Stephanie Enyart reflects on few key aspects of what the blind and low vision community has gained because of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Although it is true that blind people received individual accommodations before the legal requirements arose, the ADA created a duty to accommodate in many new instances and on a broader range of…

Background: In exploring the matter of sensory loss and job discrimination, the National EEOC ADA Research Project (NEARP) seeks to answer a singular question. Objective: How do persons with hearing loss (HL) vs. visual loss (VL) experience the nature and scope of workplace discrimination differently, if at all? Methods: The NEARP team uses an ex…

The purpose of this brief is to help families and educators understand the right of students with disabilities who need accessible educational materials to receive these materials in a timely manner. This right is based on provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as well as in the disability civil rights statutes…

Questions often arise about how accessible educational materials (AEM) might be included in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The two purposes of this article are to (1) help families and educators understand the importance of including AEM in the IEPs of students who require them, and (2) to discuss locations in the IEP where it may be…

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed into law on December 10, 2015, requires that state education agencies (SEAs) establish standardized, statewide entrance and exit procedures for their English learners (ELs), including ELs with disabilities. For certain ELs with…

Putting access in Access Services is the goal. The Course Reserves unit is the place. Textbooks are the focus. Electronic technologies are the future. Patron-centric services will be our standard. Access to textbooks by all patrons will be the achievement. Course Reserves located in Library West at the University of Florida George A. Smathers…

People with disabilities, especially those with severe disabilities, have high rates of unemployment and underemployment. Many of these individuals would like to work but employers remain hesitant to hire them, even when they are capable of and qualified for the job. The purpose of this article is to sensitize society on the importance of not…

Increasingly, students with visual disabilities are pursuing higher education. The students need to face the challenges and difficulties of disorganized services and technology to be independent learners. Institutions should provide the support services to meet the requirements of the students. Such students in the United States expressed their…

If digital literacy is exploding, the visually disabled are taking the shrapnel. The author wagers that most librarians consider themselves committed to accessibility and make individual and organizational efforts to comply with (and often exceed) the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in their buildings and the Rehabilitation Act Section 508…

Special education and rehabilitation services for the blind embody many benefits. Ultimately, however, such services ought to lead to employment because, like any persons, the blind and visually impaired derive many benefits from employment. Yet, access to jobs for people with severe vision problems is impeded by many factors. It is therefore…

This brief paper summarizes requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 related to employment of people who are blind or visually impaired. Topics addressed include what is meant by blindness or visual impairment; examples of types of jobs that people who are blind can do; possible accommodations for the person who is blind…

Focuses on making Web sites accessible for blind and visually impaired people. Discusses the possibility of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) becoming applicable to Web sites; tools that allow the visually impaired to use computers and the Web; 18 guidelines for designing an effective, accessible, and maintainable Web site; and testing for…

Examines literature for guiding libraries to develop services that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Presents a case of the University of Alabama Libraries' establishment of a technologies lab to serve the needs of the blind, visually impaired, and learning disabled students; examines problems and efforts to increase staff…

The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 was a landmark legislative initiative that outlined the protection of individuals with disabilities. The 1997 amendment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (U.S. Congress, 1999) stipulates that students with disabilities are to be educated in the general education curriculum.…

When a student who has both a vision and a hearing loss registers to take a course, each component of the course will need to be reviewed to determine if the student requires accommodations, e.g. syllabus, handouts, overheads or other AV materials, exams, and paper assignments. There is not a formula for addressing these needs because students who…