with disabilities is a growing market in the US, but companies need to consider the language they use when marketing it, a new study shows.
Image source: photo courtesy of Futurity and Getty images.
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Audio Conference:
Accessible Polling Facilities and the ADA
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The Great Lakes ADA Center in collaboration with the ADA National Network invites you to the March ADA Audio Conference Series session "Accessible Polling Facilities and the ADA " featuring Julie Brinkhoff, Co-Director/PI, Great Plains ADA Center. The presentation will cover resources available to election officials to evaluate the accessibility of polling locations.The presentation will also discuss training polling place staff and volunteers on key issues related to disability voting rights, disability awareness, and avoiding barriers to voting access.
Image source: image courtesy of Flickr.
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Throughout the year the ADA National Network and associated regional centers will celebrate 30 years of progress in access and inclusion.The goal is to increase awareness about the law and disability inclusion in our workplaces, schools and communities.
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Answer to the ADA Question of the Month
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Answer:
The ADA ensures that people with disabilities, including people with addiction to alcohol have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. As a person with a disability you can ask for a reasonable accommodation for a modified schedule to attend support meetings. The employer is not required to provide a reasonable accommodation if it would be an undue hardship (significant difficulty or expense).To learn more on this topic see our new fact sheet on The ADA, Addiction, Recovery and Employment.
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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 # 90DP0087.
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