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American's with Disabilities Act
- Audio Conference & Webinars
Conferences and Webinars are open to the public and free of charge.
All conferences/webinars are held at the University of Southern Indiana
Science
Center ,Room 1212 (SC1212), 1:00
- 2:30 p.m. (Central Time).
For additional information, please
contact
Lorie A. Van Hook at 812/464-1863 or email at
lvanhook@usi.edu .
Audio
Conferences
January 19, 2010
Service Animals: Unraveling the Difference and Best Practices
The rights of people with disabilities who use
service animals vary, depending on which law applies. The Americans with
Disabilities Act, the Air Carrier Access Act, and the Fair Housing Act each have
different standards for service animals and their owners. Complicating the topic
even further is the issue of the definition of service animals, especially in
relation to emotional support or therapy animals. This session will provide
information about the definition of service animals and the rights of service
animal owners under the ADA, the ACAA, and the FHA. We will also discuss the
differences in how the various laws treat service animals versus emotional
support or therapy animals, as well as model service animal policies for
educational institutions and healthcare facilities.
Speaker:
Jacquie Brennan, Attorney, DBTAC-Southwest
ADA Center
Guest Moderator:
Wendy Wilkinson,
Project Director,DBTAC-Southwest ADA Center
February 16, 2010
Aging Workers with Disabilities: Implications for Employers
The aging workforce is likely to result in increasing
numbers of workers with disabilities. By the year 2010, this group will account
for nearly half (44%) of the working age population (20-64), and the number of
people with disabilities between the ages of 50 and 65 is predicted to double.
Disability management and accommodation policies and practices readily lend
themselves to addressing the challenges employers will face with an aging
workforce, and the increasing prevalence of disability that these demographics
bring. Join this session for a discussion of the practices associated with
maximizing the productivity of an aging workforce and contribute to aging worker
retention.
Speakers:
Susanne Bruyere,
Director of Employment and Disability Institute, Cornell
University
Wendy Strobel, Project Coordinator,DBTAC-Northeast
ADA Center
March 16, 2010
Conducting Effective Accessibility Surveys: Part I
What to measure, how to measure, who is qualified to
do a survey and what tools are available to support this activity are commonly
asked questions. This two-part series will explore the requirements to conduct
accessibility surveys by business, government and educational institutions to
ensure that they meet the requirements of the ADA. Topics to be covered include
what to look for in an existing facility as well as a facility that has
undergone renovation and/or was newly constructed since the implementation date
of the ADA. Experts in the field will share their "lessons learned" and tricks
of the trade.
Speakers:
Panel of Speakers to be announced
Guest Moderator:
Don Brandon, Project Director,DBTAC-Northwest
ADA Center
April 20, 2010
Conducting Effective Accessibility Surveys: Part II
This is the conclusion of the two-part series that
explore the requirements to conduct accessibility surveys by business,
government and educational institutions to ensure that they meet the
requirements of the ADA. Topics to be covered include what to look for in an
existing facility as well as a facility that has undergone renovation and/or was
newly constructed since the implementation date of the ADA. Experts in the field
will share their "lessons learned" and tricks of the trade.
Speakers:
Panel of Speakers to be announced
Guest Moderator:
Don Brandon, Project Director,DBTAC-Northwest
ADA Center
May 18, 2010
Reservations Please: Ensuring Access for Customers with Disabilities
Customers with disabilities are a growing market in
the hospitality industry. Millions of people with disabilities regularly travel,
shop, and eat out with family and friends. According to Census 2000,
approximately 20.9 million families in this country have at least one member
with a disability. An Open Doors Organization study estimated in 2003 that
diners with disabilities would spend $35 billion in restaurants that year and
the number was expected to grow and it has. The study also found that more than
75% of people with disabilities report that they eat out at restaurants at least
once a week. Furthermore, The New York Times reported that spending by travelers
with disabilities exceeds $13.6 billion annually. These statistics alone make
the business case for ensuring access for customers with disabilities. Join this
session to hear more about what the hospitality industry is doing to serve this
market and their experiences doing so.
Speaker:
TBA
Guest Moderator:
Marian Vessels, Director, DBTAC
- Mid-Atlantic ADA Center
June 15, 2010
Disability Statistics: What Do They Tell Us?
Where does the 54 million Americans living with a
disability number come from? Where can I get more information about disability
data sources? Why are there different numbers out there about the unemployment
rate of people with disabilities? These are just a few of the questions that are
frequently asked about disability statistics. Join this session as we explore
the various sources of statistics related to disability, how to use them and
interpret them and what can we expect to learn about disability from the 2010 US
Census.
Speaker: Andrew Houtenville, Associate Professor of
Economics, University of New Hampshire
July 20, 2010
ADA Update: 20th Anniversary of the ADA
Mark the historic 20th anniversary of the ADA by
joining this audio conference as we listen to representatives of the Federal
Agencies present an update on their litigation, technical assistance and
enforcement efforts over the past year, including highlights of accomplishments
over the past 20 years. Participants will have an opportunity to pose questions
to the presenters regarding issues in their own workplace or community.
Speakers:
Sharon Rennert,
Senior Attorney Advisor, Americans with Disabilities Act Division
John Wodatch,
Chief, Disability Rights
Section of the Civil Rights Division, US Department of Justice
August 17, 2010
ADA & After School and Daycare Programs for Children with Disabilities
Parents of children with disabilities are often faced
with limited choices when it comes to locating appropriate after school and
daycare programs to meet the needs of their children. Many daycare and after
school providers are reticent about accepting children with disabilities into
their programs based on the fear that they are not able to provide the child
with the services that they need, they don't have the "specialized " staff that
may be needed, unfounded fear that the cost of serving a child with a disability
is too great or a general bias against serving individuals with disabilities.
Join our speakers as they discuss best practices in day care and after school
programs for serving children with disabilities and resources that are available
to assist providers and parents.
Speaker:
TBA
Guest Moderator:
Shelley Kaplan, Director, DBTAC-Southeast
ADA Center
September 21, 2010
Corrections and the ADA: Balancing the Rights of People with Disabilities While
Incarcerated
Studies show that a large number of individuals
within the prison system are people with disabilities. The literature discusses
how the various systems serving incarcerated individuals have historically
treated people with disabilities as second class citizens and ignored their
rights to equal access whether it be access to medical care, the removal of
physical barriers or provision of effective communication. This session will
explore the strides that have been made and strategies implemented within the
corrections community to address the rights of individuals with disabilities
while retaining it's focus on imposing punishment.
Speaker:
TBA
Guest Moderator:
Jim DeJong, Director, DBTAC-Great
Plains ADA Center
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December 2, 2009 » Employer Defenses Under the ADA
The ADA provides employers with a number of defenses
when an employee files suit, including undue hardship, direct threat and that
the employee is unable to meet the essential functions of the job. This session
will review the various defenses employers can raise and analyze recent case
decisions interpreting these defenses, along with relevant EEOC guidance and
regulations.
Speaker:
Barry Taylor , JDDirector of Legal Services, Equip for Equality,
Chicago, Illinois
February 3, 2010 » Impact of the Supreme Court's
ADA Decisions
When Congress passed the ADA Amendments Act of 2008,
it repudiated two of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ADA decisions. (Sutton and
Williams) But what about the other ADA cases decided by the Supreme Court? These
cases involved important issues including reasonable accommodation and seniority
systems, the definition of employee and employer, pretext, the impact of
qualifying for Social Security benefits, and direct threat. What impact have
these cases had? This session will provide an in-depth review of lower court
interpretations of the major Supreme Court ADA decisions that were not covered
by the ADA Amendments Act and provide guidance for interpreting those issues in
the future.
Speaker:
Barry Taylor, JDDirector of Legal Services, Equip for Equality, Chicago,
Illinois
April 7, 2010 » Reasonable Accommodation Legal
Update
Reasonable accommodation issues continue to be one of
the most frequently litigated ADA issues. This session will identify the major
trends arising in reasonable accommodation cases and analyze recent court
decisions interpreting the reasonable accommodation provisions of the ADA.
Speaker:
Barry Taylor, JDDirector of Legal Services, Equip for Equality, Chicago,
Illinois
June 2, 2010 » "Invisible Disabilities" and the
ADA
When someone does not have a visible disability, such
as diabetes, epilepsy, chemical sensitivity, asthma, mental illness and
HIV/AIDS, it frequently can raise unique issues for both the employer and the
employee. This session will review the legal issues and court decisions when
"invisible" disabilities are at issue, including pre-employment inquiries and
medical examinations, workplace disclosure, reasonable accommodation issues
(such as leave and modified schedules), and confidentiality.
Speaker:
Barry Taylor, JDDirector of Legal Services, Equip for Equality, Chicago,
Illinois
August 4, 2010 » The EEOC and the ADA
Employers and people with disabilities frequently
have questions about the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s role in
interpreting and enforcing Title I of the ADA. This session will provide
participants with a clear understanding of the EEOC’s administrative process,
including work share agreements, mediation, investigations, and case selection,
as well as an update on the EEOC's ADA litigation.
Speaker:
Barry Taylor, JDDirector of Legal Services, Equip for Equality, Chicago,
Illinois
Guest Speaker:
John
Hendrickson, Regional Attorney,EEOC, Chicago, Illinois
September 29, 2010 » Litigation under the ADA
Amendments Act
The passage of the ADA Amendments Act sought to
change the narrow interpretations by courts of the definition of disability. But
what has been the real impact of the ADAAA? This session will analyze the
initial case decisions interpreting the provisions of the ADAAA and its
regulations, and identify any emerging trends.
Speaker:
Barry Taylor, JDDirector of Legal Services, Equip for Equality, Chicago,
Illinois
Guest Speaker:
Brian
East., Senior Attorney, Advocacy, Inc
