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Thank you to Samantha and the rest of her classmates for contributing this useful resource! The class has been learning about disability and accessibility, and reached out to share the following article, discussing accessibility considerations while traveling. Keep up the great work!

ACCESSIBILE TRAVEL GUIDE

For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Become a Stronger Champion for Students With Disabilities

Navigating the special education system can be tricky, especially for parents new to the process. That’s why we offer free resources to help you advocate for the rights of students with disabilities, with topics such as parents’ rights in special education, Section 504 protections for students with disabilities, and how to know if a child is eligible for early intervention services.

Ready to take your knowledge to the next level?

Whether you’re a parent, teacher, or non-attorney advocate, our online Advocacy Curriculum, will help you gain a better understanding of the special education basics. The curriculum is also available in Spanish.

Through nearly 10 hours of online course content that you can do at your own pace, you will learn about:

  • Building a foundation for advocacy
  • The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
  • Early intervention services
  • The anatomy of an IEP
  • Section 504
  • Procedural safeguards
  • And more!

Start now to become a stronger, more knowledgeable champion for students with disabilities!

GET STARTED!

We know you love Accessibility!  Now’s the time to “Be the Voice” in your community!

October is Medication Label Safety Awareness Month.  This is a great time to talk about talking, large print, Braille or dual language prescription labels with friends, family, health care providers, senior centers, social workers or local legislators.

Let them know access to prescription label information helps keep people safe!

Download a printable brochure here.

 

Blue banner with white text: ACL Announcement

Every U.S. household can now order free at-home COVID-19 tests through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the United States Postal Service (USPS). These tests will detect the currently circulating COVID-19 variants and are intended for use through the end of 2024. Each order will include four tests.

One of the available options is the Orasure InteliSwab test, which is more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision, as well as people who have low manual dexterity.

For more information, including ordering instructions and information about the features that make the InteliSwab test more accessible, please visit ACL.gov/AccessibleTests.

About the Program

This round of ordering follows six previous opportunities to obtain free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests through this program. Since the program began in the winter of 2021, ASPR and USPS have distributed more than 900 million tests, free of charge, to American households nationwide. 
 
These efforts complement ASPR’s ongoing distribution of free COVID-19 tests to long-term care facilities, low-income senior housing, aging and disability networks, and other community organizations to support older adults and people with disabilities living in the community, uninsured individuals, and underserved communities. More than 1 billion over-the-counter tests have been provided to date through this community access program. 
 
In addition to collaborating with USPS on ordering and distribution of free COVID-19 tests, ASPR previously invested approximately $600 million across 12 domestic COVID-19 test manufacturers to strengthen the nation’s capacity to manufacture these tests, reduce reliance on overseas manufacturing, secure millions of new over-the-counter tests for future use, and improve preparedness for COVID-19 and other pandemic threats of the future. 
Order your free tests

Wellness Banner

Date & Time:

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, October 9, 2024 Eastern Time (US and Canada)

In recognition of Invisible Disabilities Awareness Month, join us for an insightful panel discussion exploring the lived experiences of individuals with invisible disabilities. Titled “Beyond the Surface: Living with Invisible Disabilities,” this event will feature staff members from The IMAGE Center of Maryland – Crystal Brockington, Chris Nusbaum, and Stephanie Schwartz – who will share their personal stories and professional insights on navigating life with disabilities that aren’t always visible to others.

Moderated by Keyonna Mayo, the conversation will delve into the challenges, misconceptions, and triumphs of living with invisible disabilities, while offering valuable tips for wellness, self-advocacy, and creating a more inclusive community.

This event is part of The IMAGE Center’s ongoing IMAGE Wellness Series, which promotes health and well-being within the disability community. All are welcome to attend and engage in this important dialogue. CART Services will be provided.

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR

VIEW FULL CALENDAR 

Blue banner with white text: ACL Announcement

Letter to ACL Grantees on Section 504 Rule

Yesterday, ACL and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a joint letter to ACL grantees on the historic May 2024 final rule implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The comprehensive update — the first since the initial regulation was put into place more than 50 years ago — is a powerful tool to combat discrimination based on disability in health care and human services.

For ACL’s networks and entities receiving ACL funding, this rule has special significance. It advances our mission to expand community living for disabled people, including the nearly 50% of older adults who have disabilities. It also creates new compliance requirements for recipients of federal funding from HHS, including all ACL grantees.

The letter highlights a new section-by-section fact sheet created by OCR that can help ACL grantees understand the Section 504 rule and their compliance obligations as covered entities. The fact sheet addresses important obligations, including:
  • Web, mobile, and kiosk accessibility: Web content and mobile apps must comply with the specific technical standards of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 levels A and AA (WCAG 2.1 AA), the internationally recognized private standard that the rule adopts.
  • Reasonable modifications and effective communication requirements: Section 504 now includes regulatory provisions that mirror long-standing requirements under the ADA for public and private health care and social service providers. Recipients that are covered by both Section 504 and the ADA will now have many of the same disability nondiscrimination obligations under both laws. For example, recipients must take appropriate steps to ensure that communications with individuals with speech, hearing, and vision disabilities are as effective as communications with others. They must also make reasonable modifications to policies and procedures to accommodate people with disabilities unless they can demonstrate a modification would fundamentally alter the nature of the program or activity.
  • Requirements for implementing the new rule: Recipients with 15 or more employees must designate an individual to coordinate efforts to comply with the rule and must adopt grievance procedures that provide for a prompt and equitable resolution of complaints. They must also provide accessible information to employees, applicants, and participants on the rule’s protections against discrimination.
ACL grantees with questions about the Section 504 rule are encouraged to contact their project officer and send a copy of the message to 504@acl.hhs.gov.

For more information:

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