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• The ADA and Health Care Providers
  SUMMARY: This article introduces basic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for health care providers. It talks about providing access to the actual building and its features, the use of...
• Health Care Overview
  What with Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act, nearly all health care providers must follow many rules in order to avoid discriminating against p...
• Health Care Providers and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
  Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act applies to any recipient of federal financial assistance. In the health care setting, federal financial assistance can consist of grants, loans, or other arrangem...
• 8 Tips for Communicating with a Patient Who Has a Disability
  SUMMARY: As a health care provider, you may be unsure about how to interact with patients who have disabilities. This article offers easy-to-follow tips that you can put into place today to strengthen...
• Health care provider as employer
  Most often, health care providers are thought of in terms of their relationship to patients or patrons. Significantly, however, the role of a health care provider as an employer cannot be overlooked....
• The clinician-patient with a disability relationship
  The clinician-patient relationship is crucial to the diagnosis, treatment, and care for an individual. Respectful communication with and about the patient is essential. Beyond their medical needs, a p...
• Olmstead Decision
  SUMMARY: The Olmstead decision, which was issued by the US Supreme Court in 1999, has had a major impact on many people and communities. It clarified that because of Title II of the ADA (Americans wit...
• The ADA and Public Places
  SUMMARY: This article focuses on businesses—stores, restaurants, salons, theaters, and more—that are open to the public. Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has a lot to...
• The ADA and Title II Public Entities
  SUMMARY: The ADA ensures access by people with disabilities to buildings, facilities, programs, services, and activities offered by state and local governments (public entities). These include voting...
• The ADA and Service Animal Handlers
  SUMMARY: What should someone with a service animal know about their rights and responsibilities as a service animal handler when they go into the community? This FAQ article explains a few important p...
• Who Is Protected by the ADA?
  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects the civil rights of people with disabilities, but how can we know whether someone has a disability, for the purposes of applying the law? The ADA ans...
• The Spirit of the ADA and Your Business
  SUMMARY: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has many regulations, and as a business owner, you may feel that you have a lot to do to meet ADA requirements. However, it may help to approach comp...
• Perceptions of Disability and the ADA
  The way society views disability has a big impact on our laws surrounding disability, as well as on our day-to-day lives. Let’s look at where we’ve been—and at where we’re goin...
• Architectural Barriers Act (ABA)
  SIGNED BY: President Lyndon Johnson SIGNED ON: August 12, 1968 SIGNIFICANCE: The Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) mandates that buildings and facilities that are designed, built, or funded with fede...

• Accommodations for Healthcare in the Workplace
  09/26/2018-  When people think of accommodations in a health care environment, they often think of patients and visitors. However, health care professionals also have disabilities and may require a reasonabl...
• Effective Communication
  05/23/2018- When a patient is speaking with a medical care provider, a variety of challenges, barriers, and misunderstandings can get in the way. In this webinar, we discuss effective communication in the medical...
• Overview of the Proposed Standards for Accessible Medical Diagnostic Equipment
  12/09/2015- This webinar will review the proposed accessibility standards developed by the U.S. Access Board for equipment used in medical settings by health care providers for diagnostic purposes, including: exa...
• Twenty-four years of the ADA: Progress, Pitfalls and Possibilities
  07/09/2014-  The ADA was passed 24 years ago amidst a great hope that this bold new legislation would remove barriers to equal opportunity and access for people with disabilities across several life spheres....
• Accessible Healthcare: Legal, Human, and Practical
  04/09/2014-  People with disabilities have the same healthcare needs as everyone else, yet access to community health resources can be challenging at best.  This can result in substandard care and lack...

• VA Adopts New Standards for Medical Diagnostic Equipment
  05/18/2017- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will adopt new accessibility standards issued by the U.S. Access Board to ensure access to medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) at its health care...
• U.S. Access Board Issues Standards for Medical Diagnostic Equipment
  01/18/2017- The U.S. Access Board has issued new accessibility standards for medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) under section 510 of the Rehabilitation Act. The standards provide design criteria for exa...
• Free Webinar-ADA National Network Learning Session: COVID-19, Health Care, and the ADA
  04/15/2020- Thursday, April 23rd, 202011:30 AM PDT - 1:00 PM PDT Given the unprecedented demands posed by the COVID-19 pandemic for the provision of health care, it is critical for health care providers to under...
• Free Webinar-ADA National Network Learning Session: Who Let the Dogs (and Miniature Horses) In? Service Animals in Health Care Facilities
  05/20/2020- Thursday, May 28th, 202011:30 AM PDT - 1:00 PM PDT According to the Bureau of Global Public Affairs within the U.S. Department of State, approximately 500,000 service dogs assist people with disabili...
• Community Care for Adults with Disabilities to Continue Through Fiscal 2021
  04/19/2017-  The federal government has given New Jersey the go-ahead to expand and reform work it has done over the past 45 years to provide community-based services to adults with serious disabilities to h...
• New York State to Change Way Services for People with Disabilities are Coordinated
  04/18/2018- Families with children with disabilities and adults have some decisions to make in the coming weeks. New York State is replacing the Medicaid Service Coordination Program that has served the OPWDD pop...
• Free Webinar - Implementing the ADA in a Health Care Setting
  03/19/2020- Wednesday, March 25th, 2020 12:00 PM EST - 1:00 PM ESTPresenters: Joe Zesski, Program Manager, Northeast ADA CenterSally Heron, Ithaca Center Manager, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York People wi...
• Free Webinar-Implementing the ADA in a Health Care Setting
  02/19/2020- Wednesday March 25, 2020 12:00pm ET - 1:00pm ET.Presenters: Joe Zesski, Program Manager, Northeast ADA CenterSally Heron, Ithaca Center Manager, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York People with dis...
• Dependable Health Services to Pay $38,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit
  01/17/2018- Dependable Health Services Inc., a health care staffing agency, will pay $38,000 and furnish significant equitable relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employ...
• DOJ Considers Opioid Use Disorder an ADA Covered Disability and Pursues Claims Against a Provider for Refusing Medical Services to Opioid Users
  06/21/2019- The U.S. Department of Justice reached a January 31, 2019 settlement of an Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA") Title III complaint against health care provider Selma Medical Associates relating to...
• New York University Dentists Want to Redefine Care for Patients with Disabilities
  07/17/2019- For Staten Island residents Donna Agoncillo and her son Christopher Agoncillo, having a dentist that understands how to treat people with special needs is essential. Christopher, 30, has autism, and w...
• Accessible Hospitals and Medical Care Facilities: A Refresher-Free Webinar
  09/20/2017- Thursday, October 05, 2017, 2:30pm - 4:00pm ESTThis session will provide a refresher on the requirements in the ADA and ABA Accessibility standard for Hospitals and Long-Term Care facilities. The pres...
• May is Mental Health Awareness Month: What Can Employers Do to Break the Stigma of Mental Health in the Workplace?
  05/15/2019- May is Mental Health Awareness Month! With approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiencing mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, it is imperative that today's empl...
• Overview of the Final Rule for Accessible Medical Diagnostic Equipment- Free Webinar
  09/20/2017- Thursday September 28th 2017 1pm to 2pm ESTPresented By: Jennifer Perry This webinar will review the accessibility standards developed by the U.S. Access Board for equipment used in medical setti...
• Free Webinar! Overview of the Final Rule for Accessible Medical Diagnostic Equipment
  08/16/2017- Thursday, September 28, 20171:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDTThis webinar will review the accessibility standards developed by the U.S. Access Board for equipment used in medical settings by health care providers...
• May is Mental Health Awareness Month
  05/20/2020- Mental Health Awareness Month began in the United States in 1949 by the Mental Health America organization (then known as the National Association for Mental Health). Its purpose is to raise awareness...
• Free Webinar-Accommodations for Health Care Workers
  09/19/2018- Wednesday, September 26, 2018 1pm-2pmWhen people think of accommodations in a health care environment, they often think of patients and visitors. However, healthcare professionals also have disabiliti...
• Free Webinar-Accommodations for Health Care Workers
  08/15/2018- Wednesday, September 26, 2018 1pm-2pmWhen people think of accommodations in a health care environment, they often think of patients and visitors. However, healthcare professionals also have disabiliti...
• Parents of Children with Autism Use Benefits to Continue to Work
  04/19/2017- Penn State, University of Pennsylvania, and the RAND Corporation teamed up to research employment trends of parents with children with autism. The data came from the 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 National S...
• Five Years In, Critics Say NY Agency Offers Little Justice for Disabled
  08/15/2018- Over a recent three-year period, 10,117 vulnerable New Yorkers died while in state care or the care of a program overseen by the state. In at least 140 of those, the state Justice Center for the Prote...
• New Yorkers with Developmental Disabilities Stuck in Hospital After COVID-19 Recovery
  04/15/2020- As patients with coronavirus recover in the hospital, those with developmental disabilities are finding that they cannot be released due the inability of staff, who provide care at their group homes,...
• Justice Department Settles with Child Care Providers to Protect the Rights of Children with Diabetes
  02/19/2020- The Justice Department entered into two settlement agreements today to resolve allegations that two childcare providers violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to reasonably modi...
• Horizon NJ Health to Pay Former Employee $80,000 After Alleged Wrongful Termination
  05/18/2017- New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced April 10th that health insurer Horizon NJ Health will pay $80,000 to a former employee after allegations of wrongful termination.  Horizo...
• No Vaccine? No Job! Court Affirms Employer's Ability to Condition Employment Upon Vaccinations
  01/16/2019- On December 7, 2018, the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals held that an employee who was terminated for refusing to take a rubella vaccine was not discriminated or retaliated against, under the Ame...
• Avoiding ADA Pitfalls: Navigating Employee Mental Illness
  01/18/2017- The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) treats mental illness the same as physical disabilities for purposes of coverage. However, dealing with an employee's mental health condition can be particula...
• National Council on Disability Recommends Decoupling Eligibility for Cash and Health Benefits; Amending Small Business Act to Benefit Business Owners with Disabilities
  11/15/2017- The National Council on Disability (NCD) - a nonpartisan, independent federal agency comprised of presidential and congressional appointees - On October 26, 2017 released an advisory report to Congres...
• National Council on Disability (NCD) Urges DOJ Action on Medical Equipment
  09/19/2018- The NCD issued a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging the DOJ to resume regulatory action under the ADA to address access to medical diagnostic equipment, such as exam tables and chairs, we...
• Navigating the Interactive Process: Best Practices for Complying with the ADA
  11/15/2017- Four recent lawsuits filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") against health care employers underscore the federal agency's intent to continue to ensure that employers are complyi...
• City's Disability Pride Parade Marches Through Health Care Concerns
  07/19/2017- July 9th, 2017 saw thousands take part in the third annual NY City Disability Pride Parade held in Manhattan. While participants said rights for people with disabilities have come a long way in the ne...
• Disability Discrimination Complaint Filed Over COVID-19 Treatment Rationing Plan in Washington State
  04/15/2020- Self Advocates in Leadership (SAIL), Disability Rights Washington (DRW), and The Arc of the United States (The Arc) filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for C...
• Free Webinar-ADA National Network Learning Session: Accessible Medical Diagnostic Equipment and Prescription Drug Container Labels
  03/19/2020- Thursday, March 26th, 202011:30 AM PDT - 1:00 PM PDT The Access Board, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, has issued accessibility standards for medical diagnostic equipment. These...
• Saving the Teeth of Patients With Special Needs: A New Dental Center is Built to Welcome Patients with Disabilities, Who Often Run Into Obstacles Elsewhere
  05/15/2019- Cheryl Closs, a mother of four from West Islip, N.Y., wanted to save her daughter Bella's two front teeth. They were badly decayed, and one dentist wanted to just pull them out. But Ms. Closs was havi...
• New York Inmates with Mental Illness Are Held in Prison Past Their Release Dates, Lawsuit Claims
  02/21/2019- A lack of community-based mental health housing facilities have left mentally ill inmates incarcerated months past their release dates - including some in solitary confinement, a new lawsuit alleges....
• Paid Family and Medical Leave and Disability Study
  08/15/2018- The Arc is inviting people who live in California, New Jersey, New York, and North Carolina to participate in a study on paid family and medical leave and disability. The goal of the study is to look...
• Free Webinar-Effective Communication in the Medical Setting
  05/16/2018- Wednesday, May 23rd, 2018 1:00 PM EDT - 2:30 PM EDTTalking about medical issues can be difficult in any context. When a patient is speaking with their medical care provider, there are varieties of cha...
• Free Webinar-Effective Communication in the Medical Setting
  04/18/2018- Presented by Joe Zesski May 23rd 2018 at 1:00pm ET Talking about medical issues can be difficult in any context. When a patient is speaking with their medical care provider, a variety of challen...
• Regional International Sued by EEOC for Firing Employee Who Requested Leave for Surgery
  08/16/2017- Regional International Corporation, a commercial truck and trailer dealership with locations in Western New York, unlawfully fired an employee after he requested leave for hip replacement surgery. Aft...
• Free Webinar - Medical Diagnostic Equipment Final Rule
  02/15/2017- Thursday, March 2nd, 2017 2:30 PM ET- 4:00 PM ET  The Access Board, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, has published a final standard addressing access for people with disabi...
• Federal Government Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit over Preschool's Expulsion of a Child with a Disability
  01/15/2020- A nationwide chain of day care centers has agreed to settle federal litigation accusing it of disability discrimination. Spring Education, formerly known as Nobel Learning Communities, agreed to adopt...
• Tallahassee Memorial Hospital to Pay $375,000 to Settle EEOC Disability Discrimination Suit
  09/18/2019- Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, Inc., a private community healthcare system comprised of 2 hospitals, multiple specialty care centers, three residency programs, and 32 affiliated physician practices,...
• Free Webinar-Effective Communication: What Does That Mean?
  06/21/2019- Tuesday June 25th, 2019 2:00pm EDT to 3:30pm EDT What does it mean to communicate effectively with someone who is Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind? This session will begin with a brief review of t...
• The Collaborative on Health Reform and Independent Living (CHRIL) is Seeking Volunteers
  09/19/2018- CHRIL provides disability stakeholders with accurate, current, accessible and actionable information on how recent changes in health policy affect the community living and integration of working-age a...
• People with Autism, Intellectual Disabilities Fight Bias in Transplants
  03/16/2017- Paul Corby needs a new heart. On that there is no dispute. The same rare disease that killed his father at 27 is destroying his left ventricle. While there is no cure or surgery that might repair the...
• Online Group Psychological Health Promotion Program for Women with Spinal Cord Injury
  06/21/2019- The Spinal Cord Injury and Disability Research Center (SCIDR) at TIRR Memorial Hermann is recruiting for a study to test a psychological health promotion program for women with spinal cord injury (SCI...
• William Paterson University first to offer disabilities studies degree in NJ
  05/15/2019- In response to growing demand, William Paterson University is offering the state's first-ever bachelor's degree in disabilities studies. "There was a call for a major. It was sort of a groundswell of...
• U.S. Access Board Consults Stakeholders on Reform Plan
  09/20/2017- During its July meeting, the Board met with stakeholders to gather feedback on an agency reform plan for improving its operations and services. Attendees included representatives from the American Ins...
• Lack of Accessibility at Fitness Facilities
  06/21/2017- According to a recent study published in the Disability Health Journal, individuals with physical and mobility disabilities have limited opportunities to participate in physical activity due to barrie...
• A Cautionary Tale for Healthcare Providers: Are You Actually Providing Effective Communication Under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act?
  06/21/2017- The Eleventh Circuit, in Silva v. Baptist Health South Florida, Inc., recently addressed a healthcare provider's obligation to provide effective communication, through appropriate auxiliary...
• Princeton University reaches deal with U.S. Department of Justice on ADA compliance issues
  01/18/2017- Princeton University students with mental health disabilities will have better access to seeking "reasonable" housing and other accommodations, according to a settlement agreement that Princeton's Nas...
• YMCA agrees to administer medicine to diabetics in settlement of complaint
  01/18/2017- The YMCA of Metro Chicago has agreed to train its employees to administer the emergency medicine glucagon to diabeticswho request it as part of a settlement to a discrimination complaint, the U.S...
• Updates
  04/15/2020- The Northeast ADA Center team hopes that this newsletter finds you well. The new coronavirus (COVID-19) is hitting the disability community especially hard. Not only are people concerned for their hea...
• New Accessibility Specialists Join US Access Board Staff
  09/18/2019- The Board has hired four new Accessibility Specialists to serve in its Office of Technical and Information Services: Randall Duchesneau III, Sarah Presley, Joshua Schorr, and Bobby Stinnette. They wil...
• Department of Justice Celebrates 20th Anniversary of the Olmstead Supreme Court Decision Protecting the Rights of Americans With Disabilities
  07/17/2019- Twenty years ago, the Supreme Court issued the groundbreaking decision in Olmstead v. L.C., holding that unjustified segregation of people with disabilities in institutions is a form of unlawful discr...
• Free Audio Session-Question and Answer Session: Accommodating Students with Disabilities Enrolled in Medical and Health Science Programs
  05/15/2019- May 21, 20192:00 PM EDT - 3:30 PM EDT This is a follow-up to the January 15th, 2019 session titled "Accommodating Students with Disabilities Enrolled in Medical and Health Science Programs". There wa...
• Millions in Disability Housing Assistance Headed To States
  09/19/2018- People with disabilities in nearly every state will receive help accessing housing in the community thanks to an infusion of millions in federal dollars. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Devel...
• Free Webinar-Accessibility of electronic content: How to apply the Revised Section 508 Standards within a Federal Agency; What Resources are Available?
  03/21/2018- Tuesday, March 27, 20181:00 PM Eastern Time ZoneOur presenter, Deborah Kaplan, 508 Policy Lead at the Office of the CIO, Department of Health and Human Services will share examples of policies and pro...
• JCC of Central NJ hosts a free special needs symposium on Feb. 25, 2018
  02/22/2018- In honor of Jewish Disability Inclusion and Awareness Month, the JCC of Central NJ in Scotch Plains is hosting a free Special Needs Symposium on Sunday, February 25th, from 2-5 p.m. The keynote speake...
• Animals on Planes a Challenge for Airlines, Passengers
  02/22/2018- When Marlin Jackson arrived at his row on a Delta flight from Atlanta to San Diego in June, a man with a sizable dog on his lap already occupied the middle seat. Jackson squeezed by them to his window...
• Accessible Fitness Facilities and Exercise Equipment-Free Webinar!
  04/19/2017- Thursday, May 4th, 2017 2:30 PM EDT - 4:00 PM EDT The 2010 ADA Accessibility Standard and the Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Standard include provisions for health club and fitne...
• How Accessible are New York City’s High Schools? Students with Physical Disabilities are About to Find Out
  03/16/2017- Michelle Noris began her son’s high school search the way many parents of children with physical disabilities do: by throwing out most of the high school directory.  She knew her son A...
• New Yorkers with Disabilities Fight to Text 911
  01/18/2017- New York City's failure to implement texting access for emergency 911 services inspired a federal complaint Tuesday by a disability-rights group.  Disability Rights New York filed the suit&n...
• N.J. Coronavirus Patients with Developmental Disabilities Must be Allowed a Visitor at Hospital, State Says
  05/20/2020- Recognizing that having a support person is essential to patients with disabilities, the NJ health commissioner has ordered that COVID-19 patients with developmental disabilities can have a family mem...
• January is Glaucoma Awareness Month
  01/15/2020- January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, an important time to spread the word about this sight-stealing disease. Currently, more than 3 million people in the United States have glaucoma. The Nati...
• Acting New Jersey Governor Oliver Signs Legislation Assisting Hard of Hearing Community
  09/18/2019- Acting Governor Sheila Y. Oliver signed S2044 and S2045 into law, establishing a "Deaf Student's Bill of Rights" and a Working Group on Deaf Education. Additionally, the legislation requires the Depar...
• NY ABLE Program Helps New Yorkers with Disabilities and Their Families Cover Costs
  08/21/2019- The NY ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) program is a tax-advantaged savings plan administered by the Office of the New York State Comptroller and is designed to help individuals with disabili...
• Obesity Alone Is Not a Disability
  07/17/2019- The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that extreme obesity, without evidence of an underlying physiological condition, does not meet the definition of a physical impairment and theref...
• Free Webinar-Accessible Content Shared Through Social Media
  03/20/2019- Tuesday, March 26th, 2019 1:00 PM EDT - 2:30 PM EDT The use of social media by federal agencies has become widespread across the federal government. Agencies use social media to promote their mission...
• January is Glaucoma Awareness Month
  01/16/2019- January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, an important time to spread the word about this sight-stealing disease. Currently, more than 3 million people in the United States have glaucoma. The Nati...