New ADA Guidelines Promotes Access to Pools & Beaches!

ADA LIFESTYLES

459 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley NY 10502

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New guidelines for construction under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became effective March 15, 2012. Many hoteliers are still confused about what this means for their pools. This new law would require more than 50,000 hotels and any other “public” pools in the United States to instill a type of lift to assist persons with disabilities.

 These changes are also applicable to hot tubs or whirlpools of the facility has one. These regulations apply to parks, condominiums and community pools that provide services to the public. Pool lifts can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000, according to a recent USA Today article. Any new pools being constructed in hotels or public places are automatically being built with these changes included. 

Some hotels who are unhappy about applying these changes have threatened to close their pools if the Department of Justice (DOJ) cannot clarify the unanswered questions regarding the type of lift, installation requirements, and alternative access methods such as ramps. 

To read the full article about the New ADA Guidelines published by StarNews, click HERE. 

Accommodating People & Students with Disabilities on Campus: The University of Kansas

ADA LIFESTYLES

459 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley NY 10502

914-231-6107 / ADALifestyles.com

 

The University of Kansas recently created a new position on their campus to better accommodate people with disabilities. Jamie Simpson took on her new position as the director of Accessibility and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Education this past week. 

The position will entail coordinating campus-wide activities to promote the ADA and help spread awareness. She will also help professors to better accommodate students with disabilities on a more personal level by suggesting different ways to work with each student based on their disability. She will be able to give the professors strategies and techniques to help the individual with the disability have the best education as possible. 

The program and position was created to provide students with disabilities equal opportunity and equal access on campus. Many people think that students with disabilities are given more help and assistance then necessary but that isn’t the case. What many people don’t understand is that the accommodations made are to make the playing ground equal, not to make things easier in general. 

Most people are unaware of how many people have disabilities because many of them are non-obvious. Of the 700 registered students, about 85% of them have non-obvious disabilities. These include learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), psychiatric, health or medical issues. The other 15% of students with disabilities are classified under have mobile disabilities.

"Aging in Place" using Universal Design Solutions

ADA LIFESTYLES

459 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley NY 10502

914-231-6107 / ADALifestyles.com

“Aging in place” is becoming a popular term as the largest generation of people move into retirement accommodations. Using the principles of Universal Design, ADA Lifestyles can improve and enhance your current apartment, home, or office space to be more accessible and safer. 

ADA Lifestyles can reconstruct your space to make entrances more accessible, add assistive technologies, automate doors, windows and blinds, provide barrier free shower and doorways, add elevators and lifts, improve lighting, adjust cabinets and appliances and improve flooring. 

Your chances of falling increase steadily across a person’s lifespan, starting at age 40. $55 billion will be spent annually treating nonfatal falls. Falls are the 5^th leading cause of death. 

Contact ADA Lifestyles for design and building solutions to make your spaces more accessible and enjoyable. For more information, visit ADALifestyles.com or call 914-231-6107.

Reasonable Accommodation in the Workplace

 ADA LIFESTYLES

459 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley NY 10502

914-231-6107 / ADALifestyles.com

 

Often times, Federal hiring officials find it necessary to make a reasonable workplace accommodation for a person with a disability if it is requested and appropriate. Practical accommodations can apply to the duties of the job, and/or where and how job tasks are performed. Accommodations should make it easier for the employee to successfully perform the duties of their job. 

A couple of examples of reasonable accommodations may include providing interpreters, readers, or other personal assistants, modifying job duties, restructuring work sites, providing flexible work schedules or work sites, and providing accessible technology or other workplace adaptive equipment. 

You can request reasonable accommodations either orally or in writing. People who need accommodations are responsible for making their needs known to their bosses or to whomever it may concern. The supervisors and the individuals should explain the individual’s needs, and identify the appropriate reasonable accommodation required to meet those needs. 

ADA Lifestyles builds and designs work spaces exceeding ADA guidelines to provide service to the physically challenged working community. For more details, visit ADALifestyles.com.

State of Discrimination

 ADA LIFESTYLES

459 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley NY 10502

914-231-6107 / ADALifestyles.com

In Rwanda, the president of the National Council of Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) is urging employers to refrain from turning people away due to their disabilities (allafrica.com).

There are many employment opportunities that have no relative mobile duties, and yet qualified applicants are being turned down in a country which has actively promoted the rights of people with physical challenges (allafrica.com). Equal access to education and public healthcare have been granted and appreciated, but a copious amount of companies are reluctant to employ people living with disabilities (allafrica.com).

ADA Lifestyles of New York has created an abundance of accessible renovation technology in order for people with disabilities to move freely in their homes and offices. Visit our website at adalifestyles.com to see all of the accessible remodeling we can offer you or a loved one.

Read the full article here, and let us know what you think about the right of persons with disabilities in Rwanda in our comment box!

Workshop in North Carolina For People With Disabilities.

 ADA LIFESTYLES

459 Saw Mill River Road, Ardsley NY 10502

914-231-6107 / ADALifestyles.com

If you are a person with disabilities and live in the North Carolina area, come to the Department of Social Services on Thursday, April 5^th between 9:00am and 1:00pm for a free workshop, which will be offering advice on fair housing rights (fayobserver.com). 

People with disabilities, advocates, providers of housing and services for people with disabilities, and the general public are welcome to learn about basic fair housing protection, reasonable accommodations and modifications, and access and design issues (fayoberserver.com). Speakers from the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina, SocialServe.com and a housing locator service will educate attendees on these issues in order for people with disabilities to represent themselves and their rights (fayobserver.com). 

The seminar is funded in part through a grant under the Fair Housing Initiatives Program with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (fayobserver.com). 

For location and contact information on the free workshop, click here. 

ADA Lifestyles of New York, Inc. works to provide accessible products and services to the community with physical challenges. Visit adalifestyles.com to view all of our accessible accommodations, and write on our Facebook page here if you have any questions regarding our technology.