This report is a set of recommendations from the advisory committee to the U.S. Access board. [It] is not part of any rulemaking. This message, found at the top of each and every page of the ADAAG Review Advisory Committee Report, reads loud and clear: this is not a new ADAAG, so look all you want but don't start designing to it.
Even so, this report is a very hot item. To date, the Access Board has printed nearly 8,000 copies and is distributing them widely to the public. Despite the fact that any changes to ADAAG are still a long way off, people want to see for themselves what this award-winning committee, after two years of careful deliberation, has recommended to the Access Board. The ADAAG Review Advisory Committee was originally convened by the Board in September 1994. Made up of 22 organizations and representing a broad cross-section of disability, industry and state and local government entities, the committee analyzed and reanalyzed every provision in the current guidelines. The product of its work, the committee's report takes a comprehensive look at the guidelines and recommends a number of changes. Some are barely noticeable, others more substantial.
The Great Lakes Center has copies of this report which can be ordered by calling 800-949-4232. Persons may also request the report by calling the Access Board's publication hotline at (202) 272-5434 and pressing (1) for publications, then (1) again. Request publication number S-29, the ADAAG Review Advisory Committee Report, and leave a name, address and telephone number. Please allow several weeks for delivery. Multiple copies are available for three dollars each.
Source: Access Currents - U.S. ATBCB
by Peggy Greenwell
The play facilities regulatory negotiation committee met for the fourth time on October 26 - 28 in Kansas City, Missouri. The meeting was held in conjunction with the 1996 National Recreation and Parks Association Congress. More than sixty members of the public attended, participating actively throughout the three day meeting. To date, the committee has reached preliminary agreement on the majority of the technical provisions for accessible route requirements and accessible play components. In addition, it began work in developing scoping provisions. Those efforts will be continued at its next meeting.
The committee agreed that accessible ground level play components, where applicable, should have hand grips or other means of support to assist with transfer directly on, in, or under the play component. In addition, members agreed that accessible ground level play components should have a 30" x 48" adjacent clear space to allow for placement of a wheelchair or other mobility aid. It was also agreed that a minimum of 50% of all elevated play components that are part of a composite play structure should be accessible and that at least one of each type of play component on the ground level should be accessible.
The committee had a lengthy discussion about whether transfer platforms could be considered part of the accessible route to elevated play components. The usability of transfer platforms by children with a variety of disabilities was discussed. The committee planned to address this issue in further detail at its January meeting, which was held in Berkeley, California on January 6 - 9, 1997.
Source: Access Currents - U.S. ATBCB
Many changes have occurred throughout our six state region since the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Through its State Steering Committees and regional activities, the Great Lakes Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center has been involved in assisting with some of these changes. This publication offers an exciting overview of the milestones that have been achieved. Call 1-800-949-4232 (v/tty) to receive a copy.
Fourteen groups or individuals around the country received special honorariums from the Great Lakes ADA Center recognizing the innovative and cost-effective methods they developed as ideas that could be used to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or enhance access to goods, services or programs for people with disabilities. The ADA requires business, organizations, employers and state and municipal governments to provide equal access to people with disabilities. While making modifications or accommodations to provide equal access is required by the law, these winners provide examples that compliance does not necessarily have to be expensive.
The honorariums were given as a part of the Great Lakes ADA Center's Innovative Ideas competition. Entries were submitted from around the country of ideas people have developed to assist with meeting ADA requirements that are unique and inexpensive. The winning ideas addressed issues including removing physical barriers, improving access for people who are visually or hearing impaired, accommodating employees with disabilities, and providing program accessibility for state and local governments.
If you would like to receive a copy of the 1996 winning ideas or have an Innovative ADA Compliance Idea that you would like to enter in the next competition, please contact the Great Lakes ADA Center at 800-94904232 V/TTY or 312-413-1407 V/TTY.
The magic of Walt Disney World and Disneyland will be more accessible to millions of Americans who are deaf and hard-of-hearing, under an agreement reached between the Justice Department and Walt Disney World Company.
Today's agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that people who are deaf or hard of hearing can fully enjoy the services and facilities at the two parks. The agreement calls for providing sign language interpreters and captioning systems for Disney attractions, including more than 100 moving rides, parades and staged performances.
Under the agreement, which covers "The Magic Kingdom," Epcot
and MGM-Disney in Orlando, Florida, as well as Disneyland in Anaheim,
California, the company will:
One of the innovative approaches Disney will use to provide access to staged performances is Rear Window Captioning. Under this method, individuals can look through a plexiglass window at their seat to view the text. This is similar to the system used by some politicians to read their scripts while giving speeches. The captioning would not be visible to others in the audience.
While the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) acknowledges that the agreement is an initial step towards ensuring accessibility for the nation's deaf and hard of hearing citizens, they expressed disappointment that the agreement did not go further. They are concerned that the interpreting services that will begin in March will only be limited and captioning for some attractions will not be available until December, 1997.
Before reaching the agreement, Disney had begun captioning or interpreting some of its presentations and offering assistive listening systems, which increase volume for hard-of-hearing guests. The current agreement specifies that patrons must give Disney 14 days prior notice for interpreting services.
Access and Accommodation: An Updated Look at the ADA
Date: April 11, 1997. Sponsored by: Office of Adaptive Educational Services at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis and the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. Location: Indianapolis, Indiana. This conference will explore the recent developments in the institutional implementation of the ADA. The faculty for the program includes Salome Heyward, Esq. and Jeanne Kincaid, Esq., who specialize in the areas of disability law and higher education, Wayne Cunningham, formerly of the Office of Civil Rights in Chicago, and Kenneth Falk, Legal Director for the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. For more information, contact Jean A. Oswalt at 317-274-3241 or joswalt@iupui.edu.
ADA.The Bus Stops Here
Dates and Locations: Cincinnati, Ohio, April 29, 1997; Akron, Ohio, April 30, 1997; Ann Arbor, Michigan, May 5, 1997. Presented by: National Easter Seals Project ACTION. These trainings are part of a national campaign to educate paratransit users about more integrated accessible public transportation that they may be able to use. Each participant will be given a one week pass by their local transportation property to try out the accessible fixed route bus system. For more information, contact the transit system for the location you are interested in attending.
Golf Symposium
Dates: May 13-15, 1997. Presented by: National Center on Accessibility. Location: Glenn Dale, Maryland. From the tee to the green, golf for people with disabilities poses barriers - architectural, programmatic and attitudinal. This golf access symposium will present golf course operators and owners with current issues and innovations for providing access to golfers with disabilities. For more information, contact NCA at 800-424-1877 v/tty.
National Hispanic Outreach Training Project
Dates: April 10-12, 1997. Presented by: League of United Latin American Citizens and the Independent Living Research Utilization program. Location: Detroit, Michigan. This ADA training is for Hispanic individuals who are bilingual and interested in increasing the awareness of the ADA in their community. Successful applicants will have their travel, lodging and meal expenses covered. For more information, contact Blanca Maturino at 713-520-0232.
Principles of Access
Dates: April 30 - May 2, 1997. Presented by: National Center on
Accessibility. Location: Martinsville, Indiana. This training
course is designed to introduce park and recreation professionals to the
fundamentals of accessibility. The Principles of Access lays the
foundation for understanding the characteristics and needs of people with
disabilities. For more information, contact NCA at 800-424-1877 v/tty.
WEB ACCESS '97
Dates: April 7-10, 1997. Coordinated by: Project Archimedes and the Sixth International World Wide Web Conference Committee. Location: Santa Clara, California. Web Access '97 is being held in conjunction with the Sixth International World Wide Web Conference. It will offer a series of sessions on the state and extent of access to graphical user interfaces for blind and visually-impaired computer users. For more information, call (415)723-8456. Or visit their web-site at http://www6conf.slac.stanford.edu/.
The Great Lakes DBTAC does not review the materials in the ADA Resources section for their accuracy. This portion of the newsletter contains new products or services that have been called to our attention. Their inclusion should not be construed as an endorsement.
AIDS and Your Workplace: Evolving Issues and Court Cases
Produced by: LRP Publications. Price: $27.00 plus $3.50 shipping and handling. The 66-page pamphlet reviews emerging case law that relates to AIDS and HIV in the workplace. It includes the latest court cases, issues with exposure and workers compensation, privacy of medical records, and an analysis of HIV as a disability under the ADA. For more information or to order, contact LRP at 1-800-341-7874, ext. 347.
The ADA's Impact on the Employment Relationship: An Examination of Selected Employment Requirements
Produced by: LRP Publications. Price: $21.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling. This 60-page pamphlet discusses how disability is defined for employment purposes, whether the EEOC's safety defense is valid and the ADA's employment requirements relating to medical examinations and inquires. For more information or to order, contact LRP at 1-800-341-7874, ext. 347.
Defining "Disability" Under the ADA: An Analysis of 60 Decisions
Produced by: LRP Publications. Price: $14.95 plus $3.50 shipping and handling. This 25-page pamphlet reviews 60 cases in which an employer challenged a claimant's status as a person with a disability under the ADA. For more information or to order, contact LRP at 1-800-341-7874, ext. 347.
The Legislative History of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Produced by: LRP Publications. Price: $85.00 plus $750 shipping and handling. This 900-page book provides insight into the arguments that Congress found convincing, the problems they felt must be solved, and the limitations they found acceptable. For more information or to order, contact LRP at 1-800-341-7874, ext. 347.
Point of Departure
Produced by: PACER Center. Price: Free of charge. Point of Departure is a biannual newsletter designed to help the growing number of parents, advocates, educators and professionals working with transition age students with disabilities. To be added to the mailing list, contact the PACER Center TATRA Project at 612-827-2966 v/tty or e-mail them at mnpacer@edu.gte.net.
ADA Guidelines Manager
Produced by: Program Development Associates. System Requirements: Windows, 9MB space for each program. Price: ADA Accessibility Manager $99, ADA Employment Manager $99, both for $179. These are PC-based reproductions of the EEOC Technical Assistance Manual and the ADA Accessibility Guidelines. They feature pop-up definitions and figures. For more information, call PDA at 1-800-543-2119.
ADA Help
Produced by: Van Duerr Industries. System Requirements: Windows. Price: $194.95. Provides users with more than 800 topics of regulations, with cross references. Can be used as a stand-alone program or with word processing programs. For more information, contact Van Duerr Industries at 916-893-1598.
DocuDisc-AGM
Produced by: Van Duerr Industries. System Requirements: Windows. Price: $84.95. Contains the ADA Accessibility Guidelines that were adopted by the Department of Justice as the Accessibility Standards for Titles II and III of the ADA. Allows users to see guidelines and illustrations. For more information, contact Van Duerr Industries at 916-893-1598.
Disabilities in the Workplace
Producer: Program Development Associates. Price: $89.95. Length: 24 min. This program follows four young adults, all with different disabilities, facing challenges at various stages of the employment process. They discuss the challenges and obstacles to their success. For more information, call PDA at 1-800-543-2119.
Unfinished Business
Producer: Program Development Associates. Price: $179. Length: 32 min. This program was developed to help individuals, businesses and human service organizations understand disabilities in its new and current perspective. The tape includes both a closed and open captioned/audio described version. For more information, call PDA at 1-800-543-2119.