April Newsletter

An ADA 25th Anniversary seminar will be presented by Alpha One on April 30, 2015 at the Iris Network located at 189 Park Avenue in Portland, Maine. Two sessions will be offered with ASL interpreters at 3-5 pm and 6-8 pm.

Learn how to make the Americans with Disabilities Act work for you in this lively, FREE two-hour training. We will be covering a wide array of topics including housing, employment , public facilities and more. To register or for accommodation requests, send an email to: Be Your Own Best Advocate.

Save the date! For the first time ever, the New England area will be hosting a national power wheelchair soccer tournament in the Greater Boston area June 25-27, 2015. Come watch this exciting event at the University Sports Complex in Hanover Massachusetts with teams from across the country anticipated including the host teams-Boston Brakers, Mass. Hospital School Chariots, and Vermont Chargers.

Power Soccer, sometimes referred to as Power Wheelchair Soccer, is one of the fastest growing sports for people with disabilities. Take a look at the video to see what power soccer is all about. For more information, follow the Boston Brakers on Facebook or contact Jim Wice at jjwice@gmail.com.  

Worcester, Massachusetts will Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Saturday, July 25, 2015 at Worcester's Union Station from 12 noon to 4 pm. The goal is to have fun, celebrate abilities and learn from each other. Come be part of the entertainment, exhibits and interactive activities for people of all ages and abilities. More information including vendor and exhibitor applications are available online!

The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) and four deaf and hard of hearing individuals filed two federal class action lawsuits against Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), charging that the schools discriminate against deaf and hard of hearing people by failing to caption the vast and varied array of online content they make available to the general public, including massive open online courses (MOOCs).
 

The cases, filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, assert that these universities violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act by denying deaf and hard of hearing people access to thousands of videos and audio tracks that each university makes publicly available. Read the full story.

Join others in their commitment for another 25 years of the ADA and beyond!

Take 1 minute and Sign the Pledge

Act Now by Using your smart phone, tablet, or computer and visit ADAanniversary.org

The newly updated Planning Guide for Making Temporary Events Accessible to People with Disabilities is now available and posted in both HTML (accessible) and PDF formats. First issued in 1998, the new 2015 version is 58 pages and all images have been redesigned.

The U.S. Department of Education has made dozens of children's television programs available online for students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing. The shows include closed captioning and video descriptions and can be viewed for free through the Department's Accessible Television Portal project. Available shows include "Magic School Bus" and "Bill Nye the Science Guy." This project is part of the Described and Captioned Media Program.

Read the full story.

The NIDILRR-funded Southwest ADA Center is conducting a survey investigating the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). The survey is open to people with personal or professional experience on disability issues. The information gathered will help researchers understand what aspects of society have become more accessible due to the ADA, where improvements are still needed, and how to further the goals of the ADA. These findings will also provide a foundation for further research on the ADA and its impact on people with disabilities.