News

May 12, 2008
Finding the Gaps: A Comparative Analysis of Disability Laws in the United States to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The purpose of this paper is to help the National Council on Disability (NCD), and others, better understand how the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, if ratified by the United States, might impact U.S. disability laws by examining the degree to which U.S. law is consistent with the CRPD. The paper endeavors to analyze the issue in the way a treaty monitoring body would - to see if any area within federal law contravenes the Convention and/or whether there are gaps where legislation or practice might be introduced or reformed to ensure compliance.

May 12, 2008
Peace Corps Boots HIV-Positive Volunteer

May 7, 2008
DOT Increases Protections for Air Travelers with Disabilities
People with disabilities will have additional protections against discrimination when they travel by air, as the result of a new rule issued today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that strengthens the existing regulation implementing the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and extends it to foreign airlines.

March 24, 2008
State Settles Lawsuit Seeking Community Placements for Disabled

March 21, 2008
Holding the Town Accountable for the Blind, Disabled
Carol Kana is a lifelong Greenwich resident, Greenwich High School grad and retired probation officer for the state of Connecticut. She is also disabled, having contracted polio when she was 21 months old, before the advent of the polio vaccine.

March 4, 2008
City To Improve Disability Access
Cambridge businesses may soon be widening their doors and converting small steps to smooth ramps following the adoption of a new city ordinance.

February 29, 2008
EEOC Guidance on Employment
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued two question-and-answer (Q&A) guides providing technical assistance for employers and veterans on workplace issues affecting veterans with service-connected disabilities. Both documents are available on the agency’s web site at www.eeoc.gov.

February 26, 2008
Guidance on Rights-of-Way Accessibility
Public streets and sidewalks present unique access challenges that are not encompassed by existing guidelines or standards. Access at street crossings for pedestrians with vision impairments, on-street parking, and constraints posed by terrain and space limitations are just some of the issues that often arise. The Board is developing guidelines for public rights-of-way that will address these and other issues so that practitioners have an established reference for achieving accessible streets and sidewalks.

February 14, 2008
National Organization on Disability Announces Top City in Friendliness, Outreach
WASHINGTON, DC, February 14, 2008— Houston, Texas has been chosen as the winner in the seventh annual Accessible America Contest, the National Organization on Disability (NOD) announced today.

February 12, 2008
Owls Head Woman Sues Bank of America
An Owls Head woman who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2001 is suing Bank of America for allegedly violating her civil rights by firing her while she was recovering from major surgery for treatment of subsequent breast cancer during the summer of 2006.

January 29, 2008
Advocates say legislation needed to restore intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Legislation is needed to reverse court decisions that have left most workers with disabilities without any on-the-job protections against discrimination, witnesses told the House Education and Labor Committee today. The Americans with Disabilities Restoration Act (H.R. 3195), introduced by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), would restore the original intent of the historic Americans with Disabilities Act. The bipartisan bill would reverse recent court decisions that have made it easier for employers to discriminate against workers with disabilities.

January 28, 2008
ADA Restoration Act
Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 with the noble aim of ensuring that disabled Americans could participate as fully as possible in the regular activities of everyday life, such as working and accessing public facilities. The cornerstone of the law, which balances its benefits for the disabled with its burden on the rest of society, is that its protections are limited to those with an actual disability, defined as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity." The ADA Restoration Act (ADARA, S. 1881, H.R. 3195) would dissolve this limitation, making disability status and protections available to nearly all Americans, such as those who wear eyeglasses or suffer "tennis elbow." This loose standard would hit employers especially hard, because they would have to go to great lengths, at potentially great expense, to accommodate minor "impairments" and would face tremendous risks in disciplining or firing employees suffering from such minor impairments. This standard would chip away at the fundamental nature of the employer-employee relationship. Before it makes such a radical change, Congress should consider the impact that it would have across the economy and on so many employers and diligent workers.

January 24, 2008
Video Series on Accessible Sidewalks Now Available Online
A series of videos on sidewalk accessibility previously available on DVD can now be viewed through the Board's website. Accessible Sidewalks is a four-part video developed by the Board to illustrate issues and considerations in the design of sidewalks.

January 18, 2008
New ADA Title II Tutorial
This free tutorial at www.adacourse.org/title2 was developed by the DBTAC National Network of ADA Centers to provide education and resources on the requirements applicable to State and Local government under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

January 14, 2008
Court Dismisses Wal-Mart Disability Case
The Supreme Court dismissed a case brought by a Wal-Mart Stores Inc. employee who alleged the company had discriminated against her after she was disabled in an on-the-job accident. The court said the case was dismissed under Rule 46.1, which provides for dismissals when both parties agree to settle a dispute. The justices had said they would consider the case Dec. 7, and oral arguments were expected to take place this spring. The Supreme Court did not provide additional details.