Purpose
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network provides information, guidance, and training on how to implement the ADA in order to support its mission to "assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities."
How to Apply for This Funding Opportunity
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Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and other organizations and/or agencies.
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View a list of NIDILRR funding opportunities and application kits.
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As a rough guideline, check the preceding link between October and April every year.
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View the Guide to Applying for some helpful application tips.
Highlights
The ADA National Network Program funding mechanism accounted for approximately 13% of grant funding in FY 2015. The network consists of:
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10 regional centers that provide information, training, and technical assistance to individuals, businesses, and agencies with rights and responsibilities under the ADA. Contact a regional center by calling 1-800-949-4232 or by using the Email Contact Form.
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1 collaborative research grant known as the ADA Participatory Action Research Consortium (ADA-PARC). This research examines individual and environmental factors influencing community living for citizens with disabilities. Typical research activities include, but are not limited to:
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Mining existing datasets to inform the benchmarking of key participation disparities and promising practices at state, regional, and community levels; and
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Collecting data on individuals transitioning from nursing homes and institutions to the community to assess their experiences and concerns.
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Takeaway: Findings from this research inform strategies for creating livable communities for individuals with disabilities through inclusive and accessible private and public spaces.
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1 knowledge translation grantee known as the ADAKTC: The ADA Knowledge Translation Center enhances the impact of the Network’s activities, increases awareness and use of research findings, conducts knowledge translation research, and improves understanding of ADA stakeholders’ needs for and receipt of Network services. The Center is conducting a five-year project to review and translate research findings and identify knowledge gaps.
In FY 2015, the ADA National Network and its regional centers responded to almost 60,000 inquiries from the public for technical assistance and resources. Technical assistance was provided in the following ways:
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Phone: 53%
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Email: 30%
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In-Person: 17%
During FY 2015, the ADA National network reported 1,004,746 downloads of its electronic materials, such as journal articles, audio tapes, DVDs, CDs, newsletters, fact sheets, and conference proceedings.
Select Accomplishments for FY 2015
- Southeast ADA Center Develops ADA Anniversary Tool Kit in Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the ADA
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Syracuse University (Grant # 90DP0019)
The Southeast ADA Center at Syracuse University developed an ADA Anniversary Tool Kit, a website dedicated to publications, resources, training, events, and news for use in planning events to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ADA. The ADA Legacy Project adopted the ADA Anniversary Tool Kit to promote “ADA25.” The ADA Legacy Project is committed to honoring the contributions of people with disabilities by preserving the history of the disability rights movement, celebrating its milestones, and educating the public and future generations of advocates. As a result of adoption of the ADA Anniversary Tool Kit by the ADA Legacy Project, awareness of the ADA and the ADA National Network's knowledge resources increased.
The ADA Anniversary Tool Kit website also promotes the ADA25 Pledge, which encourages individuals to recommit to the principles of the ADA. The website experienced a 378 percent increase in page views and a 228 percent increase in users since 2014. To date, the website has collected more than 9,000 signatures from individuals, organizations, government entities, and faith communities who pledge to celebrate and recommit to the ADA.
The ADA Anniversary Tool Kit is located at http://www.adaanniversary.org/.
- The Northwest ADA Center’s ADA Accessibility Checklist Helps Washington State Department of Corrections Improve Physical and Programmatic Access
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University of Washington (Grant # H133A110015)
The Northwest ADA Center at the University of Washington updated its ADA Accessibility Checklist to reflect the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, published in March 2015. The Washington State Department of Corrections used the checklist to asses all 13 of its correctional facilities for accessibility.
This tool was also instrumental in assisting the Washington State Department of Corrections in formulating a Transition Plan to improve physical and programmatic access. The checklist can be accessed at http://bit.ly/2enokNa.
- ADA National Network Trains Employers to Support Employees with Disabilities
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The ADA National Network provides information, training, and technical assistance on the ADA to businesses, agencies, and the public. Members also conduct research. In 2014, the Network served more than 235,000 employers, state and local governments, and people with disabilities.
The Network promoted workplace implementation of the ADA through direct interaction with employers and individual job hunters, as well as through the creation and delivery of training. For example, several centers launched the Just-in-Time Tool Kit for Managers, an online training for supporting employees with disabilities.
For more information, visit http://www.disabilitytoolkit.org/.
Contact
Contact Shelley Reeves at NIDILRR if you have questions about the ADA National Network Program.