A variety of laws, regulations, agency guidelines and recommendations affect the ability of persons with disabilities to achieve and maintain employment. While the most important federal law known as the ADA provides most guidance and some legal considerations, there is a patchwork of many governmental agencies, contractor providers to government departments, and state or local policies at play. “Law” is being written and re-written or clarified as an on-going continuum in the development of policy addressed by the ADA. A partial list of only some major national government departments and advisory groups that contribute to policy follows:
National Council on Disability
Rehabilitation Services Administration
Special Education and Rehabilitative Services within the Department of Education
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Communications Commission
Is it any wonder that it is confusing to many people about all that they should do, must do, or aspire to in the interest of creating a barrier-free community service? Within the state of Arizona, the government webpages for the RSA are some of the most helpful resources to information that will assist resource labs and staff at One-Stop Centers and VR counselors. A link for the federal government webpage of the US Dept. of Justice is merely a starting point: http://www.ada.gov/ State offices that provide information include the Rehabilitation Services Administration, the Office for Americans with Disabilities, and the Arizona Center for Disability Law. Links for these Arizona resources are listed below:
RSA http://www.de.state.az.us/rsa/
Office for Americans with Disabilities http://www.know-the-ada.com/
Arizona Center for Disability Law http://www.acdl.com/
100 N. 15th Avenue, Suite 170 , Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Voice: (602) 542-6276 TTY: (602) 542-6686
ADA/disability-related resources: (800) 358-3617
100 North Stone Ave., Suite 305 , Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 327-9547 (voice/tty) (800) 922-1447 (voice/tty)
Fax: (520) 884-0992
3839 N. Third St., Suite 209 , Phoenix, AZ 85012
(602) 274-6287 (voice/tty) (800) 927-2260 (voice/tty)
Fax: (602) 274-6779