ADA Anniversary Toolkit Provides Information and the Latest News on the ADA to the Public and the Media for July 26, 2012 Anniversary
Newswise — (Atlanta, GA – July 12, 2012) – The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will celebrate its 22nd anniversary on July 26, 2012. The Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) give civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities similar to those provided to individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. The ADA and ADAAA assure equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities for access to businesses, employment, transportation, state and local government programs and services, and telecommunications.
To celebrate this milestone, the Southeast ADA Center and its State Leadership Network have created an ADA Anniversary Toolkit for use by the public and the media, packed with resources and information about the law and the latest ADA developments for persons with disabilities, veterans, businesses, and state and local governments. The Southeast ADA Center ADA Anniversary Toolkit can be accessed via the organization’s website (ADAsoutheast.org) or through the ADA Anniversary site (ADAanniversary.org).
“Since 1991, the Southeast ADA Center and its State Leadership Network have been the ‘go-to’ resource for comprehensive and confidential ADA information, training and technical assistance to promote voluntary compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) throughout the Southeast region,” said L. Elaine Sutton-Mbionwu, Assistant Director of the Southeast ADA Center headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. “People with disabilities are an integral and vital part of our diverse society and our communities. The Southeast ADA Center is honored to serve as the ADA resource for individuals, families, large and small businesses, educational institutions, and government and to promote the full inclusion and participation of the more than 54 million – or 1 in 5 – Americans with disabilities.”
The Southeast ADA Center is one of 10 regional information centers nationwide designed to advance voluntary compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) via a broad and diverse network of state and regional partners. The Southeast ADA Center consists of a regional office, located in Atlanta, Georgia, with state and local ADA Affiliates in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The Southeast ADA Center, a project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, is one of 10 regional centers throughout the United States comprising the ADA National Network. ADA National Network Centers offer training and technical assistance to promote voluntary compliance with the ADA, including information about the rights of people with disabilities and the responsibilities of businesses as well as state and local governments to provide equal opportunity to participate. All 10 regional centers are funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education.
The Southeast ADA Center’s Affiliates—community-based organizations that work closely with the regional office to build local ADA knowledge and capacity—form the Southeast Region’s ADA Leadership Network. The ADA Leadership Network strengthens each state’s ongoing efforts to promote voluntary compliance with the ADA by supporting local ADA activities and by collaborating with groups and individuals representing disability, business, and government entities dedicated to informing their constituents, people with disabilities, and the general public about the ADA.
For more information about the Southeast ADA Center, the ADA Leadership Network, and/or the ADA, contact the Southeast ADA Center at 404-541-9001 (voice/tty), the ADA National Network toll free at 1-800-949-4232 (voice/tty), send an email with your request to [email protected] or visit our website at ADAsoutheast.org.
About the Southeast ADA CenterThe Southeast ADA Center answers questions, as well as provides training and materials about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Center serves an eight-state geographic region: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. As part of the ADA National Network sponsored by grants from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), the Southeast ADA Center is one of 10 regional centers offering training and technical assistance to promote voluntary compliance with the ADA, including information about the rights of people with disabilities and the responsibilities of businesses as well as state and local governments to provide equal opportunity to participate. The Southeast ADA Center is a grant project of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University. For more information, visit the Southeast ADA Center website [ADAsoutheast.org].
About the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse UniversityThe Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University reaches around the globe in its efforts to advance the civic, economic, and social participation of people with disabilities. BBI builds on the legacy of Burton Blatt, former dean of SU’s School of Education and a pioneering disability rights scholar, to better the lives of people with disabilities. Given the strong ties between one’s ability to earn income and fully participate in their communities, BBI’s work focuses on two interconnected Innovation Areas: Economic Participation and Community Participation. Through program development, research, and public policy guidance in these Innovation Areas, BBI advances the full inclusion of people with disabilities. BBI has offices in Syracuse, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. For more information, visit bbi.syr.edu.
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