Archives for March 2014

Important Announcements

The New Rules for Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act that require federal contractors and subcontractors to plan affirmative action toward employing individuals with disabilities goes into effect today, March 24, 2014. These rules cover employers with federal government contracts or subcontracts of $10,000 or more. The new rules strengthen the enforcement of existing regulations and puts into place new requirements around recruiting, hiring and accommodating individuals with disabilities. Covered employers nowhave greater accountability and reporting requirements in their employment practices.

Resources:

An excellent article on the New Rules for Section 503 appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, New Rules on hiring disabilities workers, vets go into effect for federal contractors

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/new-rules-on-hiring-disabled-workers-vets-go-into-effect/article_963a3582-7458-5b32-959d-24a038d3ec16.html

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs developed a Frequently Asked Questions document for Section 503 New Rules that is available on their website at
http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/faqs/503_faq.htm

The ADA National Network provides a fact sheet on the New Rules at
http://adata.org/factsheet/section-503-rehabilitation-act-new-rules-fact-sheet

The ADA National Network is hosting a new sessions for the Accessible Technology Webinar Series titled “Introduction to ARIA.”

When:   March 27, 2014

Time:      1:00pm-2:30pm Central Time

Description:
Find out what Accessible Rich Internet Application (ARIA) is and how it is important to accessibility in web design. See demonstrations of the effect ARIA roles, particularly landmark roles, can have on the accessibility of your web pages. Learn how easy it is to add ARIA landmark roles to your code in both standard HTML pages and in WordPress themes.

Speaker:
Virginia DeBolt, Consultant

The ADA National Network is hosting a new sessions for the Accessible Technology Webinar Series titled “Introduction to ARIA.”
When: March 27, 2014
Time: 1:00pm-2:30pm Central Time
Description:
Find out what Accessible Rich Internet Application (ARIA) is and how it is important to accessibility in web design. See demonstrations of the effect ARIA roles, particularly landmark roles, can have on the accessibility of your web pages. Learn how easy it is to add ARIA landmark roles to your code in both standard HTML pages and in WordPress themes.

Speaker:
Virginia DeBolt, Consultant

ADA Conferences
Great Lakes ADA Center
877-232-1990 (V/TTY)
webinars@ada-audio.org

The ADA National Network is pleased to announce the upcoming session in the ADA Legal Webinar Series, March 12, 2014 focusing on “The ADA and Religious Institutions.”

Although religious institutions are largely exempt from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) there are situations where these entities are indeed covered by the law. What does this mean for religious entities that operate schools? Are employees of religious organizations covered by employment provisions under the ADA? Further, what about religious entities receiving federal funds such as faith-based grants? Does the ADA apply to those operating businesses open to the public? The presenter will also discuss some of the more recent cases and examples of these situations and whether the ADA applies. During this session we will examine how the ADA applies to religious institutions/organizations with regards to:
Title I- Employment
Entities that receive federal funds under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Title III- Public Accommodations and operation of Commercial Facilities

Speaker:
Judy Spalding-J.D.
Consultant, Disability and Family Law

When: March 12, 2014
Time: 2:00pm-3:30pm Eastern Time (Calculate the start time based on your location)
Cost: Free

This session is close captioned. Audio and visuals will be available via the webinar platform. A telephone connection (not toll free) will be available for audio as well.

ADA Conferences
Great Lakes ADA Center
877-232-1990 (V/TTY)