1 of 5 to the January 2014 Rocky Mountain Access The Rocky Mountain Access is a free monthly online newsletter with current accessibility information for the Rocky Mountain region that includes Wyoming, Utah, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Colorado. Subscription also includes timely updates throughout the month. 2014 ADA Symposium Registration is now open!! Sessions fill quickly...register Early!! Denver, CO June 15-18 New Publications: DOJ ADA Mediation Program The U.S. Department of Justice has issued two new publications explaining its ADA Mediation Program. Through its Program, the Department of Justice resolves many ADA complaints quickly and effectively at no cost to the parties. The document "Resolving ADA Complaints Through Mediation: An Overview " outlines the Program, and the second document "ADA Mediation Program: Questions and Answers" responds to frequently asked questions about the Program. FCC Requests Comments on Closed Captioning of Video Clips Comment Deadline January 27 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is requesting public comments on the closed captioning of online video clips. Closed captioning of video clips allows people who are deaf or hard of hearing to better access video programming. Comment deadline is January 27.
2 of 5 File a comment Utah Woman to Businesses: Remove Snow from Accessible Parking Spaces When a snow storm hits, many people have problems getting into parking lots, but one Utah woman with a disability said snow-covered handicap (sic) parking spaces are dangerous. From www.ksl.com. Don t Block Transfer as Reasonable Accommodation If they re qualified, disabled employees may be entitled to transfer to an open position as an accommodation. Blocking a transfer may violate the ADA, unless you can show that the transfer would impose an undue hardship. This information is proudly provided by Business Management Daily.com. Regions Bank to Pay to Settle EEOC Age and Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Regions Financial Corporation, doing business as Regions Bank, will pay $95,000 and provide injunctive relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency has announced. The EEOC had charged that Regions failed to provide a reasonable accommodation for a former employee's disability and discharged her because of her age. Justice Department Announces Fair Housing Settlement with WV Developer The Justice Department announced that developer Douglas Pauley and entities affiliated with him have agreed to pay $110,000 and make all retrofits required to remove accessibility barriers at 30 apartment complexes, involving more than 750 units, in West Virginia that were developed through the federal government s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Settlement Will help Prevent Unnecessary Institutionalization The Justice Department has announced that the United States and a coalition of mental health advocacy organizations have entered into a comprehensive settlement agreement with the state of New Hampshire that will transform New Hampshire s mental health system by significantly expanding and enhancing mental health service capacity in integrated community settings. Internal Revenue Service Offers Assistance for People with Disabilities With tax season in swing, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is reminding people about the availability of accessible forms and that free tax return help may be available for people who are unable to complete their tax returns because of a disability.
3 of 5 Volunteers Needed to Test Emergency Alerting System The Department of Homeland Security s (DHS s) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has announced a cooperative pilot project with National Public Radio s (NPR s) technology research and development group, NPR Labs, to demonstrate the delivery of the first-ever, real-time emergency alert messages to people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in five Gulf states. In order to take part in the demonstration, volunteers will need to be close enough to one of 26 public radio stations in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. To find out if you live within in the coverage area of one of the stations, enter your street address. Anyone with a hearing difficulty is encouraged to volunteer by completing an application. For more information on the emergency alerts demonstration, please contact NPR Labs. ADA Live - Effective Communication "ADA Live!" is a monthly radio show broadcast free on the Internet. Ask questions and learn about your rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Leaders in the field will share their knowledge, experience and successful strategies that increase the participation of persons with disabilities in communities and businesses. The next episode is "Effective Communication." "Effective communication" means that whatever is written or spoken must be as clear and understandable to people with disabilities as it is for people who do not have disabilities. Tune in to this episode to learn about the obligations of medical providers, lawyers, tax preparers, local and state government agencies, employers, and others to ensure that their customers are able to communicate effectively with them. ADA Live - Accessible Meetings and Events January 8, 2014 1:00 pm to 1:30 pm Listen here Live captioning here Archive of past episodes here Questions and Information Contact the Southeast ADA Center here Emergency Preparedness Webinar Series: "Oakland California's Journey from Emergency Management Defendant to Model City for Inclusionary Practices. This webinar series is produced by the Pacific ADA Center and supported by the Great Lakes ADA Center on behalf of the ADA National Network. In 2009, the City of Oakland was the subject of a major lawsuit saying that its emergency management policies, practices and procedures fell short of providing individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to survive disasters and other emergencies. Hear how Oakland met the challenge by engaging a wide group of stakeholders and integrating progressive functional needs access frameworks into all aspects of its emergency management planning and response programs. The session will cover the tools that Oakland created and how local government agencies can efficiently and effectively transform their emergency preparedness programs. We encourage you to join us on January 8th, 2014. Learning Objectives: Participants will understand the various elements of inclusionary emergency planning and response at the local government level, including the C-MIST approach. Participants will learn how to integrate functional needs frameworks and build the capacity of local government emergency preparedness programs, activities and services to serve diverse disability populations. Participants will learn how local governments can effectively engage functional needs populations in all aspects of emergency planning and response. Date: January 8, 2014 Time: 2:00pm-3:30pm ET (calculate the start time based on your time zone) Fee: Free Registration: www.adaconferences.org/emergency (You will be prompted to establish an account with us if you do not already have one)
4 of 5 This session is closed captioned. The session will be delivered using Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing V12.5. Audio will be delivered via the webinar platform but a telephone bridge option will be available (not a toll free #) as well. The session will be recorded and archived. A certificate of attendance is available upon request at the conclusion of the session. Questions regarding the content of the Webinar should be directed to Lewis Kraus Questions regarding registration and/or the technology that will be used to deliver this session; Or call 877-232-1990 (V/TTY) ADA Audio Conference 3-Part Series - Self-Evaluation and Transition Plans The ADA National Network is pleased to announce a 3 part program focused on Self-Evaluation and Transition Planning for ADA Compliance. The sessions will be held monthly between January and March. The first session is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21st. All sessions are 90 minutes in length and will be offered via Teleconference and/or Webinar Platform (Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing). All sessions are closed captioned. January 21, 2014 Part I: Getting Started February 18, 2014 Part II: A Hands-on Approach to Self-Evaluations March 18, 2014 Part III: Bringing It All Together: Transition Plans, Barrier Removal Plans, and Action Plans Registration: $25.00/per toll free telephone line (Audio via telephone Visual can be done via handout and/or webinar platform connection). Free for webinar platform connection (both audio and visual) (Closed captioning provided via the webinar platform). Registration URL: http://adagreat.powweb.com/registration/ (You will be required to establish an account in our system if you do not already have one) Continuing Education Recognition Available: AIA, AICP, LACES, Certificate of Attendance Questions?: Email us at webinars@ada-audio.org or call us at 877-232-1990 (V/TTY) The Rocky Mountain ADA Center Invites You To About the Rocky Mountain ADA Center... The Rocky Mountain ADA Center operates under grant #H133A110018 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to provide information about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Rocky Mountain ADA Center / MTC Staff... Robert H. Gattis - MTC President Randy Dipner - MTC Founding Partner Kent Kelley - MTC Chief Operating Officer Candice Alder Director of Technical Assistance Geoff Ames - Accessibility Implementation Consultant Rob Gilkerson - Architectural Information Specialist Ken Heldt - ADA Information Specialist Rita Schell - ADA Information Specialist Maggie Sims Editor, ADA Information Specialist Jamie Staton - ADA Specialist Philip Williams - ADA Specialist Chantal Woodyard - Outreach Specialist
5 of 5 The information provided in this publication is intended solely as informal guidance, and is neither a determination of your legal rights or responsibilities, nor binding on any agency with enforcement responsibility. The Rocky Mountain ADA Center is not responsible for other web sites that are referred to in the enewsletter. Rocky Mountain ADA Center www.adainformation.org Operated by Meeting the Challenge, Inc. www.mtc-inc.com Colorado Springs, CO 800-949-4232 (V, TTY) 719-358-2460 VideoPhone Stay up-to-date with ADA issues by following us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com /RMADACenter.