ADA Technical Bulletin: February 2004
The Northeast ADA & IT Center at Cornell University provides training,
technical assistance and materials on the ADA and accessible information
technology throughout New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. This monthly technical bulletin is part of our dissemination
efforts and if you do not want to receive this document or would like others
from your organization added to our list, please call 1-800-949-4232 or
reply to this message. Thank you
Scholarships Available for Comprehensive May ADA Training in Kansas City
We wanted to call your attention to a great training opportunity that is
being sponsored by all 10 of the DBTAC's - Disability and Technical
Assistance Centers - in May of 2004. The Northeast ADA & IT Center is the
DBTAC for Federal Region 2. We are part of this national group that provides
training and technical assistance throughout the country on the ADA and
Accessible IT.
The conference is taking place in Kansas City, Missouri from Tuesday, May
11, through Thursday, May 13, 2004. This will be a comprehensive training on
many elements of the ADA and accessible information technology. The cost of
registration is $295.00 per person if you register before April 2, 2004. We
are offering a limited number of scholarships available to assist with
registration. We are also exploring the possibility of covering travel
costs for a very limited number of people who would not be able attend the
conference without that assistance.
If you are interested in scholarships, please contact Northeast ADA & IT
Center at 1-800-949-4232 or [log in to unmask] as soon as possible, as
this offer is limited.
For more information on the conference, there is a comprehensive listing of
the workshops planned at
http://www.adaproject.org/NationalADASymposium.html.
Please join us for the February Teleconference:
Scheduled for Tuesday, February 17, 2004 from 2:00pm - 3:30pm EST
"Evaluating Software Accessibility: Is Anything Truly Accessible?"
The U.S. Architectural Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access
Board), as mandated by 1998 Section 508 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act
of 1973, developed standards for electronic and information technology
developed, maintained, procured, or used by the federal government. They
became effective in 2001. They are being mandated or voluntarily used as
accessibility standards by other organizations as well. This session will
review the ins and outs of evaluating software for accessibility and the
challenges that go along with this process. Model templates for conducting
an evaluation will be shared with the audience as well as the experiences of
entities which have undertaken this task.
To Register: Please call 1-800-949-4232 or e-mail [log in to unmask]
by 12:00 pm Friday, February 13th, 2004. While in other areas of the
country, there is a $40 ($25 non-profit) fee, for individuals in New York,
New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, there is no charge for
this teleconference.
ADAAG Update
At its January meeting, the Access Board unanimously approved new guidelines
covering access to facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). The approved rule overhauls the existing ADA Accessibility Guidelines
(ADAAG), which were first published in 1991. The rule also revises
guidelines for federally funded facilities required to be accessible under
the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Both the ADA guidelines and the ABA
guidelines specify access in new construction and alterations and provide
detailed provisions for various building elements, including ramps,
elevators, restrooms, parking, and signage, among others.
The Board published in November 1999 a proposed set of guidelines that
featured a host of updated provisions and clarifying revisions, as well as a
new look and format. This proposal, which was made available for public
comment for six months, attracted over 2,500 comments. These comments
provided considerable input on the substance of the guidelines. The Board
made a variety of changes to the guidelines based on this feedback from the
public.
The Board will submit the final guidelines to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for review and clearance. OMB has 90 days for its review. Once
cleared by OMB, the guidelines will be published in final form. The Board's
guidelines, by themselves, are not enforceable or mandatory for entities
covered by the ADA or ABA. Other agencies, such as the departments of
Justice and Transportation under the ADA, and several others under the ABA,
are authorized to set the design standards that must be met. Their standards
are to be consistent with the Board's guidelines. These agencies will update
their enforceable standards based on the Board's final guidelines. As part
of this action, the agencies will specify when the updated standards take
effect.
For more information on the update of ADAAG, visit the Access Board's
website at http://www.access-board.gov/news/ADA-ABA-update.htm
US DOL and SBA Partner for Self-Employment of People with Disabilities
The US Department of Labor and the Small Business Administration
Administrator have signed a Strategic Alliance Memorandum (SAM) designed to
help people with disabilities pursue small business ownership and to
increase their employment opportunities in small businesses. The SAM,
entitled The New Freedom Small Business Initiative, is designed to assist
adult workers in acquiring the skills and resources to successfully begin
and operate a small business and to educate small business owners about
hiring people with disabilities. For more information:
http://www.dol.gov/odep
ODEP Announces Initiative for Enhanced Transportation Services for People
with Disabilities
Noting inadequate transportation can inhibit employment for all people, but
is an even greater barrier to people with disabilities, the Office of
Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has announced an initiative to
coordinate transportation policies and programs for those people with
disabilities who need it the most. The initiative, termed United We Ride,
will assist states and communities in coordinating human service
transportation. For more information, please go to:
http://www.ctaa.org/news/view.asp?news_id=318
Help with Recruitment for Disability Programs
Looking to hire qualified and experienced staff? Or looking for a new job?
The quickest way to reach the disability provider community is through
JobLines on the web: http://www.trninc.com/jobline.htm. Job postings from
around the country with one click! Featured jobs of the month (click on
Joblines website for details):
* Supported Employment Manager, Sunrise, FL
* Employment Specialist, Washington, DC
* SE Site Supervisor, Arlington Heights, IL
Trail Accessibility Protocol Development
Indiana University-National Center on Accessibility Request for Proposal
Indiana University (IU) is requesting proposals from firms interested in
preparing protocols for conducting research on accessible trail surfaces.
This project is overseen by the National Center on Accessibility at Indiana
University Bloomington. The intent of this Request for Proposal (RFP) and
the ensuing process is to provide companies with the information,
requirements, and specifications necessary for the preparation of a
professional and comprehensive proposal. Specific terms and conditions are
outlined.
The RFP is available from Indiana University's Purchasing Department and may
be received by contacting:
Jennifer Foutty
Purchasing Contract Manager
Indiana University
400 East Seventh Street, Room 416
Bloomington, Indiana 47405
Voice: 812.855.5037
Fax: 812.855.7839
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
The final response to the RFP is due February 27, 2004
Disability Rights Section Available in Spanish
The DRS Home Page and other DRS pages are now available in both English and
Spanish. The Guide to Disability Rights Laws, ADA Title II Highlights, ADA
Title III Highlights and the complaint forms have been added to the ADA
Website with links to the DRS Home Page and the ADA Publications page.
To view the new pages, go to the ADA Home Page (www.ada.gov) and select the
link for What's New ( or go to www.ada.gov/new.htm). There are also links
to the pages at the bottom of the ADA Home Page. Links to the Spanish pages
have been added to the ADA Publications page (www.ada.gov/publicat.htm).
Gallaudet University MSW Program
The Masters in Social Work Program at Gallaudet University provides training
to work in the deaf and hard of hearing communities in a variety of social
work settings including child welfare, mental health, school settings,
working with older deaf persons, substance abuse, domestic violence, and
community advocacy and planning. Preference is given to candidates who have
sign language skills at the time of admission, a bachelor's degree in the
liberal arts with a GPA of 3.0 or above, excellent interpersonal skills, and
a strong interest in working in the deaf community.
The MSW Program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
and has won recognition as an approved NCATE (National Council for the
Accreditation of Teacher Education) program. Full and part time options are
available. Internships at the advanced year level are now designed to
provide full-semester experiences in outstanding placements throughout the
country.
For more information, visit their webpage at:
http://depts.gallaudet.edu/social.work/
Northeast ADA&IT Center
331 Ives Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
1-800-949-4232 (TTY and voice)
NY, NJ, PR, USVI
www.northeastada.org
[log in to unmask]
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See EASI Special October Bonus offer at http://easi.cc/clinic.htm
EASI November courses are:
Barrier-free E-learning, Accessible Internet Multimedia and Business Benefits of Accessible IT Design:
http://easi.cc/workshop.htm
EASI Home Page http://www.rit.edu/~easi
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