How will you celebrate the ADA? Below are some ideas and suggestions to celebrate throughout the year the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Anniversary – July 26 in your workplaces, schools and communities.
Accessibility & Program Access
- Appoint an ADA Coordinator.
- Re-evaluate and update existing transition plans.
- Survey websites for accessiblity and prioritize web pages to be updated based on use and content.
- Create focus groups/panels of people with disabilities to provide feedback on accessibility and program access issues.
- Assess pedestrian access and identify need areas.
- Commit to providing playgrounds that meet ADA compliance guidelines.
- Provide effective communication such as interpreters at all large events or public meetings.
Training/Technical Assistance
- Send staff to ADA related workshops and conferences such as the National ADA Symposium.
- Utilize the ADA National Network for training and technical assistance. 1-800-949-4232
- Participate in on-line courses, audio-conferences, and podcasts.
- Conduct in-house training on ADA issues on a regular basis.
Disability Awareness Events
- Host a wheelchair game or races.
- Exhibit works by artists with disabilities.
- Sponsor a disability awareness poster contest.
- Demonstrate the use of assistive devices at a community event.
- Host an online or in-person discussion. Ask questions such as: What impact has the ADA had on your life? What would be different about your life if we did not have the ADA?
More Idea Resources
- Monthly ADA Themes
Source: ADA Anniversary Tool Kit - A Yearlong Plan for Disability Inclusion
Source: Indianapolis Record - 30 Ways to Pay Tribute to the 30th Anniversary of the ADA
Source: Access Granted Blog by Rocky Mountain ADA Center - 30 Years of the ADA – History, Achieving the Promise & Real People
Source: Administration for Community Living (ACL) & Office of Civil Rights (OCR) - Thirty for ADA30
Source: Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University - ADA Legacy Project
Source: ADA Legacy Project (TALP) - 25 Ideas for the 25th Anniversary of the ADA
Source: Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) - ADA Pledge for Religious Communities and Resources for Seminaries
Source: Collaborative on Faith and Disability