Join us Saturday, October 25th, from Noon to 8pm for the Michigan vs. Michigan State football game! Come out, support your favorite team, and help raise money for United Way of Midland County!

We'll have prize giveaways, "Quarter Board Contests," and multiple ways to donate! 100% of Event Proceeds Benefit United Way of Midland County!
 

1990 - 2015:  Celebrating 25 Years of Disability Network and the Americans With Disabilities Act 

We are proud to share our 25th Birthday, with the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act. 

Throughout the year, this newsletter will feature articles focusing on different aspects of everyday life that have been impacted by the ADA. For October, we're focusing on Employment and Reasonable Accommodations. Prior to the ADA, the following story was common:

Cheri has a significant hearing loss. She had worked as a paralegal position for 13 years, collecting awards and superior performance reviews throughout her career. Until her job duties changed in her 14th year, she never needed any changes to her workplace or different equipment to perform her job well. When her job duties in changed, however, she asked for a few, modest changes to her workplace.

"In my 14th year, my job had additional duties that required me to be able to assist clients while others were on break and to answer phones. I asked for a mirror to be placed where I could see the door opening when clients came in, a head set for the telephone with amplification, and to re-position my desk to also have a better view of the front door. They refused the mirror, saying it would be a distraction to the other paralegals; they said to re-position my desk would cause the entire area to have to be changed; and they said they ordered a head-set, but it never came. Instead they gave me a phone with a volume control but it was not effective."

None of these changes cost more than $30, but without them, Cheri was unable to do her job and was eventually forced to leave.

Reasonable accommodations is about getting a job done, not special treatment. Employees with disabilities may do a job differently-they may use adapted computers, screen reading software, large print materials or raised desks that can accommodate a wheelchair-but they get the job done like any other employee in their position. They are not asking for special treatment or to be excused from performing the essential functions of their jobs. But they do ask that they be given the tools or supports they need to perform these tasks competently.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed almost unanimously by both the House and the Senate in July 1990. It provides civil rights protections to individuals with disability and prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Title I of the ADA requires that employers make reasonable accommodations unless making those accommodations creates significant difficulty or expense. Reasonable accommodations are changes to the workplace or the way things are customarily done; they are intended to allow qualified employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their jobs.

In 2000, Cheri Hofmann began actively working with the Independent Living Movement as the Advocacy/Outreach Coordinator for the CIL Disability Resource Center. She started several programs and services as well as coordinated training and awareness events such as the Parking Accessibility Resource Committee (PARC), CIL Advocacy Council, Gulf Coast Regional Demonstration Center - Assistive Technology Program and the University of West Florida Accessibility Committee. Additionally, she is a recognized voice for ADA technical assistance and training for the Southeast ADA Center for eight states for businesses, state and local government and people with disabilities for her knowledge with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal laws. 

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