Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance Training Classes
The following compliance courses are offered onsite by Diversity Builder, Inc. trainers. Each course will be customized to meet specific needs within your organization and industry. Our trainers have significant work, training, and consulting experience in ADA compliance. Diversity Builder offers both online and onsite ADA training for leadership, managers, and employees to ensure the team is equipped with both compliance knowledge and inclusive communication practices.
Have you received a 508 letter from the ADA saying you are out of compliance with the ADA’s website standards?
Has an ADA complaint been filed against your company?
Has your company been notified that it requires ADA compliance training?
Have you received a request for reasonable accommodations?
These notifications can be alarming and turn a great day into a stressful one. If your legal team recommends training or consulting, reaching out to our trainers is the first step to resolution.
Looking for online ADA training or coaching? Call (615) 823-1717
Request a Call BackDisability Inclusion through ADA Diversity Training
The Americans With Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, as public law number 101-336, § 1, 104 Stat. 328, and is intended to give people who live with disabilities equal access in all aspects of life. People who have disabilities have struggled for equality in America since the 1770’s and achieved its first movement success as schools for the blind were established beginning in 1784. Today, disability advocates continue to fight for equal treatment in the workplace and in society for those living with disability. Although the ADA specifically indicates that people who have disabilities and need accommodations to perform their work in the same capacity as an able-bodied person, there is significant discrimination in the workplace. Sometimes management and human resource departments forget to include people with disabilities in their diversity and inclusion initiatives. Diversity Builder offers training in the areas of ADA and disability to support organizations in their mission to be an inclusive workplace.
Preferred Abilities Terminology
What is the proper terminology to use when referring to people with disabilities? It is important to understand some basic terminology about how to respectfully address people who live with disabilities. The biggest issue concerns communication and bias, whereby people who have disabilities are often referred to as “disabled” which reduces the person to characteristics that involve their disability. For example, saying “Lucie is disabled” when introducing the employee or referring to her, creates the idea that Lucie is the disabled one in the office and can be considered a form of unconscious bias. When referring to someone that has varying ability levels, one should say the person lives with a disability, which removes the stigma of disability and provides language intended to show that disability is only part of the person’s existence. Although it may seem insignificant to shift ideas and terminology regarding disability, the purpose of inclusion in the workplace is to showcase skills and talent, not merely ability level.
Using Identity-First Language
Having a disability is not the only part of a person’s diversity. Each person has several identities that make up who they are. This is also known as their intersectionality. What does intersectionality mean when it comes to diversity and inclusion? Intersectionality is defined as the idea that expresses how individual experience and group membership connect to better understand others’ perspectives and build community across difference When we choose to use language that shows respect, people with disabilities feel included and an elevated sense of belongingness . Below are some examples of inclusive language that better speak to the intersectionality each person has.
Inclusive Disability Language
Think about a person’s identity first!
Instead of saying, Anj is disabled” say “Anj is a person with disabilities ”
OR “Anj has a disability”
Instead of saying, “Desiree is confined to a wheelchair,” say “Desiree uses a wheelchair.”
Instead of saying, “Syeed is a paraplegic,” say “Syeed has paraplegia”
Instead of saying,”PaKou is autistic,” say PaKou is a person with autism.”
Instead of saying, “Nika uses a handicapped parking space,” say “Nika uses an accessible parking space”
Instead of saying “Remi is mentally ill, mentally disabled, or mentally handicapped,” say “Remi is a person living with a mental health issue” or “Remi has a mental health condition.”
Reasonable Accommodations
Accommodations in the workplace requested by people who have limited ability should be met with enthusiasm to help and to support the worker. Requesting accommodations is a lengthy process in many workplaces. Managers should be mindful that people who live with disabilities spend a significant amount of time doing paperwork, obtaining diagnoses, attending doctor’s visits, setting meetings with managers and HR to simply be able to perform their work as well as able-bodied people. It should be noted that people who are fully able do not spend a sizeable portion of their time trying to correct their bodies. People who have disabilities must receive routine healthcare, address legal hurdles in order to have full access to life, forego pay to accommodate these needs, and become fierce advocates for themselves to merely exist equitability in society. In light of these issues, HR personnel should invoke empathy when addressing the needs of people with disabilities in the workplace.
Discrimination History
Historically, people with disabilities have faced discrimination and criminality due to their ability levels. The movement to promote equal access for people with disabilities became visible in the 1960’s, although the fight for inclusion began much earlier. The movement was part of the larger civil rights movement that included people of color, women, and LGBT+ people. Advocates for disability inclusion address issues that exclude people who live with disabilities, such as building access, transportation, education, housing, career opportunities, among other areas of life. It is estimated that over 48.9 million Americans live with a disability. Unlike other protected classes, becoming disabled is something every person faces during a lifetime, whereas other things such as race, gender, and sexuality are stable identity groups.
As organizations compete to recruit and retain top talent, candidate pools formed by people with disabilities, are an untapped resource. Let us help you become a disability-friendly workplace where inclusion of those living with disabilities becomes a hallmark of doing business.
Course Title: Introduction to the ADA: Welcoming Employees and Applicants with Differing Abilities
ADA Course Description: Employers committed to diversity among its applicants and employees may not have strategies for engaging with qualified individuals with disabilities, retaining their employees who become disabled on the job or otherwise require disability-related reasonable accommodations, and creating a culture of true inclusion and respect for apparent as well as hidden disabilities. This course will review the legal protections for workers and applicants with disabilities and demystify employer responsibilities in favor of practical tools and strategies for maximizing the potential of persons with all abilities in the workplace.
About ADA Compliance Training: Diversity and Inclusion leaders, managers and supervisors, recruiters and human resources professionals will learn basic principles of disability awareness, how to incorporate persons with disabilities into a company’s diversity and inclusion efforts, responsibilities and methods for ensuring equal opportunity for applicants and employees with disabilities, how to respond to requests for reasonable accommodations and navigate the interactive process, and managing disability discrimination complaints.
Who Should Attend the Class: new ADA officers, compliance managers, supervisors, human resources professionals
Learning Objectives: Participants will gain an understanding of federal workplace laws governing employees and applicants with disabilities, awareness of the types of disabilities and their prevalence, methods for accommodation, and strategies for implementing a robust diversity and inclusion program focused on the recruitment and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities at all levels of the organization.
Course Title: Introduction to ADA: Welcoming Customers with Varying Abilities
ADA Course Description: This foundational class that introduces learners to the Americans with Disabilities Act and the basic requirements of the law and how it relates to customers and vendors with differing abilities. The training helps participants understand what discrimination may look like and how to prevent it. It includes concepts such as reasonable accommodations and rules around medical inquiries.
About ADA Compliance Training: Diversity and Inclusion leaders, managers and supervisors, and anyone working directly with the public will gain not just an understanding of the rights of customers with differing abilities.
Who Should Attend the Class: ADA officers, compliance managers, supervisors with ADA compliance responsibilities, Human Resources professionals
Learning Objectives: Participants will gain an understanding of federal laws requiring that business locations and their services be available to customers with disabilities, awareness of different types of disabilities and their prevalence, and customer service strategies, including methods for overcoming barriers to access.
Customized ADA Training
Our ADA trainers are glad to customize a course based on your group or individual needs. In addition to our introductory ADA classes, our trainers offer instruction and coaching on specific aspects of ADA for HR leaders and others with ADA roles within the organization. If you are seeking ADA coaching or specific group training, we can help. We also have programs that focus on inclusion and cultural competency with regard to differing abilities.
Top ADA Trainers
Some of the topics led by our ADA trainers include the following:
ADA Class Topics
Service and Assistance Animals
Reasonable Accommodation
Disabilities in the Workplace Inclusion
Modifying Job Descriptions to Accommodate Workers with Disabilities
Actions that Constitute Reasonable Accommodations
2010 Standards for Accessible Design
How 2010 ADA Standards Apply to Business Undergoing Alterations and New Construction
Have something else in mind? Just ask. Our training manager is glad to consult by phone or simply complete the form on this page.