Southeast ADA Center

05/05/2026

May is Older Americans Month! The Administration for Community Living (ACL) celebrates with the 2026 theme, “Champion Your Health.”
Visit their website for ways to participate and materials to help you celebrate, including this year’s poster, social media content, sample article, and more: https://acl.gov/oam/older-americans-month
Join the conversation:

Older Americans Month starts today! This year’s theme, Champion Your Health, encourages taking an active role in your well-being through prevention, healthy habits, and informed decisions. Get involved: acl.gov/oam

05/05/2026

FREE LEGAL WEBINAR SERIES BEGINS MAY 7th.
The Georgia Advocacy Office, in partnership with Atlanta Legal Aid, invites you to a Legal Community of Practice webinar focused on Supported Decision Making (SDM) and other alternatives to guardianship. To learn more and register, visit the Events Calendar (https://adasoutheast.org/events/) or use the link below.

⚖️ Supported Decision-Making Webinar Series!
Join a new Legal Community of Practice for a free webinar on Supported Decision-Making—a less restrictive alternative to guardianship. Learn tools, strategies, and best practices to better support individuals with disabilities.
📅 May 7, 2026
⏰ 12:00–1:15 PM
💻 Free & virtual
🔗 Learn more + register: idecidega.circle.so

05/01/2026

National Apprenticeship Week is almost over. Apprenticeship programs are a popular path to real jobs for workers with disabilities, Reach out to or check the links below for more information.

This week is National Apprenticeship Week! This year’s theme is “America at Work: Making America Skilled Again Through Registered Apprenticeship,” and U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has brand-new, targeted resources and information for all Americans with disabilities.

ODEP’s newest toolkit is full of tips, strategies, and resources for a wide audience, including apprenticeship sponsors, employers, apprentices and career seekers with disabilities, workforce system professionals, service providers, and community organizations.

Check it out now! https://beta.dol.gov/programs-initiatives/apprenticeship-accommodations-toolkit

04/30/2026

FREE WEBINAR:
Fair Housing and Disability Rights for Tenants with Disabilities.
DATE: Tuesday - May 5, 2026
TIME (1.5 hours):
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. [Eastern] / 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. [Central]
/ 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. [Mountain] / 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. [Pacific]

IN THIS WEBINAR:
Get practical guidance on the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and disability rights for tenants with disabilities, including reasonable accommodations, accessibility requirements, and protections against discrimination in renting, buying, or living in housing.
Speakers from Able South Carolina:
• Dori Tempio, Senior Director of Community Education
• Alie Springgate, Director of Advocacy

Each webinar has captioning and American Sign Language (ASL).
REGISTER for Webinar:
https://bit.ly/housing-disability-webinar3-register

CREDIT: Get a Certificate of Participation after you view an entire webinar (live or archive) and complete the Post Test Eval.

HOSTS: Able South Carolina, Southeast ADA Center, Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University.

MORE Information: https://DisabilityWebinars.org

04/30/2026

Today last day to PLAY. WIN. LEARN. - ADA Puzzler for April 2026.

QUESTION:
According to ADA Title III, which of these is the first priority when evaluating readily achievable barrier removal?
A. Access to goods and services.
B. Access to public toilet rooms.
C. Accessible approach and entrance.

+ PLAY: Submit your answer by May 1 to: adapuzzler@syr.edu

+ WIN: All correct submissions are entered in a random drawing for one winner with choice of a fabulous prize or one course from Courses.MyADALearning.org

+ LEARN MORE in our e-newsletter - ADA and Access Matters:
https://adasoutheast.org/newsletter/ada-and-access-matters/

04/30/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Stacey Kernisan, Distance Learning Coordinator at the Southeast ADA Center, for successfully publishing her first peer-reviewed journal article. Kernisan, S., Hornsby, C.L., (2026) Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Black Working Mothers: Education and Mental Health while Continuing their Education, Research Issues in Contemporary Education, Volume 10 No. 2 (25).
Read Article: https://bit.ly/4tGRmYJ
IMAGE: Black woman designer working at her desk.

04/29/2026

The Southeast ADA Center is sharing this information on behalf of the U.S. Access Board:
About the Access Board ABA Compliance Program:
The U.S. Access Board encourages accessibility professionals to file Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) complaints regarding any physical barriers experienced in federal facilities. The ABA (not the ADA!) is the law that requires accessibility of federal facilities. The ABA technical requirements are similar to the ADA. If you see something that would be a barrier under the ADA, it is probably an ABA violation in a federal facility. But the ABA is enforced differently. The ABA is enforced by the U.S. Access Board through a complaint-driven administrative process. Complaints may be filed anonymously. Information on how to file an ABA complaint is available on the Access Board’s website. In addition, the Access Board will present an interactive workshop on the ABA and how to file complaints at the 2026 ADA Symposium.
IMAGE: U.S. federal building.
Link to How to file an ABA complaint: https://www.access-board.gov/enforcement/

04/28/2026

ACCESSIBLE EMERGENCY ALERTS: On Wednesday, April 28, at 10:30 AM Eastern Time, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Open Meeting will consider a proposal to update the “Audible Text Crawl Rule” so that broadcast emergency alerts remain accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.
Watch live: FCC.gov/live
Link to Announcement of the April Open Meeting Agenda: bit.ly/4e5Ueto.
Draft of the rule: bit.ly/4cDgB73.

We want to share information regarding the upcoming Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Open Meeting. The FCC will consider a proposal to update the “Audible Text Crawl Rule” so that broadcast emergency alerts remain accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired.

Right now, broadcasters must provide an aural description of visual emergency graphics (like radar maps) on the secondary audio stream. However, no practical technical solution exists, so the FCC has been granting repeated waivers.

The new proposal would allow compliance by:
- showing a text crawl with the same emergency information as the graphic, and
- conveying that text aurally on the secondary audio stream.

This change would keep emergency graphics on screen for everyone while ensuring that people who are blind or have low vision still receive the same critical information.

Date: April 30, 2026
Time: 10:30 a.m. ET
Watch live: FCC.gov/live

Link to Announcement of the April Open Meeting Agenda:
bit.ly/4e5Ueto.
Draft of the rule:
bit.ly/4cDgB73.

04/27/2026

HONOR DISABILITY HEROES: Sign up for this free, online event to honor Alice Wong and Bob Kafka. When: Wednesday, April 29 at 6:30-8:30PM Eastern time.

During our National Community Event, we're taking time to honor two extremely powerful disability community members who became ancestors within the last year. Alice Wong was a fierce believer in disability rights and justice. She dedicated her energy amplifying the voices and experiences of the disabled community. Among her many accomplishments, Alice was an AAPD Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Awardee. She used the Award funds to help build the Disability Visibility Project.

Bob Kafka was a long-time leader in ADAPT who was instrumental in the fight for accessible transportation and community integration. He was also the founder of REV UP, which stands for Register, Educate, Vote, Use your Power! Over the past 10 years, in part due to Bob's leadership and vision, REV UP has a presence in 48 states and is building the power of the disability vote.

We miss them dearly, and their impact on our community cannot be overstated.

Get tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-aapd-national-community-event-tickets-1982299255435

ID: Graphic showcasing out National Community Event honoring the memories of Alice Wong and Bob Kafka.

04/24/2026

Here's a new resource produced by the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center to celebrate .

Sharing another practical tool for . Check out this helpful publication from the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Training & Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders. "Avoiding Ableist Language" explores the concept of ableism and how it harms the Autistic community.

https://vkc.vumc.org/assets/files/triad/tips/Avoiding_Ableist_Language.pdf

04/24/2026

April is . Do you know the difference between physical therapy and occupational therapy?
Physical therapy focuses on improving movement, mobility, and function, while occupational therapy focuses on helping a person perform daily tasks more easily. Examples of daily tasks include dressing, bathing, writing and driving.
https://www.aota.org/about/for-the-media/aota-news/april-is-occupational-therapy-month

04/22/2026

Older Americans Month: Championing Your Health
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) announced the theme for this year's Older Americans Month, Championing Your Health. The theme focuses on prevention, wellness, and personal responsibility as cornerstones of healthy aging. The theme encourages aging individuals to take an active role in managing their health, advocate for themselves, access preventive care, and make informed decisions that support independence. The theme also highlights the importance of evidence-based approaches, self-management, and community partnerships that empower individuals to lead their healthiest lives. The theme applies to aging individuals with and without disabilities.