[nfbmi-talk] ada mi july 28 minutes

Wed Aug 6 17:36:35 UTC 2014

     ADA MICHIGAN

      Meeting Minutes

      July 29, 2014

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

Absent: Rod DesJardins, Lucia Rios, Linda Williams

Welcome and Introductions

Approval of Minutes

The minutes from the April 22, 2014, meeting were approved.

Regional Report

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

The following information is provided as an update regarding activities related to the Americans with Disabilities Act.  This information is available in alternative formats upon request.  Any questions regarding the information contained in this report should be forwarded to Robin Jones at the Center’s at 1-800-949-4232.

The August 7 AccessibilityOnline session will be "Accessible Routes-Advanced."   Registration is available online at www.accessibilityonline.org    

The Center is gearing up to launch a new integrated website whereby all of its webinar and audio conference programs will be integrated into one website where data will be shared.  This will mean that participants have only one login to access all of the program,s and they can manage their accounts, registrations, etc. from one website.  They hope to have the "bugs" worked out of it by the end of the summer with a launch in September in preparation for the new grant year.  Watch for more information regarding this initiative.

The August 26th (a different date than typical schedule) ADA Audio Conference session will be “Helping People with Hearing Loss Hear in Public Places Through the Use of Hearing Loop Technology.”  It will be presented by a hearing specialist and an architect known for their work in this field.  There will be an opportunity to engage with the presenters for Q&A.   

The September 22nd Legal Webinar Series session (note change in date) will focus on legal issues surrounding web accessibility and digital information.  The session will be presented by Barry Taylor and Rachel Weisberg of Equip for Equality.  Registration is available online at www.ada-audio.org.    

The next scheduled session for the Emergency Preparedness Webinar Series will be September 11th.  The topic is "Registries: Its not about the List!"  Registration is available at www.adaconferences.org/Emergency.

The ADA25 Legacy Tour kicked off on July 25th in Houston, Texas, as part of the yearlong celebration for the 25th Anniversary.  The tour locations/dates are on the www.adalegacy.org website under the ADA25 tab and are being updated regularly.  There are dates for Indiana noted based on preliminary discussions that ADA Indiana has had with the organizers.  More resources and information regarding the anniversary including a calendar of events, etc. are also available at www.adaanniversary.org.  This site is maintained by the ADA National Network in collaboration with the ADA25 Legacy Project.  It was updated after the 24th Anniversary to include more information, resources, links, etc. for the 25th Anniversary.

·        The ADA Network is launching a yearlong initiative to seek A Proclamation of Recommitment to Full Implementation of the ADA from local and state governments, business, organizations, etc.  as well as pledges from individuals acknowledging that they will celebrate and recognize the progress that has been made by reaffirming the principals of equality and inclusion and recommitting my efforts to reach full ADA compliance.  The goal is to have one signatory from each county in the US.  There are 3,142 counties, parishes and boroughs in the US.   Each person or entity that completes one of the online forms will be asked to share their stories on how they have implemented the ADA. Signers will be directed to the ADA Legacy website Stories link at http://adalegacy.org/stories.  It is our goal to promote this within our region so that we will then have access to these stories to promote the success of the ADA in your states.   More information on this initiative will be available shortly.  

·           EEOC issued revised guidance regarding pregnancy which has implications for disability.  This issue was discussed extensively by Sharon Rennert during the July ADA Audio Conference session.  You can access that archive at www.ada-audio.org   The guidance is available on-line at:  http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/pregnancy_guidance.cfm and a good Q&A on this guidance is at:  http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/pregnancy_qa.cfm

Old and New Business

Budget

Dan provided the budged statement for the committee through May.  Spending is currently under budget.  

Announcements

Next Meeting

The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2014, at 11:00 AM at the MPAS office in Lansing.

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