Illinois ADA Project

A food allergy and celiac disease may qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). During this session, challenges and solutions for universities and colleges in accommodating and supporting students with specific allergies will be discussed. Topics to be reviewed include, dining halls, temporary events, communication, and the role of higher education staff as well as the student role. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions for the presenters following the presentation.

This session will review court cases, settlements and federal agency guidance involving the interplay between COVID and the ADA. Topics will include COVID as an ADA-disability; employment rights; mask/vaccine mandates; voting rights; effective communication; corrections; access to healthcare; access to private businesses; and access to education.

Our featured speaker will be Adele Rapport, the Regional Director at U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights in Chicago. Ms. Rapport will review the work of DOE/OCR, discuss initiatives and priorities under the Biden administration and answer questions participants have. Registration via Zoom is required to participate.

This session will use lots of examples to show what accessible design looks like to the end user as well as the user experience when web page elements are not accessible. The session will not go into technical details and will not require knowledge of coding or technical language.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask ADA professionals questions about COVID related workplace accommodations such as hybrid work arrangements as well as employer mandates including face coverings, and vaccinations. To ensure your question is answered during the session, individuals are highly encouraged to submit their questions ahead of time via the registration website (option to submit questions is available once you have registered for the session).