Washington State Human Rights Commission

Disability Matters and Resources

GUIDE TO DISABILITY and WASHINGTON STATE NONDISCRIMINATION LAW
(Download as Adobe pdf or download Microsoft Word document)

Disability Law and Addictions: Questions and Answers for Employers Dealing with Addiction Issues in the Workplace

NIDRR Announces New Document - Emergency Management Research and People With Disabilities: A Resource Guide

The Youth Leadership Forum for High School Students with Disabilities will be held at The Evergreen State College, in Olympia, August 10-15, 2008.

This is a wonderful, all expenses paid opportunity for high school students with disabilities in Washington State to stay on campus for 6 days and 5 nights.

Click here for the application

Looking for a new way to pay for Assistive Technology?

The Washington Assistive Technology Foundation is excited to announce the launch of its new Assistive Technology Individual Development Account Program ("IDA"). Through this program, low income individuals with disabilities who establish special savings accocunt and save regularly can receive up to $4000 in matching funds for purchases of assistive technology. The assistive technology must be for work related activities or education or training intended to lead to work related activities.*

WATF has only 10 slots available on a first come, first served basis. Please contact us to reserve your spot at information sessions to be held at the Hearing Speech & Deafness Center on:

March 3rd     10:30 am - noon
April 8th        10:30 am - noon
May 5th         9:00 am - 10:30 am

This is a statewide program! Please call us for more information if you live outside the Seattle area. Please pass this information along to anyone else who might be interested! Frances Pennell, Washington Assistive Technology Foundation

*A bill (House Bill 2898) to expand IDA funding and the purposes for which the Assistive Technology IDA was considered by the Legislature this session but did not make it out of Appropriations. The issue is still under consideration. For more information, please contact Kim Justice at the Poverty Action Network (206.240.8501; kim@povertyaction.org <http://povertyaction.org/> ) or call your lawmakers at: 1-800-562-6000.

DePaul Study Explores the Costs and Benefits of Workers with Disabilities

Low Interest Loan Fund Helps People with Disabilities Pay for Tools they Need to Succeed

Legislation was passed this session requiring the use of respectful people first language in all statutes and regulations mentioning people who have disabilities.

DOJ Issues New Installment of ADA Technical Assistance Materials

Notice of proposed rulemaking: Architectural Barriers Act - Accessibility Guidelines for Outdoor Developed Areas (MS Word Document)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   CRT
TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2007
(202) 514-2007
TDD: (202) 514-1888
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

FEDERAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT WILL MAKE SUBWAY SHOPS ACCESSIBLE TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

WASHINGTON - The Department of Justice today announced a comprehensive settlement agreement under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Doctor Associates Inc. (DAI), the privately held corporation that franchises Subway sandwich shops throughout the United States. The agreement, which sets out steps to make Subway shops physically accessible to people with disabilities, affects more than 20,000 Subway franchises. The settlement focuses on barrier removal for people with disabilities, to ensure that they have access to the facilities; use of the services offered by shops; and whenever readily achievable, access to restroom facilities in the Subway shops.

"People with disabilities should be able to eat at their favorite establishments, and this agreement is designed to improve access to 20,000 Subway shops across the nation," said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "I commend DAI for working with us to fashion a practical and effective agreement. We hope that it will serve as a model for other dining establishments so that they will take the steps necessary to serve individuals with disabilities."

Because the individual Subway shops are franchisees, the agreement recognizes that DAI will facilitate the efforts to ensure compliance while the individual Subway shops will be responsible for removing barriers to access. In particular, DAI will conduct the initial architectural surveys to identify barriers; provide guidance on the ADA requirements and the steps each shop must take to address violations identified in the survey; revise its operations manual to reflect that shops are required to conduct evaluations and remove barriers and that penalties may be imposed if they do not comply; provide interest-free loans to its individual stores for the purpose of ensuring accessibility; and use its best efforts to locate accessible buildings in its site selection for future Subway shops.

People interested in finding out more about the ADA or the agreement can call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 or 1-800-514-0383 (TTY), or access the ADA Web site at http://www.ada.gov.

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07-565

REFERENCE POINTS is an activity of TATRA, a project of PACER Center

REFERENCE POINTS: Resources on Disclosure for Youth with Disabilities

Three new resources on disclosure are available from ODEP:

The Why, When, What, and How of Disclosure in an Academic Setting, After
High School
http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/wwwh.htm

Youth, Disclosure, and the Workplace Why, When, What, and How http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/ydw.htm

Entering the World of Work: What Youth with Mental Health Needs Should Know about Accommodations http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/transitioning.htm

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REFERENCE POINTS, transition updates from the TATRA Project, features resources and information to help parent organizations, advocates and professionals better serve adolescents and young adults with disabilities, and their families. Administered by the TATRA Project at PACER Center www.pacer.org, REFERENCE POINTS was launched with the initial support from the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition www.ncset.org. TATRA is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration

To SUBSCRIBE to REFERENCE POINTS go to
http://www.pacer.org/tatra/list/signup.asp

To UNSUBSCRIBE, please go directly to
http://www.pacer.org/tatra/list/maildel.asp

Readers are invited to send information about new resources on secondary education, transition and vocational rehabilitation topics to tatra@pacer.org.

Note: There are no copyright restrictions on this document. However, please credit the source and support of federal funds when copying all or part of this material.

California State Bar Survey re: challenges of gaining employment for attorneys with disabilities.

The Department of Transportation amended its ADA regulations to adopt the new ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) for transportation facilities. The Department did make several modifications, including maintaining requirements for detectable warnings on curb ramps, and provided additional guidance. The rule becomes effective November 29, 2006.

http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/E6-16680.htm

Combating Autism Act of 2006 - President Bush Signed The Combating Autism Act Of 2006. This Act authorizes expanded activities related to autism research, prevention, and treatment through FY 2011. There are more than 1.5 million cases of autism in the United States.

The Washington State Human Rights Commission, in collaboration with the Washington State Access to Justice Board Presented:
Making Justice Accessible for Persons with Disabilities forum on January 26th, 2006.

Attitudes toward disability; a talk given by Toby Olsen, Governor's Committee for Disability Issues.

Guide: Disabled Parking Regulations (This document is posted because it has useful, practical advice. However it is not the official position of the Washington State Human Rights Commission)

Disability in Washington State - May 2006

Independent Living Survey of Washington State

Medical services communication for people with disabilities

Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Medical Facilities

ADA Questions and Answers for Health Care Providers

Technical Assistance for Caseworkers on Civil Rights Laws and Welfare Reform

How to Establish Effective Communication Procedures for Persons with Limited English Proficiency and for Persons with Impaired Hearing, Vision, or Speech

Interpreting at hospitals and doctor's offices is always a big issue. Here's a recent settlement agreement with a hospital in Laurel, Maryland -- it's notable for allowing "video remote interpreting" until an interpreter is able to show up:
http://www.ada.gov/laurelco.htm

Settlement agreement example with a Doctor concerning use of an interpreter.
http://www.ada.gov/rhandsa.htm

EXECUTIVE ORDER 96-04 - IMPLEMENTING THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
AND SUPERSEDING 93-03

Section 508 Information - For web design and information sharing

KMART Class Action Settlement

Letter to the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs concerning the rights of people with disabilities and bringing service animals into businesses.

Recent Office for Civil Rights (OCR) case concerning the obligations of Highline Community College (Washington State) to provide word-for-word real time captioning as requested by a hearing impaired student.

Students with disabilities invited to apply for youth leadership forum

Websites on Disability Topics and Issues

RCW 46.16.381: Special parking for persons with disabilities — Penalties — Enforcement.

Chapter 70.84 RCW:BLIND, HANDICAPPED, AND DISABLED PERSONS -- "WHITE CANE LAW"

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