Ask About the ADA Podcast

Have you ever wondered what makes a beach or park accessible? Public recreation spaces must be accessible under Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but it can be difficult to figure out exactly what the requirements are. This edition of Ask About the ADA features a panel with experts from the Northeast ADA and our Puerto Rico affiliate MAVI about how recreational spaces can p...

Does the Americans with Disabilities Act apply to an organization if they have an office in the US? Are there international certifications for products that are ADA-compliant? Determining when and where the ADA applies can be difficult, so this edition of Ask About the ADA is all about the law's jurisdiction. For a transcript of today's episode, please visit the Ask About the ADA podcast...

Does the Americans with Disabilities Act cover people with disabilities of all ages? How does the ADA protect people recovering from drug addiction? Does the ADA protect ongoing drug use? This edition of Ask About the ADA features the last segment of the Northeast ADA's "What's the Question?" webinar and covers questions about age and the ADA, as well as protections for people...

What should you do to make a meeting accessible? What kind of assistive technologies are available on mobile phones? Accessible technology changes just as quickly as other areas of innovations in tech, and this edition of Ask About the ADA is about the ways you can ensure everyone has access to online communications. For a transcript of today's episode, please visit the Ask About the ADA podc...

Does the Americans with Disabilities Act grant housing protections, such as accessible residential parking, to renters with disabilities? What about public beaches, do they need to be accessible? Determining physical accessibility requirements under the ADA can be tricky, but this edition of Ask About the ADA examines two places where equal access may be required. For a transcript of today's...

Are there rules for service animal handlers under the Americans with Disabilities Act? Are automatic doors always required? This edition of Ask About the ADA covers two commonly asked questions about service animals and physical accessibility. For a transcript of today's episode, please visit the Ask About the ADA podcast feed on BuzzSprout. NortheastADA.org

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employees with disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations in the workplace— but what happens when an accommodation is unreasonable ? Not every request is approved, so this edition of Ask About the ADA covers some questions about what makes an accommodation reasonable. For a transcript of today's episode, please visit the Ask About the ADA...

If a company has daily production quotas, do employees with disabilities need to meet the same standards as other employees? Can job applications ask about a candidate's disability? This edition of Ask About the ADA answers a couple of tough questions about employment under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. For a transcript of today's episode, please visit the Ask About the...

Most service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act are dogs, but the law allows one exception: miniature horses. Jessica Wellman trains miniature horses as service animals, and she has tails to tell about her own service mini horse, Honey.   In this edition of Ask About the ADA, the Northeast ADA Center interviews Jessica about how miniature horses serve people with disabilities, how t...

Does an employer have to accommodate an employee who needs an accommodation in order to better support a family member with a disability? Does a college student have to pay for a standard meal plan if they have requested an exemption? On this week's addition of Ask About the ADA, we explore these questions that we have received at the Northeast ADA's technical assistance telephone line....

If you had a disability in the past, do you qualify for Americans with Disabilities Act protections now? What kind of information do you need to provide to an employer to demonstrate a record of a disability or an ongoing disability? This edition of Ask About the ADA is about some of the ways people document disabilities with their employers, whether or not the disability is ongoing. For a transcr...

Workplace accommodations for employees with disabilities can be hard to navigate normally, and COVID-19 has certainly added complications. Are employers responsible for providing personal assistance services to employees with disabilities? How should employers handle job coaches who count toward a business's reduced-density requirements? This edition of Ask About the ADA clarifies some of the...

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employees with disabilities are entitled to request reasonable accommodations at work, which can help them be more effective at their jobs. However, when requesting accommodations, obstacles and resistance may arise from employers who might not understand the ADA. How should employees advocate for themselves? This edition of Ask About the ADA is about sel...

Mental health is highly stigmatized, but many mental health conditions qualify as disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. People with psychiatric conditions often have a right to reasonable accommodations in the workplace, just like people with more visible disabilities. What kind of accommodations could help employees with mental health conditions? This edition of Ask About the AD...

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to train a mobility guide dog? In this Ask About the ADA interview, Ben Cawley, an instructor for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, explains how his organization trains guide dogs and pairs them with compatible handlers. What kind of tasks can these dogs help accomplish? What breeds make good guide dogs? How long is their work life? Listen to the full intervi...

"The ADA does require us as people with disabilities and as advocates to be bringing these cases. I always tell people there's no "ADA police" that are going around and citing violations-- it is really incumbent upon us as a community to be bringing these cases, to be making good law, to be pushing the envelope, to be educating and bringing awareness to these issues." Rach...

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a celebration of employees with disabilities and the policies that help them engage in the workforce. Why celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month? On this edition of Ask About the ADA, we explore the evolution of this special month and ways you can promote equal opportunity in your workplace. For a transcript of today&apos...

Can employers force employees with disabilities to return to in-person work? Are schools required to provide students with virtual learning options? Can people with disabilities get accommodations under vaccine mandates?  In this edition of Ask About the ADA, we turn to the Northeast ADA Center's Technical Assistance staff with tough questions about Americans with Disabilities Act rules in th...

Many conversations about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) revolve around  the employment, accommodations, and accessibility provisions outlined in Titles I, II, & III. But what is included in Titles IV & V of the law? This edition of Ask About the ADA includes a webinar archive explaining the wide variety of issues covered in Titles IV & V. For a transcript of today's epi...

Many conversations about the Americans with Disabilities Act center on the accessibility of public accommodations. But what are public accommodations? This edition of Ask About the ADA features an excerpt from the Northeast ADA Center's webinar about Title III of the law, which describes how public facilities should be made accessible for people with disabilities. For a transcript of today&ap...

What does the Americans with Disabilities Act require of state and local governments? Do services like public transportation or rec center classes have to be accessible?  In this clip of the ADA 101.3 State and Local Governments webinar, Joe Zesski and Jennifer Perry of the Northeast ADA Center talk about Title II of the law, which requires equal access for all state and local government services....

Can businesses charge for accessible parking? Can facilities put time limits on accessible parking spaces? This edition of Ask About the ADA is about some commonly asked questions about the Title II requirement of equal access in parking. For a transcript of today's episode, please visit the Ask About the ADA podcast feed on BuzzSprout. Read about parking fees for accessible spaces or the rul...

The religious exemption under the Americans with Disabilities Act can be confusing. Do churches have to offer employment accommodations? What about hospitals operated by religious organizations-- do they need to be accessible or offer accommodations? This edition of Ask About the ADA is all about the obligations of religious organizations. For a transcript of today's episode, please visit the...

Does the Americans with Disabilities Act cover people with mental illnesses? How has COVID-19 impacted people with mental illnesses, particularly those in virtual learning settings? How should college students ask for accommodations on campus? Where can students go for mental health resources?  This edition of Ask About the ADA features an interview with Brittany Stone, a lecturer in the Departmen...

When a doctor treats a deaf patient, who is responsible for effective communication? Does the medical provide have to pay for the interpreter?  Can doctors ask patients to bring their own interpreters? This edition of Ask About the ADA is about people with disabilities' rights to effective communication in medical settings. For a transcript of today's episode, please visit the Ask About...