General E-Bulletin – June 2005

Technology

Accessibility Internet Rally Held for Students

An Accessibility Internet Rally (AIR) program for students - - AIR-Campus - - provided a competitive arena for them to learn about the barriers people with disabilities face when using the World Wide Web and how to remedy those barriers to make their school Web sites accessible.

Teams participating in the AIR-Campus program were made up of 2 to 4 students from La Porte Junior High, Lomax Junior High, Thompson Middle School, Humble High School and La Porte High School. First, second and third place winners received awards and prizes, but the real winners were the participating schools that now have accessible school Web site pages as an outcome of the program.

The Southwest ADA Center developed the AIR-Campus program from Knowbility, Inc.’s award winning, AIR program, a Web site-building competition held annually around the country. For more information about the AIR programs, visit: http://www.knowbility.org

Education

IDEA Public Meetings to be Held in San Antonio, Texas, July 7, 2005

John H. Hager, assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), U.S. Department of Education has announced that a series of public meetings will be held following publication of the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to seek input on the proposed regulations to implement programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004). One of several meetings to be held throughout the US will be in San Antonio, Texas Thursday, July 7, 2005 at The Education Service Center, Region 20, 1314 Hines Avenue from 1 to 4 pm. and 5 to 7pm. Other dates and locations, as well as additional information can be obtained at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/idea2004.html

Architectural

Announcing New ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines

The U.S. Access Board has updated and published ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities. The new design document is the culmination of a comprehensive, decade-long review and update of the Access Board’s ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) first published in 1991. Revisions have been made so the guidelines continue to meet the needs of people with disabilities, keep pace with technological innovations, and feature a new format, organization, and greater clarity. As part of the update, the Board also revised its guidelines for Federal buildings under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) of 1968. The ABA requires access to facilities designed, built, altered, or leased with Federal funds. Under the new guidelines, a more consistent level of access is specified under both the ADA and the ABA. Note however, that the guidelines serve as the baseline for standards used to enforce the ADA and the ABA maintained by other Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). So, it is DOJ’s standards, not the Access Board’s guidelines that the public must follow. A copy of the guide can be obtained free of charge by calling the Southwest ADA Center at 800.949.4232 or email: swdbtac@ilru.org.

Employment

Federal Agencies Jointly Issue Publications on Making EEO Mediation Accessible to People with Disabilities

More than ever, employers and employees are turning to mediation and other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to resolve equal employment opportunity (EEO) disputes. Mediators have sought guidance on how to ensure that the mediation process is accessible to participants with disabilities. Likewise parties seeking mediation accommodations can find useful information online at: http://www.ada.gov/new.htm.

Miscellaneous

July 26, 2005 Marks 15th Anniversary of the ADA

With the 15th anniversary of the ADA right around the corner, the Southwest ADA Center anticipates that organizations will be celebrating this important anniversary in many different ways. DLRP is exploring events and initiatives being carried out8 around the region and would like to share your initiative with others around the nation by posting your effort on our Web site at http://www.swdbtac.org, a site that is viewed by 200 to 300 individuals daily. If you are interested in providing your event information, you can email it to tdunning@ilru.org, fax it to 713.520.5785, or call 800.949.4232 ext. x112.

---

The Southwest ADA Center is a program of ILRU at TIRR in Houston, Texas. The DLRP is funded by a grant (#H133D60012) from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) to provide training, technical assistance and materials on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability-related laws.

NIDRR and DLRP are not enforcement agencies. The information DLRP provides is intended solely as informal guidance and is not a determination of your legal rights and responsibilities under the ADA, nor is it binding on any agency with enforcement responsibility under the ADA and other disability-related laws.

To unsubscribe to this list, please send an email to swdbtac@ilru.org with the subject: “Unsubscribe to E-bulletin(s).

Outside Links will Open Up in a New Window
contact us: DBTAC Southwest ADA Center
800-949-4232 or 713-520-0232 v/tty