Please disseminate this information as widely as possible.  Libraries need this ADA tool:

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CR 
THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2001
(202) 514-2007 
www.USDOJ.GOV
TDD (202) 514-1888 

JUSTICE DEPARTMENT RELEASES FREE CD-ROM TO ASSIST BUSINESSES 
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO COMPLY WITH THE 
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Expanding Access To ADA Information Part Of Administration's
New Freedom Initiative To Increase Outreach And 
Assistance To Small Businesses

WASHINGTON, DC As part of its dedicated effort to implement President Bush's New Freedom Initiative, the Justice Department announced today the availability of its new, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Technical Assistance CD-ROM. 
The free CD-ROM contains a complete collection of the Department's ADA regulations, architectural design standards, and technical assistance publications. The CD-ROM is designed for easy use on laptop computers in the field, or other computers that lack high speed Internet access. The CD-ROM will make searching documents and identifying appropriate ADA information easier and more efficient for businesses, designers and building contractors across the country. 
"The Justice Department's goal is to improve voluntary compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing businesses and others with easier access to ADA information," said Attorney General John Ashcroft. "With this new CD-ROM, businesses and architects will have ready access to the tools necessary to help them welcome customers and employees with disabilities into their establishments. Providing these new CD-ROMs is a fitting way to commemorate the eleventh anniversary of the signing of the ADA." 
Among the technical assistance materials found on the CD-ROM are:
·     The new electronic version of the ADA Standards for Accessible Design; 
·     The ADA Guide for Small Businesses; 
·     Common ADA Errors and Omissions in New Construction and Alterations; 
·     The Americans with Disabilities Act Checklist for New Lodging Facilities; 
·     The ADA Guide for Small Towns; 
·     A series of commonly asked question and answer publications; and 
·     Technical Assistance Manuals for Titles II and III of the ADA. 
Documents on the CD-ROM are provided in a variety of formats, including HTML, WordPerfect, and text (ASCII), to enable people with disabilities and others to gain easy access, translate materials to Braille, or use screen readers. Many documents are also provided in Acrobat PDF format, so that they appear as they do in print and permit the publication to be reprinted by personal computers. 
The information contained on the CD-ROM is also available on-line at the Department's ADA Website at: www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm.
Visitors to the ADA Website will soon be able to order the free CD-ROM on-line. The CD-ROM can also be ordered by calling the Department's ADA Information Line 800-514-0301 (Voice) or 800-514-0383 (TTY).. 
The Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law by former President George H. Bush on July 26, 1990, prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. The Department's ADA regulations apply to private businesses and non-profit service providers, and the programs and services of state and local governments. 
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