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Smithsonian improves online features to make things easier to access

Posted on November 22, 2023

The Smithsonian is using technology to improve museums and the resources people have access to. The goal is for everyone, no matter where they are, to get a better understanding of the changing world. New software will make things better for visitors, donors, volunteers, and others who deal with the Smithsonian. The aim is to...
Two women in a Metro station smile while holding an award between them.

L.A. Metro gets praised for a program that helps seniors with transportation

Posted on November 22, 2023

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has a program called the "On the Move Riders Program." It received the Spirit of Accessibility Award for helping seniors with transportation. The program teaches L.A. older adults about using public transportation through workshops, events, and tours. Seniors aged 62+ who sign up get discounted fares on Metro...
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2023 National Survey on Health and Disability

Posted on November 21, 2023

The University of Kansas is looking for adults with disabilities to complete a survey. The survey is called the National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD). People with disabilities can share what they think and their experiences with things like healthcare, housing, and jobs. It's open to adults in the U.S. who are 18 or...
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Justice Department gets agreement with Arizona prisons to stop discriminating against people with vision disabilities

Posted on November 17, 2023

The Arizona prisons are changing how they treat people who are blind or have low vision. They weren't giving them aids or services like Braille, audio materials, or screen reading software so they could communicate well. It was also hard for people with vision disabilities to ask for help or complain about the problems. The...
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Share your ideas: U.S. Transportation Department wants input on making transit facilities more accessible

Posted on November 14, 2023

The U.S. Department of Transportation wants public transportation buildings and facilities to be usable by everyone. Their goal is to make sure everyone, with or without a disability, can use public transportation easily and independently. They're looking for ideas from people on how to make these facilities easier for those with disabilities to use. They're...
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Justice Department reaches agreement with Alameda County, CA to improve mental health services

Posted on November 8, 2023

The Department of Justice reached an agreement with Alameda County, California, and others who had filed complaints, to improve community-based mental health services. The Department found that Alameda County violated Title II of the ADA by putting people with mental health disabilities in institutions when they could have been helped with community-based services. The agreement...
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Recreation for all: Improving accessibility on public lands

Posted on November 6, 2023

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has introduced an "accessibility" map for its recreation sites to help people with mobility or accessibility needs. This map is part of Disability Awareness Month and is the first step in a bigger effort by the BLM. A team of experts has improved the online map, allowing users to...
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The Justice Department has new guidance on the ADA and public employment and day services for people with disabilities

Posted on November 3, 2023

The Justice Department has new guidance about how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)'s "integration mandate" applies to public employment and day services. The integration mandate says state and local governments have to provide services to people with disabilities in the most inclusive setting possible. Many people with disabilities are in sheltered workshops and day...
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Justice Department settles with Hawaii apartment builders over disability discrimination

Posted on October 30, 2023

The Justice Department reached a settlement with a Hawaii developer and others who were accused of not designing and building five multifamily housing complexes with the required accessible features. This violates the Fair Housing Act, which is a law that ensures housing is accessible to everyone. The agreement requires the companies to pay a fine...
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Quest Diagnostics lawsuit over inaccessible kiosks can go to trial

Posted on October 30, 2023

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) won a case in California against Quest Diagnostics. The case is about their self-service kiosks being inaccessible to blind people. This violates the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). The case can now go to trial and is for all legally blind people who visited Quest in 2018 and 2019...
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What employers can do when they cannot identify an effective accommodation

Posted on October 26, 2023

A new resource from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) talks about options an employer should consider if they can't identify a reasonable accommodation after making a good-faith effort to do so.  They could: Talk to the employee and review past attempts. If the employee can't provide more ideas, look for help from outside resources like...
A woman with short "salt and pepper" wavy hair and glasses smiles in hallway with art on the wall

The Pacific ADA Center provides guidance on service animals in public spaces

Posted on October 25, 2023

Jan Garrett, Deputy Director of ADA Programs at the Pacific ADA Center, was recently interviewed by the L.A. Times. She shared guidance from the Americans with Disabilities Act on service animals in public spaces. Here are some key points: Service animals are trained to help people with many different types of disabilities. They don't have...
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Public Awareness Campaign to Ensure Air Travelers with Disabilities Know Their Rights

Posted on October 24, 2023

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has a new campaign called #AccessibleAirTravel to celebrate the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) and let travelers with disabilities know about their rights. The ACAA, created in 1986, makes it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in air travel. DOT has created the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill...
A person with chin length red hair and glasses works on a computer while sitting in a wheelchair.

EARN shares new information about flexible work

Posted on October 17, 2023

The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) has put out a new webpage talking about why it's good to have flexible work options. It talks about: Who benefits from a flexible workplace Types of workplace flexibility Things for employers to think about when making workplaces flexible There are also links to reports...
The front engine of a yellow freight train

EEOC sues Union Pacific over using flawed test to disqualify workers

Posted on October 13, 2023

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has joined more than a dozen former workers in suing Union Pacific over the way it used a vision test to disqualify workers the railroad believed were color blind and might have trouble reading signals telling them to stop a train. Union Pacific fired some of their workers when...
U.S. Department of Justice logo

Justice Department sues Colorado for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act

Posted on October 13, 2023

The Justice Department is suing Colorado because they're putting adults with physical disabilities, including older people, in nursing homes when they could live at home. Colorado was told about this problem in March 2022 and given steps to fix it, but they didn't. The law says people with disabilities should get help in the best...
Navy Blue circle with stethoscop and the words I'm a disability ally"

Become a Disability A.L.L.Y. — Information for Healthcare Providers

Posted on October 11, 2023

Healthcare practices serve patients with disabilities who may face extra problems in getting care. Providers, become an ally for people with disabilities by making small changes that can really improve their lives, starting with assessing your practice and building a more inclusive practice by using: Welcoming Spaces: Make sure your programs and physical spaces are...
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New proposed rule to update Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act to increase equity and protections for people with disabilities

Posted on October 11, 2023

Section 504 prohibits discrimination against individuals based on disability in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance or are operated by a Federal agency. HHS is proposing to update the regulations to clarify important requirements that are not currently addressed and improve consistency with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Americans with Disabilities Amendments...
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New resource guide about recruitment, hiring, and employment of individuals with disabilities

Posted on October 11, 2023

This Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and U.S. Department of Labor Document document talks about the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which helps people with disabilities get jobs. It was the first law of its kind in the United States and served as a model for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Section 501 stops job discrimination...
Closeup of a cane on textured street with yellow lines

U.S. Access Board Releases Training Videos on Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines

Posted on October 11, 2023

The U.S. Access Board made five new videos on the Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines. The first four videos offer a chapter-by-chapter review of the guidelines to better understand the accessibility requirements to make sidewalks, crosswalks, shared-use paths, on-street parking, and other pedestrian facilities accessible to people with disabilities. The fifth video, “What’s New in the...
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