TRAINING SESSIONS

Title: Disability Etiquette & Awareness

Purpose: Almost half of all complaints of harassment in the workplace are on the part of people with disabilities. No one ever means to do or say the wrong thing to someone, especially someone who either has a disability or who has a child or other dependent with special needs. It most often occurs as a result of inexperience or a general lack of comfort and confidence in knowing the “right thing” to do and/or say. This session will highlight specific examples that will resonate with everyone’s experiences.

Approach: Using lecture, discussion and case study, participants will be guided through disability etiquette & awareness issues from a social justice perspective. Examples of the do’s and don’ts of actions, language, etc. will be reviewed on a disability specific basis.

Background: Society is finding that the bullying that begins in the elementary and middle schools, specifically bullying of children who have special needs, is extending into the workplace and resulting in formal EEOC complaints. People don’t typically mean to say or do the wrong thing but rather do so out of ignorance or fear or both. Participants will walk away from this session with confidence in speaking, working and socializing with people who either have a disability (of any type and severity) or who have a dependent with special needs. The following represents an overview of the topics addressed in this module:

• Why this class
• Legislative issues
• Four segments of the population
• Definitions of Disability
• The Basics (no matter what the disability)
• Reception Etiquette
• Don’t Make Assumptions
• Responding Appropriately to Requests
• Terms to Know
• Disability Specific Guidelines
  • People who use Wheelchairs and/or Have Mobility Impairments
  • People who are Blind or Visually Impaired
  • People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
  • People with Speech Disabilities
  • Persons of Short Stature
  • People with Difficulty Controlling their Muscles (Such as Cerebral Palsy)
  • People with Uncontrollable Vocalizations or Ticks/Gestures (Such as Tourettes Syndrome)
  • People Who Look Different
  • Hidden Disabilities
  • Seizure Disorders (Such as Epilepsy)
  • Respiratory Disabilities
  • Psychiatric Disabilities (Mental Illness)
  • Cognitive Disabilities
    • Cognitive Impairment / Developmental Disability
    • Learning Disability
    • Traumatic Brain Injury/Acquired Brain Injury
• Confidentiality
• Service Animals
• Conflict Management
• When its Someone’s Child who has the Disability
• Conclusion

Title: Interviewing, Hiring, Managing, Supervising and Supporting an Employee with a Disability

Purpose: This session will highlight the unique issues of reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act (ADAAA) as they relate to all aspects of the management and supervision of someone with a disability.

Approach: Using lecture, discussion, case study, participants will be guided through the reasonable accommodation interactive process, discuss the responsibilities of the employer and employee, identify issues that might pose undue hardship and learn about available resources.

Title: Reasonable Accommodation and the ADA: Retaining Your Workforce

Purpose: This session will highlight the practical issues about reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This session will examine what “reasonable accommodation” means and who is entitled to receive it. Participants will gain an understanding about what constitutes a request for reasonable accommodation, the form and substance of the request, and an employer’s ability to ask questions and seek documentation after a request has been made. Information will be shared about resources available to help identify effective solutions.

Approach: Using lecture, discussion and case study, participants will be guided through the reasonable accommodation interactive process, discuss the responsibilities of the employer and employee, identify issues that might pose undue hardship and learn about available resources.

Background: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Americans with Disabilities Amendment Act (ADAAA) requires an employer with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities, unless it would cause undue hardship. The provision of reasonable accommodation is the lynchpin to the employment provisions. Participants will:

1. Increase their knowledge of reasonable accommodations
2. Learn how to identify abilities and limitations, barriers, and appropriate accommodations
3. Define key terms including: disability, reasonable accommodation, undue hardship, and direct threat
4. Acknowledge the responsibilities of employer and employee in the reasonable accommodations process
5. Understand the responsibility of the employer to ensure that the choice of a reasonable accommodation is effective.
6. Identify resources on the ADA and reasonable accommodations.

Title: Getting Back to the Original Intent: The ADA Amendments Act of 2008

Purpose: The Act makes important changes to the definition of the term “disability” by rejecting several Supreme Court decisions and portions of the EEOC’s ADA regulations. The session will provide an overview of the changes that will affect policy and decision making by discussing what the changes are and who is covered as of January 1st. This interactive session allows frequent opportunities for reflection and questions emphasizing the principles and process that can guide accommodation decision making.

Background: On January 1, 2009, the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) became effective as Public Law 110-335. The primary focus of the statute is to clarify the definition of disability in the ADA. The Session will cover:

1. A brief history to provide a context for understanding the changes to the definition of disability.
2. A review of the court decisions that Congress rejected and endorsed during passage of the ADAAA in order to identify how policy and practice can be brought into line with the new statutory requirements.
   • How did we get here?
   • What has the new law changed?
   • How to determine who is covered by the ADA as amended?
   • Will the accommodation process change?