Implementing the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 in higher education.

The purpose of this paper is to provide educators and administrators in higher education with a greater understanding of how the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (Public Law 101-336) may affect institutions of higher education and to suggest ways that occupational therapists can assist institutions of higher education to comply with the ADA. When educators attempt to comply with the ADA in systems of higher education, the complexity of universities calls for a model reflective of that complexity. The systems approach to higher education, a model based on the general systems theory, is suggested as such a model. The three essential components of the model--input (i.e., applicants to a university), throughput (i.e., enrolled university student), and output (i.e., the student being graduated)--are acted on by many subsystems of the university. Some of those likely to be affected are application procedures, transportation, housing, dining facilities, and curricula. In planning ways to comply with the ADA, educators in higher education may find that many of these subsystems are required to adapt and make reasonable accommodations for the student with a disability. The model can be used to help identify those subsystems that will be affected by the law and to facilitate planning to comply with the law. Although occupational therapists most often work with persons to help them adapt to change in their lives, they can also work in systems of higher education and help the systems to plan and implement programs related to the ADA. The most effective programs are usually those that are well planned and designed from a holistic perspective, rather than those that are developed as a reaction to a specific situation or incident, that is, programs that are proactive rather than reactive. By using the systems approach to higher education, occupational therapists can focus on those components and subsystems within a university that may be affected by the ADA and meet the individual needs of a university.     

Benefits of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 for children and adolescents with disabilities.

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (Public Law 101-336) is a civil rights law intended to bring men, women, and children with disabilities into the mainstream of American life. This paper discusses the relation of the law to pediatric occupational therapy practice. The spirit of the ADA is highly compatible with occupational therapy's philosophical perspective. Occupational therapy personnel value functional independence, which requires an interactive relation between the environment and the child. Current pediatric practice models focus on deficit reduction and give limited attention to the environment, even though physical, social, and temporal environments contribute to disability, as do performance component deficits. An environment-centered model is suggested as a pediatric service provision approach compatible with the philosophical background of the ADA. This model emphasizes education and consultation to businesses and individuals for the purpose of altering environments to be accessible and accommodating to children and adolescents with disabilities. Three examples of environment-centered services are presented: (a) an evaluation of environments and reasonable accommodation recommendations for a teenager with a physical disability, (b) the mother of a child with cerebral palsy, and (c) the parents and program director of a community recreation program.     

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 expands employment opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities.

The primary purpose of the ADA is the full inclusion of persons with disabilities within their communities. The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the areas of employment, transportation, public accommodations, telecommunications, and state and local government agencies. The person described in this report encountered some of this discrimination. He successfully obtained paid community-integrated employment only after overcoming major obstacles and barriers, the greatest being transportation. In our highly mobile society, reliable transportation is essential for the acquisition and maintenance of community-integrated employment. The participant was repeatedly denied access to public transportation on the basis of his disability. To help overcome this barrier, Transition Services had to provide needed transportation at great expense, which delayed opportunities for the participant to gain control of this aspect of his life. Enactment of the ADA makes it more difficult for public transportation agencies to deny services to persons with disabilities by claiming inconvenience or lack of accessible vehicles. When publicly funded transportation programs assume their full responsibility for transportation to the public, agencies like Transition Services can focus on individualized employment and training issues rather than on providing transportation. In the workplace, the employer's willingness to work cooperatively with the participant and the staff of Transition Services resulted in several low-cost and reasonable accommodations based on the participant's needs and abilities. A simple rearrangement of work space allowed the participant to perform his job while benefiting the other workers in the crowded restaurant kitchen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

An industrial model for assisting employers to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990.

Innovative opportunities exist for occupational therapists to expand their role and assume a more active role in helping employers comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (Public Law 101-336). This article proposes an industrial model to facilitate earlier employer involvement and compliance with Title I of the ADA. It introduces the process for implementation of the Industrial Model of Rehabilitation Management (developed by the second author), defines the therapist's role, presents a clinical example, and discusses weaknesses and strengths of the model. Therapists are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Industrial Model proposed to assist the employer's implementation of the ADA.     

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and employees with mental impairments: personal efficacy and the environment.

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) (Public Law 101-336) provides persons with mental health problems basic rights resulting in full access to community resources, especially the rights and privileges associated with the work role. This paper discusses the law, personal self-efficacy, and four environmental aspects as they relate to the employment of persons with mental impairments: (a) employer and co-worker attitudes, (b) essential job functions, (c) reasonable accommodations, and (d) community access. Areas of intervention for occupational therapists in mental health include attitude and advocacy training, assisting employers in providing reasonable accommodations, and preparing persons with mental impairments to be successful employees. Examples in occupational therapy are reviewed to illustrate the implementation of the ADA with persons with mental health problems.     

Consumer empowerment through occupational therapy: the Americans With Disabilities Act Title III.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether occupational therapists (a) value a role educating consumers about the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA; Public Law 101-336); (b) are knowledgeable regarding Title III of the ADA; and (c) implement provisions and empower consumers who use wheelchairs to access public accommodations. METHOD: A random sample of 510 occupational therapists was surveyed, with 229 responding. Of those surveys returned, 152 respondents who serve clients who use wheelchairs met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Although 90% of the participants agreed that occupational therapists should have ADA knowledge and should educate consumers, the mean score of ADA accessibility knowledge on a 10-point quiz was 1.85. The mean score of reported actions to implement ADA provisions with clients was 11.78 of a possible 40 points. There was a significant positive correlation between implementation and attitude (r = .3609, p = .01) and between implementation and knowledge (r = .3376, p = .01); however, the correlation between attitude and knowledge (r = .1673, p = .05) was not significant. CONCLUSION: Therapists' lack of knowledge and their self-reported inaction with regard to ADA Title III may affect the accessibility of the environment, independence, and empowerment of clients who are wheelchair mobile and, therefore, may impede progress toward fully inclusive communities.     

Americans with Disabilities Act: meeting the requirements.

1. Title I of the Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of disability. 2. An employer is required to provide reasonable accommodation so that an otherwise qualified employee can do the job. 3. Physical examinations that seek to determine whether a person has a disability are prohibited. 4. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will serve as the enforcement agency for the employment requirements of the American With Disabilities Act.     

Assessing paratransit eligibility under the Americans With Disabilities Act in the rehabilitation setting

OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness of a rehabilitation-based assessment program designed to determine the eligibility, according to Americans With Disabilities Act criteria, of applicants for paratransit bus services. DESIGN: Retrospective summary statistics on 500 consecutive paratransit evaluations. SETTING: Outpatient physical medicine and rehabilitation center. PARTICIPANTS: Applicants for a community paratransit bus service. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical assessment of each applicants functional physical and cognitive ability to ride a fixed-route or paratransit bus system. RESULTS: Of the 500 applicants for specialized paratransit services, 38 (8%) were found to be ineligible, based on rehabilitation professionals evaluations of their physical and cognitive abilities. CONCLUSIONS: Mass transit organizations must adjust to the rapidly growing demand for paratransit services. Rehabilitation-based assessment programs, because of the expertise they provide in assessing functional abilities, are uniquely qualified to provide objective determinations of paratransit eligibility.