ADALive!

More information, transcripts, bios, and resources available at adalive.org/episodes/episode-126/.

Synergies Work is the largest non-profit in the United States that enables entrepreneurs with disabilities to build sustainable micro-enterprises. They provide end-to-end business solutions and bridge the opportunity gaps between the disability and the business communities. Synergies Work believes that empowering entrepreneurs with disabilities can create a more inclusive society and a better world for all.

Synergies Work is a personal mission of its founder, Aarti Sahgal. Her vision stems from her life experiences as a parent of a young adult with Down syndrome, who constantly challenges the bias of low expectations that excludes people with disabilities from living their true potential. In this episode of ADA Live! Aarti talks about the organization she founded, Synergies Work, and her personal mission to create inclusive communities and workforce strategies for people with disabilities.

More information, transcripts, bios, and resources available at adalive.org/episodes/episode-125/. According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), a significant number of individuals with disabilities spend their day receiving public services in sheltered workshops and facility-based day programs. In a report titled, Beyond Segregated and Exploited, the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) estimates that over 400,000 people are sent to sheltered workshops where they earn less than the federal minimum wage. This environment results in stigmatization and a lack of economic independence. These settings segregate individuals from the community and provide little or no opportunity to interact with people without disabilities, other than paid staff.

The Department of Justice implements the “integration mandate” of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires public entities to “administer services, programs, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.”  The ADA’s “integration mandate” makes clear that public entities must provide reasonable modifications to policies, practices, and procedures to avoid discrimination. On October 31, 2023, the DOJ issued guidance that the “integration mandate” applies to sheltered workshops and day centers, putting them in violation of the ADA and the Olmstead decision.

In this episode we will discuss the most recent guidance on the ADA’s “integration mandate” and the Olmstead decision and its application to employment and day services for people with disabilities. Our guest is Julie Kegley, Staff Attorney & Program Director - Georgia Advocacy Office (GAO).

More information, resources, and transcript visit: adalive.org/episodes/episode-124/

Each year the United Nations recognizes December 3 as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This year’s theme is “United in action to rescue and achieve the sustainable development goals for with and by people with disabilities.” Social Media Tags: #IDPD #DisabilityDay

We are honored to have as our guest today Gertrude or “Getty” Oforiwa Fefoame. Getty is Chair of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which sets out the fundamental human rights of people with disabilities all over the world. Getty also works as the Global Advocacy Manager for Social Inclusion for Sightsavers, a global nonprofit organization that works in more than 30 countries to prevent blindness and fight for the rights of people with disabilities.

In this episode we discuss the work and mission of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and highlight some of the important issues facing people with disabilities around the world.

More information, transcripts, and resources available at: https://section504at50.org/episodes/paul-grossman/

For over 30 years, Paul Grossman served as the Chief Regional Attorney for the US Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in San Francisco. In Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, Paul has worked on every type of education discrimination matter under Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, and the ADA, including securing equal access and academic accommodations for students with disabilities in higher education. For nearly 20 years, Paul also had lead responsibility for internal disability law training for OCR and continues to provide training services for OCR. In this episode, Paul talks about Disability law and its development, the Disability Rights Movement and the 504 occupation of the San Francisco Federal Building at the United Nations Plaza, and closes with future challenges in the disability rights field.

More information, resources, and transcript visit: https://adalive.org/episodes/episode-123/

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, occurs when we are exposed to a traumatic event. About half of U.S. adults will experience a traumatic event in our lifetimes. Although some people will experience PTSD, most who go through a traumatic event will not develop PTSD.

On this episode of ADA Live! we discuss how people with disabilities can be affected by traumatic events or experiences, including post-traumatic stress disorder. The symptoms of PTSD vary from person to person and the effects can be delayed. People who have PTSD may meet the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) definition of a disability by having an impairment or condition that impacts one or more major life activities.

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Farris Tuma, a Health Scientist Administrator with the National Institute of Mental Health or NIMH, in Bethesda, Maryland. He is the NIMH point of contact for research on violence and trauma. His formal training is in public health as a research scientist, and he holds a master’s degree in health policy and management. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is the largest scientific organization in the world dedicated to mental health research. Through basic and clinical research, NIMH aims to prevent and cure mental illnesses, improving the lives of millions of individuals and families affected by mental health challenges.

** Note: Because these traumatic events or experiences and PTSD can be difficult to talk about, the information we discuss in this episode may be disturbing for some listeners. **

En celebración del Mes de la Herencia Hispana, del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, reconocemos las contribuciones y la rica influencia de los hispanoamericanos a la historia, la cultura y los logros de los Estados Unidos. La comunidad hispana de personas con discapacidades tiene un papel importante que desempeñar en esta celebración.

El Centro del Sureste de la ADA y los otros nueve centros informan a las personas sobre sus derechos y responsabilidades en virtud de la Ley de Estadounidenses con Discapacidades (ADA, por sus siglas en inglés) y otras leyes sobre los derechos de las personas con discapacidades. Hace unos tres años, la Red Nacional de la ADA creó un Comité de Alcance Multicultural para proporcionar información y orientación a los grupos desatendidos.

En este episodio, discutimos cómo la Red Nacional de la ADA y su Comité de Alcance Multicultural educan a la comunidad hispana de discapacitados sobre sus derechos bajo la ADA. También explicaremos el propósito del comité y los proyectos y programas que han desarrollado para apoyar la independencia, la participación comunitaria y el empleo de las personas hispanas con discapacidades.

Nuestro invitado es Oscar González, del Centro de Traducción de Conocimientos de la Red Nacional de la ADA de la Universidad de Illinois-Chicago. Oscar es el Coordinador del Programa de Extensión del Idioma Español para la Red Nacional de la ADA. Angelica Deaton, coordinadora de la oficina y asistente de investigación en el Centro ADA del Sureste, es nuestra anfitriona y moderadora de este episodio.

Este episodio que celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispana estará disponible en inglés y español. Puede acceder a todos los programas de ADA Live! episodios con audio archivado, transcripciones accesibles y recursos en nuestro sitio web en ADAlive.org.

More information, transcripts, and resources available at: https://section504at50.org/episodes/katherine-macfarlane/

Professor Macfarlane is a leading expert on civil procedure, civil rights litigation, and disability law. She has also served as the Special Counsel to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, working on the overhaul of regulations implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, focusing on the regulations’ higher education provisions. Professor Macfarlane will also talk about her experiences as a child with a disability and how they shaped her life and work as a disability rights advocate, student, lawyer, author, professor, and policymaker.

For more information, bios, transcripts, and resources visit adalive.org/episodes/episode-121/

September is Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, and September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC: “Suicide rates increased about 36% from 2000 to 2021. Suicide resulted in 48,183 deaths in 2021, which is about one death every 11 minutes. The number of people who think about or attempt suicide is even higher. In 2021 about 12.3 million American adults seriously thought about suicide, 3.5 million planned a suicide and 1.7 million attempted suicide. “ (Source: cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html)

Our guests for this ADA Live! episode are Rachelle Burns, Chair of the EscaRosa Suicide Prevention Coalition in Santa Rosa County, Florida, and Lauren Anzaldo, a member of the EscaRosa Suicide Prevention Coalition Veterans Support Team. They will share about suicide prevention and awareness and how we can help those in need of support, including at-risk populations such as military veterans and youth. Join us for this honest discussion on a difficult topic.

For more information, bios, transcripts, and resources visit adalive.org/episodes/episode-120/

Did you know that the federal government is America's largest employer? According to information published in May 2023 by the General Services Administration: “More than 4 million Americans—including more than 2.1 million Federal civilian employees—work for our Federal Government, both at home and overseas.” (Source: Strengthening and Empowering the Federal Workforce.)

In this episode of ADA Live! we discuss the Schedule A hiring Authority, a program the federal government has in place to recruit and hire employees with disabilities. This program allows federal agencies to hire qualified employees with disabilities without requiring them to go through a long hiring process. Schedule A hiring applies to all federal jobs. This episode includes information and resources for workers with disabilities, Federal employers, and employment service providers. 

Our guests for this episode, Laura Taylor, Affirmative Employment Program Specialist, and Sandy Williams, Supervisory Human Resources Specialist, are with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. Laura and Sandy will explain how the Schedule A program helps qualified workers with disabilities find jobs with the federal government.

For more information, bios, transcripts, and resources visit adalive.org/episodes/episode-119/

On a warm summer day in July 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. The ADA informs the public, businesses, and other organizations about their responsibilities and rights under the ADA. A national network of 10 regional ADA Centers, including the Southeast ADA Center, was created by Congress in 1991. The Southeast ADA Center serves eight states in the U.S. Southeast region. The ADA National Network is funded by a grant from the federal government’s primary disability research organization, the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

Join our celebration of the 33rd anniversary of the ADA with our guest, Shelley Reeves, the ADA National Network Program Coordinator and Section 21 Program Coordinator for NIDILRR. On this episode we will learn more about NIDILLR’s mission, projects and programs that help each regional ADA Center in the ADA National Network serve and support diverse communities of people with disabilities and other ADA stakeholders throughout the United States.