WT Group Accessibility Consulting Newsletter

December 2019

John McGovern and the Accessibility Team (from left to right): John McGovern, Tanya Scheibe, Shelley Zuniga, Heidi Lapin, Todd Abrams, and Chris Kalischefski

We all know that knowledge is the key…to virtually everything. With that in mind, we renew our commitment to providing you with information about compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In this newsletter, we will share our views on ADA compliance, circulate articles by others regarding the same, note key court decisions or settlement agreements about the ADA, and share techniques or processes being used today by some of our clients regarding ADA compliance.

We invite you to share your challenges and successes with us too…maybe you can write an article for our newsletter. To pursue this, or to share your thoughts on anything related to accessibility or inclusion, reach out to John McGovern at john.mcgovern@rac-llc.com.

Best,
John McGovern
Partner, Principal in Charge, Accessibility Practice, WT Group

Ask John!

Stumped by an ADA issue? Ask John!

John's decades of experience, law degree, and great batting average in finding simple solutions for complex problems is complemented by a team that also has decades of experience in local government. If you find yourself stumped by an ADA issue, I invite you to reach out!

As a good example of a recent inquiry, we were asked under what circumstances a child with a disability could be suspended from participation. For local governments, the answer is in title II, and for businesses and nonprofits, the answer is in title III. When a participant, with a reasonable modification already in place (behavior plan, higher staff ratio or support, or extra training for staff) still poses an imminent threat of physical harm to others, he or she may be temporarily suspended while the agency reviews and revises its plan of supports.

Click here to read about a settlement agreement regarding a 3-year-old with Down syndrome.

CONTACT JOHN

Leadership Insights

How to Beat an ADA Dispute

The nation celebrated a birthday of sorts this past summer. On July 26, 2019, the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) turned 29 years old. Texan George Herbert Walker Bush, then the president of the United States, wielded the pen in 1990 in the White House Rose Garden.