New England ADA Center
March 2020 Newsletter

ADA Question of the Month
Question :  I have cardiovascular disease and diabetes. My office is a highly populated, open workspace. To limit my exposure to coworkers, can I work at home during this Coronavirus pandemic? 
The answer is at the end of the newsletter.
New England ADA Center and COVID-19
The Institute for Human Centered Design has closed its physical location in response to the coronavirus. However, the New England ADA Center continues to provide technical assistance to the six New England States - Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.  Please leave a message on our phone line, and staff will return your call. You may also email our office to receive technical assistance.  The New England ADA Center can also provide trainings through  web-based platforms. We are scheduling these types of trainings  and will to do so upon request.  We will continue to provided updates on our website. 

New England ADA Center Contact Information:
Phone: 1-800-949-4232
or you can submit a question through  our website.
New Hampshire Governor's Commission on Disability Offers Guidance for Granite Staters
GCD is a supporter of the team effort led by Gov. Chris Sununu to make the messaging about COVID-19 clear and unified. The GCD is aware that many individuals with disabilities are especially vulnerable and has made it a priority to communicate facts and useful information, especially through social media.

Green Mountain Self-Advocates (GMSA) Provides Plain Language Booklets on COVID-19
GMSA is a Vermont Self-Advocacy organization run by people with developmental disabilities. The organization created materials in plain language to aid in understanding the global pandemic. The GMSA has also provided the information in a Spanish language version, which can be found on their website.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Offers Information on Pandemic Preparedness and the ADA
EEOC Seal
The technical assistance document provides information about Titles I and V of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act and COVID-19 in the workplace. It identifies established principles that are relevant to questions frequently asked about workplace pandemic planning. 

The ADA and Managing Reasonable Accommodation Requests from Employees with Disabilities in Response to COVID-19
Job Accommodation Network
Many workplace situations are unique. The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is receiving a number of inquiries with common threads. JAN offers Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance assistance and practical strategies for accommodating individuals with disabilities during this pandemic public health situation.

Administration for Community Living (ACL) Shares Information on Coronavirus for People with Disabilities and Older Adults
covid-19
The ACL has created an information resource page,"What Do Older Adults and People with Disabilities Need to Know About Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)?" The page describes actions that everyone can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and all respiratory diseases, resources for inclusive emergency management, and links to the latest updates and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Image source: image courtesy of the CT Mirror.
Adding Live-stream Captioning within Online Meetings or Learning Management Systems (LMS) Platforms
National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes
Most online conferencing or LMS have tutorials in their knowledge base/support sites. Topics include explaining how to connect and tutorials explaining how to provide live captioning. The National Deaf Center has provided guidance for captioning on LMS. 

Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Guidance for Online Education and Website Accessibility for People with Disabilities
U.S. Department of Education
The OCR at the U.S. Department of Education released a webinar on ensuring web accessibility for students with disabilities for schools utilizing online learning during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As more schools across the nation shift to distance learning, OCR's webinar reminds decisionmakers of their responsibility in making distance learning accessible to students with disabilities, unless equally effective alternate access is provided. 

To learn more, click here.
Additional resources
Answer to the ADA Question of the Month

Answer: D ue to the risk of exposure to co-workers and the public who may exhibit symptoms of the coronavirus, or who are carriers of the disease, working from home may be a reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. This is a request for accommodation under the ADA and the employer should engage in the interactive process. The Job Accommodation Networks offers more guidance on reasonable accommodations during the coronavirus pandemic.
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New England ADA Center, a project of the Institute for Human Centered Design

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.