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Introduction
As long-time readers of my blog might be aware, I definitely enjoy learning about disability-related topics. By sharing webinar summaries and my other blog articles, the goal is always to pass on information to other people. On August 24, 2021, I attended a webinar entitled
ADA National Network 30th Anniversary Series: Spotlight on Webinars and On-Line Courses.
I knew about some of the resources already, but definitely became aware of other learning opportunities. The event consisted of brief presentation from various ADA centers around the country. In this blog post, I will summarize what I learned.
Disability Law: An Overview
Various courses discussed here can be found on the
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Network helps people understand ADA legal requirements. The
Online course, through the
helps people gain foundational knowledge about the ADA. The self-paced course discusses many topics such as effective communication and helpful resources. The same ADA center also offers a course called
At Your Service: Welcoming Customers with Disabilities
focusing on helping ensure sufficient customer service for people with disabilities. The intended audience is private businesses (such as hospitality industry) and individuals with disabilities. Focus then moved to a legal perspective.
ADA Legalities
This section of the presentation concentrated on courses offered by the
and legal webinars offered by another center.
Legal Course About the ADA
The
created a variety of ADA courses. Example:
Disability Rights Laws Overview
course discusses how four ADA laws apply to a couple with disabilities. Those laws are the ADA, Four Housing Act, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Air Carrier Access Act.
The goal is to analyze each disability scenario and determine which of the four laws are relevant.
ADA Legal Webinars
The Great Lakes ADA Center offers
webinar sessions. The focus is how the ADA is interpreted in the courts. The
Director used web site accessibility as example of a legal topic. The presentation then moved to employment resources.
Employment
Employment is covered under Title I of the ADA. The
offers a course entitled
ADA Title I: Employment Requirements.
The intended audiences are human resource personnel, individuals with disabilities and employee supervisors. It answers questions such as complaint process and what disability rights and employer obligations exist. Emergency management webinars were then discussed.
Emergency Management
Emergency preparedness and management helps provide sufficient response for people with disabilities during and after emergencies. A webinar series of emergency management is offered by the
Topics include preparation, recovery, disaster response and accessibility accommodations under disability laws. This webinar series is intended for non-profits involved in emergency management, people with disabilities and state emergency management personnel. I will now focus on the technology portion of the presentation.
Technology
Technology can be beneficial for people with a variety of disabilities. The
offers a document accessibility course. It was developed within the past year. Objectives include how people with disabilities use documents, accessible document characteristics and an overview of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The target audience is anyone with an interest in learning about digital accessibility. Bottom line: a variety of disability=related online resources are available for the ADA network.
Question for Readers
Of the ADA resources discussed above, which learning opportunities caught your interest and why? I will return with another article.
Blake's talk 