Join Joe Zesski and Christopher Sweet of the Northeast ADA Center as they provide a broad overview of how the Americans with Disabilities Act applies in the elementary and secondary school setting. While the ADA does not provide funding for student services and supports like the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, it has an essential role. The ADA is a civil rights law that prevents discrimination and ensures the rights of students with disabilities to equal access and equal opportunity, protects the rights of school employees with disabilities, and safeguards the rights of parents with disabilities to be engaged in their child's education.

During this session individuals will have the opportunity to ask ADA professionals questions about accessible parking.

This webinar will review key recent Americans with Disabilities Act decisions under all Titles of the ADA. It will also include cases on website accessibility.

Thirty years since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, awareness of disability rights, advocacy, and visibility has increased, yet there is still a long way to go toward equality and understanding. Examining the complexities of disability issues with wisdom, humor, and honesty, author and disability advocate Rebekah Taussig offers a roadmap for broadening our awareness and expanding our understanding to help build a more inclusive world.

Growing up as a paralyzed girl in the 1990s and early 2000s, Rebekah saw disability depicted as something monstrous (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), inspirational (Helen Keller), or angelic (Forrest Gump). None of these depictions felt right because none of them represented her lived experience—complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling. Rebekah seeks to normalize the lived experience of disabled persons while also advocating for improvements and a paradigm shift—something that we all play a necessary part in. Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another.

We need more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity and in Rebekah’s latest book, Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body, she challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we build a more radically inclusive future together.

Join Rebekah in conversation as she talks about her book, her life and her work, and challenges us to work together to build a more inclusive world.

Rebekah Taussig, PhD, is a Kansas City writer and teacher with her doctorate in Creative Nonfiction and Disability Studies. She runs the Instagram platform @sitting_pretty, where she crafts “mini-memoirs” to contribute nuance to the collective narratives being told about disability. Released by HarperOne in August 2020, her memoir in essays, Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body provides a nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most. Rebekah and her partner Micah are the new parents of baby Otto. You can follow her work at www.rebekahtaussig.com.

We are grateful to our Bookstore Partner:

Marcus Books is the nation’s oldest Black-owned independent bookstore celebrating its 60th year. Marcus Books’ mission is to provide opportunities for Black folks and their allies to celebrate and learn about Black people everywhere

Requirements for play areas in the ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards apply to all newly designed or constructed play areas for children ages 2 and older. The requirements uphold accessible play areas at day care facilities, parks, shopping malls, fast food restaurants, and other facilities. They address accessible play components, ground-level and elevated accessible routes, play area surfaces, transfer systems, soft contained play structures, and water play components. In addition to an overview of the play area provisions, the presenters will address frequently asked questions and common sources of confusion with accessible play surfaces.

Ensuring access to public streets and sidewalks can be a challenge since new guidelines for accessible public rights-of-way have not yet been finalized under the ADA. This webinar will review available resources in the interim, namely the guidelines that the Access Board previously proposed for public rights-of-way and shared use paths. Presenters will discuss common issues and solutions, as well as review proposed requirements for sidewalks and street crossings, curb ramps and blended transitions, detectable warnings, pedestrian signals, on-street parking, street furniture, transit stops, and other components of public rights-of-way and shared use paths.

Presenters: Chris Sweet, Technical Assistance and Outreach Specialist Northeast ADA
Joe Zesski, Program Manager Northeast ADA

This presentation will build on the introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) given in the webinar, ADA-101. Intended for those new to the ADA or for those wanting a refresher, this webinar will explore the definition of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, its interpretation, and its application and meaning for individuals in different settings. It will also discuss how the ADA's definition of disability is often different from definitions used by service providers, federal programs, and advocates.

If you require any reasonable accommodations in order to participate in the event, please notify the Northeast ADA Center 72 hours prior to the event. The Northeast ADA Center will make every reasonable effort to secure an accommodation that will meet your needs.

 

This session will explain what a web accessibility overlay is and why would you use? Does incorporating accessibility overlays address WCAG standards and make your website compliant? There are several different types of accessibility overlays available from tool-based options that include toolbars and plugins to JavaScript and hardware models. Not all overlays are created equal and certain types have more challenges than others. This session will breakdown the benefits or downfalls of web accessibility overlays so you determine if overlays are worth using.

As vaccination efforts ramp up and pandemic safety measures improve, employers are seeking guidance on how to navigate the return to work, particularly for employees with disabilities. Join long time JAN consultant Linda Carter Batiste for a discussion about reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) related to returning employees to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Linda will share hot topics employers are grappling with such as ongoing requests for telework and leave, accommodating employees with mental health impairments, temporary job restructuring, vaccinations, and medical documentation.

The National ADA Symposium is an annual conference on the Americans with Disabilities Act and related laws. The conference is comprehensive in scope, covering all areas of the ADA and features sessions presented by nationally recognized experts on ADA related issues including representatives from the US. Department of Justice, EEOC, US Access Board and the US Department of Labor. The ADA Symposium is a national initiative of the ADA National Network and is hosted by the Great Plains ADA Center.

 

The 2021 National ADA Symposium will be a hybrid event. The on-site conference will be held July 25-28, in Phoenix, Arizona followed by a virtual conference Aug 2-5, 2021. This session will provide a brief history of the ADA Symposium, and its impact on ADA implementation. We will also cover the 2021 ADA Symposium session schedule and content, speakers, and conference activities. We will discuss the decision to offer a hybrid conference and considerations in choosing between the on-site and virtual events (or how to attend both!) Bring any and all questions regarding the 2021 National ADA Symposium!

This session will cover requirements in the ADA and ABA Accessibility Standards for medical care and long-term care facilities, including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and other facilities. The presenters will review scoping and technical requirements for exam rooms, patient bedrooms, bathrooms, accessible routes, accessible parking, and other spaces and elements. They will also provide a brief overview on the Board’s voluntary Medical Diagnostic Equipment Standards.

Our training delves into the history and philosophy of the Independent Living Movement and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We draw comparisons between the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the Disability Movement and how both movements changed the way services must be delivered today in a culturally competent, person centered model. Throughout the training, we cover the importance of intersectionality and language in culturally competent organizations.

Our trainers are persons with disabilities and/or many years of training and consulting experience in the disability community.

CEU's are available for nurses and social workers.

To register and get the Zoom link, please contact Mark Wheeler at [email protected].

Reasonable accommodations should be requested 4 weeks in advance.

How does the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") apply to employment? How can legal professionals use the ADA as a tool to protect employees in the workplace? What is the “interactive process” and why does it matter? Answers to these questions and more will be addressed by our expert panelists who have experience in applying the ADA in creative ways to address accessibility problems in the workplace and the legal profession.

CLE Information (via New York University, New York): This event is approved for 1 credit in the Areas of Professional Practice category. The credit will be both transitional and non-transitional. This event is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.

If you are attending for CLE credit, please make sure your Zoom name matches your registration so that we can verify your attendance.

Organized by the NYU Disability Allied Law Students Association (DALSA) and the National Disabled Law Students Association.

CART provided. For accommodations, please email [email protected].

Panelists

Jinny Kim (she/her)

Jinny directs the Disability Rights Program at Legal Aid at Work, where she represents clients seeking accommodations and facing discrimination by employers, educational institutions, and public entities. She joined Legal Aid at Work as the Félix Velarde-Muñoz Fellow in 1999-2001 and litigated race, disability, national origin, and gender cases. She returned as a staff attorney in 2008 following work in Washington, D.C., and private practice. As a Georgetown Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow, she served as Labor Counsel to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy on the Senate's Committee for Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She also has held positions at Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach; at Schneider, Wallace, Cottrell, Brayton, and Konecky; and at Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian. Jinny received her J.D. in 1999 from the University of California, Davis, and her B.A. in 1995 from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

Bethany Drucker (she/her)

Since 2014, Bethany Drucker has served as General Counsel for ASG Staffing, Inc. (“ASG”). Each day, Ms. Drucker is entrenched in employment law, contract matters, and business compliance as a one-person legal team for this light industrial staffing company that issues out approximately 12,000 W-2s per year and is in three states. By proactivity, legal compliance, and active listening to the needs of the employees and the clients, Ms. Drucker has kept ASG free from litigation and thoroughly enjoys her hands-on role. Ms. Drucker works hand in hand with the host clients to ensure that diversity and inclusion is a reality amongst the workforces. She embraces the philosophy that a General Counsel’s role is to wear many hats that further the business needs and maintain the highest level of integrity and ethics. Ms. Drucker brings over 18 years of practicing law to ASG, including work in state, federal, and local investigations on the governmental side. Throughout her career and personal life, Ms. Drucker has advocated for fairness for all and has written editorials on the benefits of hiring ex-offenders and eradicating disparate treatment. As a person with disabilities, Ms. Drucker is an everyday supporter for others with disabilities. Ms. Drucker obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Boston University and a Juris Doctorate from Hofstra University, where she co-authored an article on mediation. While in law school, Ms. Drucker worked full-time as owner and operator of two retail stores. Ms. Drucker is also a trained mediator and a comedy writer hobbyist. She lives in Evanston, IL, with her two dogs.

 

Anisha Queen (she/her)

Anisha Queen is an associate at Brown Goldstein & Levy. She has represented clients in a wide array of civil and criminal matters. Her civil practice includes cases involving disability rights, civil rights, housing discrimination, employment law, and Title IX. She has represented plaintiffs in employment contract disputes and cases involving wrongful termination claims based on disability discrimination.

Prior to joining the firm, Anisha clerked for the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Prior to her clerkship, she worked as an associate at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. While in law school, Anisha interned at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Gebhardt & Associates, LLP, a plaintiff-side employment discrimination law firm.

 

Moderator

Teresa Danso-Danquah (she/her)

Teresa Danso-Danquah is a disability advocate and HR professional passionate about creating inclusive spaces. Teresa’s passion for disability inclusion stems from her time at Cornell University, where she was recognized as a Truman Scholar for her work on disability initiatives with students on campus, youth across the world, and the U.S. Senate. She currently works at Disability:IN, the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. Teresa serves as the NextGen Initiatives Manager and is also an alumna of the program. In her role, she connects disabled college students and recent graduates with career development and job opportunities with leading companies. Prior to Disability:IN, Teresa worked as a field organizer on Stacey Abrams’ gubernatorial campaign and led diversity and inclusion initiatives at Capital One.

 

Sponsor

A special thank you to our sponsors at Weil, whose generosity has made this event accessible.

Google Impact Challenge: Disabilities | ADA 25th Anniversary

SILO - Suffolk Independent Living Organization is celebrating 29 years of removing barriers in the community for people with disabilities.

Please join us in celebrating 29 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Palisades Center
East Court, Level 1, Near H&M

Friday July 26, 2019 at the Palisades Shopping Center from 10:00 AM- 12 PM.

Light refeshments and coffee will be served.