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ADA Question of the Month - Do You Know the Answer?
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Question
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What is a reasonable accommodation in housing
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The answer is at the end of the newsletter.
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 Our very own Kathy Gips, Director of Training for the New England ADA Center, will be presenting at the Architecture Boston Expo this fall. Kathy will be speaking on two panels on November 28th. The first is "WE05 - ADA Updates 2018" from 8:30 am to 10 am. The second panel is "WE17 - ADA and Mass Access Regulations: Untangling the Confusion" from 11 am to 12:30 pm
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Randolph Vermont's Gifford Health Care Presented with the 2018 Spirit of the ADA Award
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Gifford Health Care was recognized for their outstanding support of individuals with disabilities.
"Gifford Health Care is a true supporter and great partner assisting Vermonters of all abilities to become employed," said Nat Piper of Creative Workforce Solutions.
Gifford Medical Center. Image source: photo courtesy of Gifford Health Care.
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Kathy Gips Honored for Her Work in Disability Access
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At the 2018 Massachusetts Office on Disability Summit, the New England ADA Center's Director of Training and Technical Assistance Kathy Gips received the Thomas P. Hopkins Access Award. Kathy has earned not only a Massachusetts but a national reputation for her expertise on disability rights laws.
Kathy Gips and Tom Hopkins. Photo by Oce Harrison.
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Vermont: Burlington High School Proposal Would Make Facility More Accessible
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 Burlington High School's (BHS) ReEnvisioning Committee announces a new public education committee dedicated to helping voters understand the $70 million plan to rejuvenate BHS. Andrew Styles, president of the Burlington Education Association, expressed, "This is a chance for us to make our school more accessible for all of our students, telling all of our students that 'All are Welcome.'"
Image courtesy of Burlington School District.
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Braintree, MA Sued Over Accessibility for People with Disabilities
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 In August, Crystal Evans said she came upon a curb cut on Ivory Street that didn't comply with federal law, and flipped her wheelchair.
Recently, Evans and three other women with disabilities gathered outside Braintree Town Hall and declared they'd had enough at a news conference announcing their federal lawsuit against the community.
Photo: Mayor Joe Sullivan listens to complaints from accessibility advocates Joanne Daniels-Finegold, Crystal Evans, and Penny Shaw. Photo courtesy of the Patriot Ledger by Greg Derr.
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Lawsuit Filed Over Denying Inmates Addiction Medication in Massachusetts
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The ACLU says Geoffrey Pesce, facing a sentence for speeding and driving on a suspended or revoked license, has been in recovery for two years and needs his daily medication. The ACLU argues that denying Pesce his doctor-prescribed methadone violates the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with substance use disorder.
Image source: file photo.
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Fairlee, Vermont Set to Make Accessibility Improvements at Their Town Beach
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A sandy beach on scenic Lake Morey will be even more accessible and picturesque after a face-lift .
Slated enhancements include refurbishing the surface of the playground and creating wheelchair-accessible pathways from the parking lot to both the playground and the picnic area, as well as an accessible picnic table. The park also will receive a water-accessible wheelchair, a new grill, and a pair of spring animal play structures.
Read more.
Lake Morey, Fairlee Vermont. Photo courtesy of Town of Fairlee Recreation Council.
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The New England ADA Center Receives the Community Recognition Award
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 The Transportation Diversity Committee at the MBTA and MassDOT, selected the New England ADA Center and the Institute for Human Centered Design as our National Disability Employment Awareness Month Community Recognition Award recipients!
Oce Harrison, Director New England ADA Center and Owen Silbaugh, MassDOT. Image source: photo by Rita Dinunzio.
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First Runner with Cerebral Palsy Signed by Nike Says He's "Still in Shock"
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 The fact that Justin Gallegos can even run at all is a feat in and of itself. He was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects coordination and muscle movement. At the end of a recent practice run, a company representative made a surprise announcement: Justin would be signed as an official Nike professional athlete.
Justin Gallegos. Photo source: courtesy of the Daily Emerald by
Adam Eberhardt
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The NBA Needs to Stay out of Its Players' Mental Health Records
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 Players fight back as owners seek private information about mental health diagnoses. Mental health became a hot topic around the NBA this season, as players like DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love, and Kelly Oubre Jr. came forward and spoke openly about their struggles with it.
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This free course, available 24/7, covers the rights of people with disabilities in housing under the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The focus is on reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications. Duration: 2 hours to complete.
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Answer to the ADA Question of the Month
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Answer: A reasonable accommodation is a request that a rule, policy, practice, or service be changed or modified in order to allow a person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.
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