News
May 7, 2009
ADA Amendments Act 2008 Resources
April 26, 2009
The User’s Guide: Find a Federal Stimulus Design and Construction Project for Your Firm
The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that was signed into law in February has just now begun releasing torrents of tax dollars into an economy plagued by frozen credit markets, consumer anxiety, and a deepening recession. In line with the AIA’s Rebuild and Renew government advocacy initiative, much of this funding is already being applied directly to the built environment as new construction projects, renovations, repairs, and sustainability upgrades, though an emphasis on “shovel ready” projects may limit some design opportunities. Even more is yet to come.
April 16, 2009
Accessibility is Required in Recovery
Accessibility is a required part of many American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects, and the New England ADA Center is here to help.
March 25, 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the ADA: What you need to know
As part of the economic stimulus package, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Funds are being distributed by Federal agencies to States and communities throughout the country to build, repair, and upgrade a wide range of facilities, systems, and programs.
March 25, 2009
Text of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, including changes made by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008
January 26, 2009
Proposed ADA Regulations Withdrawn from OMB Review
December 15, 2008
Two Items of Continued Progress Regarding Adoption of New ADA Standards and Regulations
On December 3, the Office of Management and Budget "accepted" the Department of Justice's draft final ADA regulations for review.
October 31, 2008
Upcoming Audio Conference Series
The National Network of DBTAC-Regional ADA Centers is pleased to announce the 2008-2009 ADA Audio Conference Series Schedule.
September 25, 2008
President Bush Signed ADA Amendments Act Thursday Morning!
On Thursday, September 25, 2008, the President signed into law: S. 3406, the "ADA Amendments Act of 2008," which clarifies and broadens the definition of disability and expands the population eligible for protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
August 21, 2008
Broad Coalition Aims to Strengthen Civil Rights of the Chronically Ill
An irony of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act has turned out to be that people who most need its protections often can't get them.
August 21, 2008
Disabled Vermonters Target Inaccessible Businesses
A group of disabled Vermonters plastered downtown storefronts Thursday morning with paper signs protesting a lack of wheelchair accessibility. Members of Green Mountain Adapt set out before sunrise with stacks of 8-inch-by-11-inch signs and rolls of Scotch tape. They affixed the posters to 29 businesses whose stairway entrances prevent wheelchair users from gaining access.
August 21, 2008
Panel Finds Employment Discrimination
AUGUSTA -- The Maine Human Rights Commission Monday voted to find that an Lewiston woman was subjected to illegal discrimination when a credit union refused to consider her for a teller's job because of her disability.
August 20, 2008
Senate Set to Move on ADA Reform Measure
Widely supported bill would offer workers broader protections
The outlook for Senate legislation that would extend the coverage of the Americans with Disabilities Act remains bright despite the shrinking legislative calendar, according to Capitol Hill observers. That's because the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, shortly before the Congress began its August recess, enjoys broad support among senators who have signed on as co-sponsors as well as the wide range of ideologies they represent.
July 6, 2008
House Leaders, Disability Community, Business Community to Hold ADA Amendments Act of 2008 Press Conference
WASHINGTON, DC (June 25, 2008) — The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the largest cross-disability membership organization in the U.S., commends the Leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives for their support of the civil rights of people with disabilities. Today will be a significant day in the history of the disability rights movement, with passage of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (H.R. 3195) expected this afternoon in the House
July 6, 2008
Proposed ADA Standards for Accessible Design
These proposals are part of the Department's comprehensive review of its regulations implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act.
June 18, 2008
House Education and Labor Committee Approves Bill to Protect Americans with Disabilities From Discrimination
The following information was released by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor:
The House Education and Labor Committee approved legislation today to stop discrimination against individuals with disabilities by restoring the original intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
By a 43 to 1 vote, the committee approved the ADA Amendments Act (H.R. 3195). The bill will reverse several U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have undermined the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since the law' enactment in 1990, courts have dramatically reduced the numbers of workers who are protected from employment discrimination under the ADA.
June 17, 2008
Proposal to Revise ADA Regulations under Title II and Title III
On Tuesday, June 17, 2008, the proposed regulations were published in the Federal Register. The proposed regulations consist of a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the ADA regulation for State and local governments, a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the ADA regulation for public accommodations and commercial facilities, a Regulatory Impact Analysis, and two supporting appendices.
June 16, 2008
Sweeping ADA Update Would Affect Millions
The Bush administration is about to propose far-reaching rules that would give people with disabilities greater access to tens of thousands of courtrooms, swimming pools, golf courses, stadiums, theaters, hotels and stores. The proposal would substantially update and rewrite federal standards for enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark civil-rights law passed with strong bipartisan support in 1990.
June 3, 2008
Justice Department Issues Advanced Text of New Proposed Regulations to Revise ADA Regulations
On Friday, May 30, 2008, Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey signed proposed regulations to revise the Department’s ADA regulations, including its ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The Department is providing advance text of the two proposals pending their publication in the Federal Register. The advance text consists of a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the ADA regulation for State and local governments, a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the ADA regulation for public accommodations and commercial facilities, a Regulatory Impact Analysis, and two supporting appendices. To see the text go directly to the weblink. www.ada.gov/NPRM2008/ADAnprm08.htm.
June 3, 2008
Disabled Grandma Gets Settlement
The settlement resolves a class action lawsuit, Hutchinson v. Patrick, which was filed last year in U.S. District Court in Springfield on behalf of five individuals, the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts (BIA-MA) and the Stavros Center for Independent Living. The complaint charged that the state is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act for failing to provide adequate community services. "This is a historic moment for persons with brain injuries in Massachusetts, many of whom have been unnecessarily institutionalized in nursing facilities, often for decades," said Steven J. Schwartz of the Center for Public Representation, lead counsel for the plaintiffs. "As a result of the settlement, close to 2,000 persons with brain injuries finally will be able to live in integrated settings, nearer to their families and their home communities."
June 3, 2008
Settlement Agreement
The Department of Justice announced yesterday a settlement agreement with the International Spy Museum under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Working together, the Department of Justice and the museum have come to a settlement agreement, under which the museum agrees to work to bring the content of its exhibitions, public programs, and other offerings into full compliance with ADA requirements so that its exhibits are accessible and effectively communicated to individuals with disabilities, including individuals with hearing and vision impairments. By focusing on visitors who are blind or have low vision and who are deaf or hard of hearing, the agreement establishes a new level of access for cultural and informal educational settings.
May 30, 2008
ADA Compromise on Tap
Advocates for the disabled and business communities are close to agreeing on proposed changes in the ADA Restoration Act, which would reverse the effects of two employer-friendly U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
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.
November 30, 1999
President Bush to Sign ADA Amendments Act!
