New Resource Guide for Dislocated Workers Who Have a Disability
Are you suddenly jobless? Do you have a disability?
Losing a job as a result of a business closure or workforce reduction can make for scary times – loss of income, benefits, security and confidence. For a person with a disability (or possible disability), dealing with these changes may be even scarier. Following is a resource guide that provides information about choices, options, and opportunities for dislocated workers with disabilities.
The ABC's of the New ADA
Thanks for attending this event!
It's finally happening - the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) are implementing revised regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act. These changes are significant and apply to employers, state and local governments, and public and private entities. Many of the new regulations became effective March 15, 2011, and others take effect next year. This event highlighted some of the changes on both a Federal and State - Wisconsin level.
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ADA 20th Anniversary Special
20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
July 26, 2010 marked the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In celebration of this occasion, the ADA Wisconsin Partnership, through funding provided by the DBTAC Great Lakes ADA Center, released a video “We Came Together: Wisconsin Reflects on 20 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act”.
Here is the YouTube link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayu2xSZoK0A
The title was inspired by the idea that it took ALL disability groups coming together with a united message, to ensure the passage the ADA.
The video features overlapping clips from interviews with several disability advocates who, alongside hundreds of others in Wisconsin, played a part to advance civil rights for people with disabilities, promote the passage of the ADA and ensure ongoing awareness of ADA implementation.
Thank you to Maureen Arcand, Ellen Daly, Cleo Eliason, Dan Johnson, Michelle Martini, Dick Pomo, Sandy Popp and Arvilla Rank for participating in this project and sharing their insights.
Please take a few minutes to celebrate this special anniversary and forward this link to others who may be interested!
If you would like a copy of the DVD, please send your contact information to smith@eri-wi.org.
More ADA Anniversary Links and Resources
- ADA National Network ADA Anniversary website: Join the nationwide effort to collect 2010 "Proclamations of Recommitment" for the ADA vision and spirit — full inclusion of people with disabilities in American life! The ADA National Network is your comprehensive "one-stop" resource to help you celebrate the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in your workplaces, schools and communities.
ADA In The Headlines
EEOC and DOJ to hold Town Hall Meeting on ADA Proposed Regulations
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division will hold a series of full-day Town Hall Listening Sessions in Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL and New Orleans, LA between October 20th and November 20th, 2009.
The series of forums is for public input and are being held throughout the country in coming weeks to obtain direct input from the business/employer communities as well as the disability and disability advocacy community on EEOC's proposed regulations under the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA).
Presided over by EEOC's Acting Chair, Stuart J. Ishimaru, Acting Vice Chair, Christine Griffin, and Commissioner Constance S. Barker, as well as DOJ’s Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Samuel Bagenstos, Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Mazen Baswari, and Chief of the Disability Rights Section of the Civil Rights Division, John Wodatch, the Town Hall Listening Session is an opportunity for these officials to hear directly from stakeholders of all perspectives on the proposed regulations.
Five-minute time slots to address the panel will be available from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Some of the slots will be available on an advance registration basis and some on first-come, first-served sign up basis at the event. Members of the public are also invited to attend and view the proceedings, with space available on a first-come, first-served basis.
As a reasonable accommodation, there will be limited availability to provide public input by telephone. To request this accommodation you must register in advance.
Individuals representing themselves or organizations are urged to take advantage of this opportunity to provide input on the EEOC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking which can be viewed, along with a question-and-answer guide, at www.eeoc.gov.
For more information, or to register as a speaker, please contact Ms. Linda Li at 415-625-5618 (TTY 415-625-5610) or at Linda.Li@eeoc.gov
Sign Language Interpreters, CART, and assistive listening devices will be available. If you need printed materials in an alternative format please email Elisa.gonzalez.ctr@tma.osd.mil Please let her know what you need and the location (city) of the event you will be attending.
Both EEOC and DOJ want to encourage all individuals and organizations who cannot attend this event to make sure you submit comments and attachments electronically at , the Federal eRulemaking Portal. The ID # is 3046-AA85. Written comments may also be submitted to Stephen Llewellyn, Executive Secretariat, EEOC, 131 M Street, NE., Suite 4NW08R, Room 6NE03F, Washington, DC 20507. Comments may be transmitted by facsimile (``FAX'') machine by dialing (202) 663-4114. (This is not a toll-free number.) Only comments of six or fewer pages will be accepted via FAX transmittal. Comments must be submitted on or before November 23, 2009.
Monday, October 26, 2009
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
California Endowment
1111 Broadway, 7th floor
Oakland, CA 94607
Friday, October 30, 2009
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Liberty Resources
714 Market Street, Suite 100
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Access Living
115 West Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60654
Friday, November 20, 2009
9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
University of New Orleans
Training Resource and Assistive-Technology Center (UNO-TRAC)
2000 Lakeshore Drive
New Orleans, LA 70148
Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the ADA
Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
A “pandemic” is a global “epidemic.”(2) The world has seen four influenza pandemics in the last century. The deadly “Spanish Flu” of 1918 was followed by the milder “Asian” and “Hong Kong” flus of the 1950s and 1960s. While the SARS outbreak in 2003 was considered a pandemic “scare,”(3) the H1N1 outbreak in 2009 rose to the level of a pandemic.(4)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO) are the definitive sources of information about influenza pandemics. The WHO classifies pandemic influenza into six phases(5) which describe how widely influenza is spreading around the world, but not the severity of the influenza symptoms. A WHO announcement that the world is in Pandemic Phase 6 (the highest phase) would indicate that there is sustained human-to-human transmission worldwide, and that the virus is no longer contained in a few geographic areas. It would not, however, automatically mean that the influenza symptoms are severe.
Pandemic planning and pandemic preparedness include everything from global and national public health strategies to an individual employer’s plan about how to continue operations. Comprehensive federal government guidance advises employers about best practices for pandemic preparation and response with respect to influenza, specifically the 2009 H1N1 virus. More information is included in the EEOC technical assistance document focusing on implementing pandemic planning and pandemic preparedness strategies in a manner that is consistent with the ADA.
Arranging Accessible Business Meetings for People with Disabilities
April 2009: A publication by the U.S.Department of Justice Civil Rights Division Disability Rights Section provides helpful information on how to evaluate the accessibility of a meeting site for people with disabilities including resources and tips on room set-up, presentation of meeting content, parking and providing auxiliary aids and services. Download it at http://www.ada.gov/business/accessiblemtg.htm.
The Office of Disability Policy (ODEP) within the US Department of Labor announced that the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has Released a Pandemic Flu Fact Sheet.
ODEP's Job Accommodation Network (JAN) has just released a new fact sheet,
"Considering the Needs of Employees with Disabilities During a
Pandemic Flu Outbreak." Covering
Critical Questions, Telework, and General Considerations, it also
offers links to valuable resources you can use immediately. This
fact sheet is now available on the JAN Website at:
http://www.jan.wvu.edu/topics/panflu.htm
Planning Accessible Meetings
The US Department of Justice has issued a new publication in their “Expanding Your Market” series titled: "Accessible Information Exchange: Meeting on a Level Playing Field". This publication focuses on planning and conducting meetings and events that are accessible to people with disabilities. This publication is available on-line at: http://www.ada.gov/business/accessiblemtg.htm
Report on Employer Hiring Actions and Attitudes
January 13, 2008: The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) today released findings of the most extensive survey in history of employers' actions and attitudes toward employing people with disabilities. The report is available at www.dol.gov/odep.
CESSI, a division of Axiom Resource Management Inc., conducted the survey of 3,797 companies, which statistically represent more than 2.4 million companies nationwide. This survey found that a majority of large businesses are hiring people with disabilities and discovering that costs for accommodations differ very little from those for the general employee population. Additionally, the survey showed that once an employer hires one person with a disability, it is much more likely that employer will hire other people with disabilities.
More ADA In The Headlines:
In the Headlines is a site dedicated to using technically advanced news agents to search for the latest news stories from several credible and well respected publications. The articles posted will cover a variety of topics related to the Americans with Disabilities Act. We update our news stories multiple times daily and post the 5 most recently published stories on a per state basis. Please keep in the mind that the site is as up to date as new stories are published.
ADA Business Connections Website
The U.S. Department of Justice has posted a new fact sheet to the ADA Business Connections portion of its web site. The document titled, "Expanding Your Market: Accessibility Benefits Older Adult Customers," outlines how compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes good business sense. The new fact sheet highlights the benefits of increasing accessibility in order to meet the needs of individuals who are aging. For more information go to http://www.ada.gov/business.htm.
Technical Assistance Desk:
Question: What type of tax breaks are there for businesses trying to comply with the requirements of the ADA?
Answer: In order to assist businesses with complying with the ADA, Section 44 of the IRS Code allows a tax credit for small businesses and Section 190 of the IRS Code allows a tax deduction for all businesses.
The tax credit is available to businesses that have total revenues of $1,000,000 or less in the previous tax year or 30 or fewer full-time employees. This credit can cover 50% of the eligible access expenditures in a year up to $10,250 (maximum credit of $5000). The tax credit can be used to offset the cost of undertaking barrier removal and alterations to improve accessibility; providing accessible formats such as Braille, large print and audio tape; making available a sign language interpreter or a reader for customers or employees, and for purchasing certain adaptive equipment.
The tax deduction is available to all businesses with a maximum deduction of $15,000 per year. The tax deduction can be claimed for expenses incurred in barrier removal and alterations. It is not available for new construction.
For additional information and materials on the ADA contact the DBTAC Great Lakes ADA Center by calling 800-949-4232 (V/TTY) or use the online contact form.
Voting Resources
Voting is a constitutional right and responsibility of citizenship. It is an important way to help select the national, state and local officials who make laws, design programs and decide how tax dollars are spent. For information on voting in Wisconsin for individuals with disabilities, download a copy at the Voting in Wisconsin: A Guide for Citizens with Disabilities in multiple formats:
The information in this publication is based on current Wisconsin election laws and is believed to be accurate. Questions on specific interpretations of the law should be referred to the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board.
Disability Rights Online News
Disability Rights Online News is a bi-monthly update about the Civil Rights Division's activities in the area of disability rights. The Division enforces laws prohibiting discrimination based on disability in employment, housing, access to businesses serving the public, access to government programs and services including voting and public transportation, and unconstitutional conditions in institutions of confinement.
To view the latest newsletter, visit: http://www.ada.gov/newsltr0805.htm
Get Technical Assistance for ADA
The Great Lakes ADA Center has experienced Technical Assistance Specialists who are available to provide in-depth answers to questions concerning the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, and Accessible Information Technology (IT) by telephone or email. They also provide a variety of professional consultation services such as reviewing plans for new and existing facilities, proofing language used in employer policies, examining documents related to programmatic accessibility required by government entities, and recommending strategies to improve the accessibility of web sites.
The Specialists also conduct trainings that are tailored to address the specific needs of audiences with varying levels of knowledge about the ADA and IT. In addition, the Center has expanded its role to include activities that promote the acquisition and use of accessible information technology in education settings. The Great Lakes ADA Center E & IT Initiative provides technical assistance aimed at encouraging the incorporation of accessible information technology in K-12 and post secondary school settings.
For more information about the services provided by the Technical Assistance Specialist contact the Great Lakes ADA Center at (800) 949-4232 (V/TTY).
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