[nfbmi-talk] i can't believe this

Tue Aug 5 20:30:03 UTC 2014

Check out where the Mich. ADA Compliance officer went?

     ADA MICHIGAN

      Meeting Minutes

      April 22, 2014

Present: Vickey Argo, Salli Christenson, John Dell’Isola, Paul Ecklund (by phone), Carolyn Grawi (by phone), Curt Hansen, Kathleen Johnston-Calati, Debbie Wilson (by phone), Dan Cooper, Peter Berg (by phone)

Absent: Dick Baker, Rod DesJardins, Lucia Rios, Linda Williams

Guest: Sharon Ellis, State of Michigan ADA Compliance Director

Welcome and Introductions

Approval of Minutes

The minutes from the January 28, 2014, meeting were approved.

Regional Report

Peter Berg from the Great Lakes ADA Center gave the report:

The May 1 AccessibilityOnline session will be an open question and answer period regarding the Architectural Barriers Act requirements for trails and camping and picnic facilities.  Advance questions were only accepted through April 21st.  They will also take questions during the live session.

The May 20 ADA Audio Conference Session will focus on how the ADA applies to electronic information, including e-books and websites.  Featured speakers include staff from the U.S. Department of Justice who will discuss the position that the DOJ has taken in several settlement agreements and the direction that rulemaking on these issues is likely to take.  Registration for this session will be available this week.

The May 21 Legal Webinar Series session will be “Qualified under the ADA: The Legal Battleground after the ADA Amendments Act” and be conducted by Barry Taylor and Rachel Weisburg from Equip for Equality.  Registration is available online at www.ada-audio.org.

The May 22 Accessible Technology Webinar Series session will address “Web Accessibility Analytics and Open Source Tools for Inspecting and Auditing Web Resources for Accessibility.”  Registration is available at www.ada-audio.org.

The next scheduled session for the Emergency Preparedness Webinar Series will be held on Thursday, May 8.  The topic is “Nontraditional Emergency Shelters and People with Disabilities.”  Registration is available at www.adaconferences.org/Emergency.

The U.S. Access Board has added additional resources to their website for the 2010 ADA Standards.  This includes online guides with animations to assist with understanding the various technical requirements.  You can access these resources from their website at www.access-board.gov.

The ADA Symposium will be held on June 15-18, 2014, in Denver.    Registrations (over 650) have sold out, and there is now a waiting list for others interested in attending.  The schedule of sessions is posted on the www.adasymposium.org website.   

When questioned about the 25th Anniversary of the ADA in 2015, Peter said the ADA National Network is partnering with the ADA Legacy Project, which honors the contributions of people with disabilities.

Old and New Business

Dan went to the ADA Workshop in Port Huron on April 17.  He was only able to attend the second day of the two-day workshop, which included a presentation by Lucia Rios.

Paul said the Disability Network Southwest Michigan will be holding its event regarding no grandfather clause in the ADA on June 26 in Kalamazoo.  Peter Berg will be presenting.

Dan said the UCP of Metro Detroit event has been pushed back from this spring to September.

John, Sharon and Dan are going to the National ADA Symposium in June.

Announcements

Paul said the Building Michigan Communities Conference will be held on April 28-30 in Lansing.

Paul also said Disability Network Southwest Michigan will take part in a legislative day event regarding issues affecting people with disabilities in Lansing on May 1.

A member asked about ATXchange, where people can sell or donate assistive technology items.  Kathleen will send a link to Dan, who will forward it to the committee.

Sharon went to a training center for people who are blind in Kalamazoo, where State of Michigan IT staff are working with them toward compliance.

Sharon said John Roberts is the new State of Michigan Budget Director.

Curt passed around a Michigan Preparedness Guide that someone gave to him.  There was limited information regarding people with disabilities.

Dan said Lucia volunteered to work on social media for ADA Michigan.

Curt asked Peter for an update on Punch-in.org.  Peter said he thought new information was being added.  He will send out information to Dan, who will forward it to the committee.

Vickey mentioned DB101, a calculator of disability benefits that can be found online.

Salli said the 2014 Arc Michigan Conference will be held on June 19 & 20 in Lansing.  She will send information to Dan, who will forward it to the committee.

The committee discussed the 25th anniversary of the ADA next year.  Curt said he will look into what the CILs are doing.  An event at the Capitol was suggested.

Paul said Disability Network Southwest Michigan will hold a small event on July 25 for the 24th anniversary of the ADA.

Budget

Dan provided the budged statement for the committee through February.  Spending is currently under budget.  Dan said there is currently about $2,500 available for an activity.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at 11:00 AM at the MPAS office in Lansing.

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