ADALive!

The goal of Think College at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston is to support the creation of authentic, inclusive college experiences that lead not only to academic and social growth, but also integrated competitive employment outcomes for youth with intellectual disability. Students with intellectual disability who go to college are 26% more likely to...

A hallmark of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the provision of reasonable accommodation to ensure equality in the workplace. In this episode of ADA Live, we will discuss what is and is not reasonable accommodation and how to request accommodation. When employers hear the word “disability,” they may become concerned with cost and legal liability. Often, employers do not understand that...

A food allergy may be considered a disability under federal laws, such as Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A disability as defined by the ADA is a mental or physical impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, such as eating. Major life activities also include major bodily functions, such as the functions of the gastrointe...

This show is a continuation of our discussion with Nancy Horton regarding the top 5 ADA questions regarding reasonable accommodations. A diversified workforce is a win-win situation for everyone. It is often easier to accommodate an employee with a disability than employers may think. This session of ADA Live! will explore the most frequent workplace accommodation requests and possible solutions....

A diversified workforce is a win-win situation for everyone. It is often easier to accommodate an employee with a disability than employers may think. This session of ADA Live! will explore the most frequent workplace accommodation requests and possible solutions. The topics for reasonable accommodations to be covered will include: Leave, Reassignment to Another Position, Accessible or Reserved Pa...

Universal Design is changing the world we live in by making buildings, products and environments that are accessible to all - people with disabilities and those without disabilities. In this episode, Diana Foote, Executive Director of the Global Universal Design Commission (GUDC), and Michael Rotella, GUDC Associate Director, will define Universal Design (UD) and provide some examples. They will a...

Back by popular demand, the "ADA Live!" Show: The School Year Has Started - And It's Not Going Well. What Can I Do? is being rebroadcast by the Southeast ADA Center. This session of WADA ADA Live! continues our conversation with Georgia Fruechtenicht. In this episode, Georgia will explain the options parents have when their child's school year is not going well. She will discuss writing emails and...

People with disabilities face many challenges in employment. Antidiscrimination laws are continually evolving and new issues are coming to the fore. Learning about, understanding, and applying information about these laws and changes is difficult, even for those trained in the language and the logic of the law. Steven Mendelsohn - Attorney, Advocate, and Author of People with Disabilities and Empl...

This is a very exciting year with the Presidential election coming up in November. This episode is the continuation of a three part series on voting access. In this episode, Carol Francisco and Darren Jernigan, both of whom have been on the board of the Tennessee Disability Coalition, will discuss why voting is so important for people with disabilities. In addition, Carol and Darren will discuss t...

Back by popular demand, the "ADA Live!" Show: Back to School—What Parents Need to Know Before the School Year Begins is being rebroadcast by the Southeast ADA Center. This session of WADA ADA Live! will explore what parents need to know to help their child’s school year get off to a good start. Topics include establishing a good relationship with your child’s teachers and staff; helping a child wh...

In this episode, Jim Dickson, the Co-Chair of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) Voting Rights Committee, will discuss the disability vote and the importance of people with disabilities casting their vote. This is a very exciting year with the Presidential election coming up in November. In addition, July 11- 15 is National Voter Registration Week. This episode focuses on the import...

People with disabilities tend to vote about 10-20% less than those without disabilities, making it easier to dismiss the disability population. Although a study by Rutgers University shows that the vast majority of voters with disabilities are able to cast their votes privately and independently, the perception among these voters persists that they will encounter barriers at their polling place. I...

Christy Dunaway was recently hired by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency to serve as the Disability Integration Advisor. Mississippi is only the third state in the country to develop this position within their emergency management system. In her position, Christy will ensure that all programs and services related to emergency management, preparedness, response and recovery, are fully acce...

Jonathan Martinis' appearance on the October 7th edition of ADA Live, discussing The Interplay between Guardianship and the ADA and Supported Decision-Making was one of our most popular. Because so many people had questions and comments, we're having him back to answer some of the most "Frequently Asked Questions" about Supported Decision-Making. We'll discuss how Supported Decision-Making can hel...

The Fair Housing Act provides rights and protections to persons with disabilities living in multi-family housing. In this episode Kathy Gips, Director of Training at the New England ADA Center, will discuss the Fair Housing Act and how it relates to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the key requirements in the Fair Housing Act, requesting an accommodation or modification, service animals...

Many young adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) are leaving high school and considering post secondary education programs. Until recently, there were not many opportunities for students with ID to have access to post secondary education. What began through the efforts of a few individuals and institutes of higher education has developed into a movement of many who share the belief that all s...

Back by popular demand, the "ADA Live!" Show: Post-Secondary Education and Students with Disabilities is being rebroadcast by the Southeast ADA Center. Students with disabilities, including those who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, don’t usually know about their opportunities in higher education, what accommodations are available, and how to request them. This episode discusses w...

Back by popular demand, the Southeast ADA Center is rebroadcasting the "ADA Live!" Show: Employment and Reasonable Accommodations. This episode will address the legal and practical issues surrounding reasonable accommodations in employment under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA). Topics to be discussed include: definition of disability, the leg...

This episode of WADA ADALive! addresses issues facing veterans and their families as they leave the military and rejoin civilian life. The presenter is James Schmeling, J.D., co-founder of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University and Programs Mission Director for IVMF’s innovative transition, employment, education and training programs targeted to veterans and...

Jonathan Martinis, Legal Director for Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities and the Project Director, National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making will discuss the relationship between guardianship and the ADA. He has over 20 years’ experience representing people with disabilities in cases under the Americans with Disabilities Act, The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, The Social Sec...

Join ADA Live! (WADA) on September 2 for our second conversation with Georgia Fruechtenicht from Parent to Parent of Georgia (P2PGA). In this episode, Georgia will explain the options parents have when their child's school year is not going well. She will discuss writing emails and letters to express concerns and how to request a meeting. She will also discuss effective communication techniques pa...

This session of WADA ADA Live! will explore what parents need to know to help their child’s school year get off to a good start. Topics include establishing a good relationship with your child’s teachers and staff; helping a child who is very anxious about going back to school; who decides when an IEP should be scheduled; how to prepare for the IEP or 504 meeting; ideas for following up after the...

This show is a continuation of our discussion with Nancy Horton regarding the top 5 ADA questions regarding reasonable accommodations. A diversified workforce is a win-win situation for everyone. It is often easier to accommodate an employee with a disability than employers may think. This session of ADA Live! will explore the most frequent workplace accommodation requests and possible solutions....

A diversified workforce is a win-win situation for everyone. It is often easier to accommodate an employee with a disability than employers may think. This session of ADA Live! will explore the most frequent workplace accommodation requests and possible solutions. The topics for reasonable accommodations to be covered will include: Leave, Reassignment to Another Position, Accessible or Reserved Pa...

Back by popular demand just in time for summer, the Southeast ADA Center is rebroadcasting the "ADA Live!" Show: Beach Access. In this episode we will discuss how to make a beach accessible to people with disabilities. This episode will examine challenges such as beach and wildlife protections alterations to an existing beach (including upgrades to parking, circulation path, and restroom facilitie...