Americans With Disabilities Act Technical Assistance Program, $16,077,000 total funding
Purpose of this program:
To ensure that public accommodations and commercial facilities and State and local governments learn of the requirements of Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and acquire the knowledge needed to comply voluntarily with these requirements.
16.108 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
(ADA)
FEDERAL AGENCY
CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
AUTHORIZATION
Americans with Disabilities Act, Public Law 101-336, Section 506.
OBJECTIVES
To ensure that public accommodations and commercial facilities and State and local governments learn of the requirements of Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and acquire the knowledge needed to comply voluntarily with these requirements.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE
Dissemination of Technical Information; Training; Investigation of Complaints; Project Grants.
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS
Grants limited to the provision of technical assistance and educational activities that have a wide impact, including the development and dissemination of materials, the conduct of seminars, conferences, and training, and the provision of technical assistance on a state, regional or national basis depending on the funding priorities announced each year. Because the grant program is educational in nature, the Department does not fund projects to research or resolve issues that are outside the scope of the Department's current ADA regulations and court interpretations. The program is not intended to fund or support site- specific compliance implementation (e.g., funding to make specific facilities more accessible), or to fund or support inspections, reviews, or tests to determine whether an entity is meeting its compliance obligations. The program does not provide funding to help people with disabilities become more productive or acquire services they need because of their disability.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Applicant Eligibility
Nonprofit organizations, including trade and professional associations or their subsidiaries, organizations representing State and local governments or their employees, other organizations representing entities covered by the ADA, State and local governments agencies, national and State-based organizations representing persons with disabilities, and individuals.
Beneficiary Eligibility
The target audiences of funded grants will include State and local governments, businesses and nonprofit organizations that operate public accommodations and commercial facilities, and individuals who want information about their rights or responsibilities under the ADA.
Credentials/Documentation
Not applicable.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS
Preapplication Coordination
None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure
When funds are available, a notice of solicitation of grant applications is published in Federal Register. Applications are typically submitted in 45 to 60 days prior to award. Solicitation requires that the following forms be submitted with the application: SF 424 and 424A Application for Federal Assistance; Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Form 4000-3 (attached to SF 424); OJP Form 4061/6 (3-91); certifications regarding lobbying, debarment, suspension, and other responsibility matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirement; OJP Form 7120/1 (1/85), Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire.
Award Procedure
Final award decisions are made by the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division. Civil Rights Division Program personnel receive and review proposals and make recommendations to the Assistant Attorney General. All grants are made directly to applicants. No State Plan required.
Deadlines
Variable. Announced in the solicitation published in the Federal Register.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
The range is 60-120 days.
Appeals
None.
Renewals
None.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
Formula and Matching Requirements
Not applicable.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Normally 12 months. Release by Letter of Credit and as required.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS
Reports
Quarterly financial (SF 269A (Rev. 4/88)) and program (OJP 4587/1 (Rev. 2/90)) reports.
Audits
Grants may be audited by the Office of Justice Programs using standard audit procedure mandated by GAO.
Records
Organization financial audits for each calendar year in which grant was effective.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Account Identification
15-0128-0-1-752.
Obligations
(Grants) FY 06 $0; FY 07 $0; and FY 08 est $0. (Salaries and Expenses) FY 06 est $16,626,000; FY 07 est $17,400,000; and FY 08 est $17,973,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not available.
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In FY 2006, DRS entered a consent decree to improve the accessibility of Detroit's fixed route public bus systems and negotiated nationwide consent decrees with the country's largest movie theater chains to provide comparable lines of sight for patrons who use wheelchairs in stadium style movie theaters. DRS joined a settlement agreement with Washington Hospital Center and private plaintiffs to provide accessible hospital rooms and equipment to individuals with disabilities. It resolved by consent decree a lawsuit alleging that Royal Oak, Michigan, violated the ADA by denying Easter Seals a land use permit needed to relocate a day facility, Dreams Unlimited Clubhouse, that provides support services for adults with severe and persistent mental illness. DOJ entered into an agreement with Ticketmaster, Inc., to make its ticketing services more accessible for people with disabilities; required a Missouri nursing home, by consent decree, to pay damages to a nurses aide allegedly fired because of HIV disease and to adopt policies to prevent HIV discrimination in its employment practices; entered a consent decree that resolves allegations that Town Sports International, Inc., excluded a child from one of its summer camps because of her diabetes in violation of the ADA. The Department reached two comprehensive settlement agreements with the University of Chicago and Colorado College, the first under an initiative to review private colleges and universities, including proprietary schools. Both agreements address a wide array of issues and require the schools to ensure increased access to their campuses for students, faculty, and visitors particularly those with mobility, hearing, and vision disabilities. The Department also entered into a settlement agreement with NPC International, Inc. which operates approximately 800 Pizza Hut restaurants in 25 states and is the largest single franchisee of Pizza Hut restaurants in the United States. Formal settlement agreements were secured under Project Civic Access to ensure that the local government programs of 139 communities were accessible to a broad range of people with disabilities, bringing the number of agreements reached under this initiative to 146 through FY 2006. Much of the Department's enforcement effort focuses on resolution without litigation or formal agreements. For example, under a contract the Department refers complaints to professional mediators who have been trained in the legal requirements of the ADA. This has resulted in many mediated agreements. The Department's successful enforcement and educational efforts are detailed in quarterly reports published by the Section and available online. The Technical Assistance Program, mandated under Section 506 of the ADA, provides answers to questions and free publications to businesses, state and local governments, people with disabilities, and the general public. In FY 2006, more than 46,000 calls to the ADA Information Line were answered by ADA Specialists who assisted callers in applying the ADA to their own unique situations. The Section develops and disseminates free ADA publications, provides training and information at meetings nationwide, and carries out a variety of outreach and educational initiatives to reach audiences affected by the ADA. The Section's technical assistance publications range from detailed technical assistance manuals to basic Question-and-Answer booklets and illustrated guides addressing specific topics. Publications can be obtained 24 hours a day through a free fax-on-demand service or through the Section's ADA Website. This web site, one of the top five in the Department, received more than 49 million visits to its pages and graphics in FY 2006. The Section also chairs an ADA Technical Assistance Coordinating Committee and works with other agencies to coordinate technical assistance activities nationwide.
In FY 2006, the Section Created Expanding Your Market, a new series of concise, reproducible documents offering resources for businesses working to improve access and everyday examples of how accessibility can serve diverse market segments. The first four publications in the series are titled Customers with Disabilities Mean Business, Tax Incentives for Businesses, Accessibility Benefits Older Adult Customers and Building a Diverse Customer Base. The Section participated in more than 70 speaking and outreach events reaching over 200,000 people in FY 2006, including sending staff to distribute information and answer questions at nine national conferences and one state fair to promote public awareness of the ADA. The Section also publishes annually an article about the ADA-related tax credits and deductions in an IRS newsletter that reached seven million businesses nationwide. In FY 2006, the ADA Business Connection conducted four Leadership meetings in Washington, D.C., Boca Raton, FL, Chicago, IL, and Albuquerque, NM. This initiative, headed by the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, seeks to improve access to goods and services and increase employment of people with disabilities by fostering increased understanding of ADA requirements within the business community and increased dialogue and cooperation between the business and disability communities.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE
Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 25980-25983, June 5, 1991. Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 13797-13208, March 15, 1993, and Federal Register 15523, March 23, 1993. Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 29160-29168, June 3, 1994. Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 28484-28489, May 31, 1995. Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 25744-25749, May 22, 1996.
INFORMATION CONTACTS
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, Washington, DC 20530. Telephone: (800) 514- 0301 (Voice) (800) 514-0383 (TDD). Contact: Office of Public Affairs, Telephone: (Voice) (202) 514-2007; (TDD) (202) 514-1888.
Web Site Address
www.ada.gov
RELATED PROGRAMS
None.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS
The Police Executive Research Forum was awarded funding to create a set of materials on protecting the rights of persons with seizure disorders, speech and hearing impairments, mental retardation, and mental illness, to be integrated into police academy training and others for use in on-the-job roll-call training. The Chief Officers of State Library Agencies was awarded funding to place a collection of ADA material in 15,000 local libraries nationwide. The National Association of Towns and Township was awarded funding to produce ADA training materials to assist regional and State ADA technical assistance providers in educating officials from small towns across the country on how to comply with the ADA. The American Association of Retired Persons was awarded funding to create materials and conduct training sessions throughout the country to educate older persons with disabilities about their rights under the ADA. In 1995 and 1996, the Program funded state based grant projects to increase knowledge about the requirements of the ADA and awareness of resources available locally and at the State, regional, and national levels.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS
Criteria for selection of projects published in the solicitation of application.
To ensure that public accommodations and commercial facilities and State and local governments learn of the requirements of Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and acquire the knowledge needed to comply voluntarily with these requirements.
16.108 AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
(ADA)
FEDERAL AGENCY
CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
AUTHORIZATION
Americans with Disabilities Act, Public Law 101-336, Section 506.
OBJECTIVES
To ensure that public accommodations and commercial facilities and State and local governments learn of the requirements of Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and acquire the knowledge needed to comply voluntarily with these requirements.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE
Dissemination of Technical Information; Training; Investigation of Complaints; Project Grants.
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS
Grants limited to the provision of technical assistance and educational activities that have a wide impact, including the development and dissemination of materials, the conduct of seminars, conferences, and training, and the provision of technical assistance on a state, regional or national basis depending on the funding priorities announced each year. Because the grant program is educational in nature, the Department does not fund projects to research or resolve issues that are outside the scope of the Department's current ADA regulations and court interpretations. The program is not intended to fund or support site- specific compliance implementation (e.g., funding to make specific facilities more accessible), or to fund or support inspections, reviews, or tests to determine whether an entity is meeting its compliance obligations. The program does not provide funding to help people with disabilities become more productive or acquire services they need because of their disability.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Applicant Eligibility
Nonprofit organizations, including trade and professional associations or their subsidiaries, organizations representing State and local governments or their employees, other organizations representing entities covered by the ADA, State and local governments agencies, national and State-based organizations representing persons with disabilities, and individuals.
Beneficiary Eligibility
The target audiences of funded grants will include State and local governments, businesses and nonprofit organizations that operate public accommodations and commercial facilities, and individuals who want information about their rights or responsibilities under the ADA.
Credentials/Documentation
Not applicable.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS
Preapplication Coordination
None. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure
When funds are available, a notice of solicitation of grant applications is published in Federal Register. Applications are typically submitted in 45 to 60 days prior to award. Solicitation requires that the following forms be submitted with the application: SF 424 and 424A Application for Federal Assistance; Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Form 4000-3 (attached to SF 424); OJP Form 4061/6 (3-91); certifications regarding lobbying, debarment, suspension, and other responsibility matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirement; OJP Form 7120/1 (1/85), Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire.
Award Procedure
Final award decisions are made by the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division. Civil Rights Division Program personnel receive and review proposals and make recommendations to the Assistant Attorney General. All grants are made directly to applicants. No State Plan required.
Deadlines
Variable. Announced in the solicitation published in the Federal Register.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
The range is 60-120 days.
Appeals
None.
Renewals
None.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
Formula and Matching Requirements
Not applicable.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Normally 12 months. Release by Letter of Credit and as required.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS
Reports
Quarterly financial (SF 269A (Rev. 4/88)) and program (OJP 4587/1 (Rev. 2/90)) reports.
Audits
Grants may be audited by the Office of Justice Programs using standard audit procedure mandated by GAO.
Records
Organization financial audits for each calendar year in which grant was effective.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Account Identification
15-0128-0-1-752.
Obligations
(Grants) FY 06 $0; FY 07 $0; and FY 08 est $0. (Salaries and Expenses) FY 06 est $16,626,000; FY 07 est $17,400,000; and FY 08 est $17,973,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not available.
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In FY 2006, DRS entered a consent decree to improve the accessibility of Detroit's fixed route public bus systems and negotiated nationwide consent decrees with the country's largest movie theater chains to provide comparable lines of sight for patrons who use wheelchairs in stadium style movie theaters. DRS joined a settlement agreement with Washington Hospital Center and private plaintiffs to provide accessible hospital rooms and equipment to individuals with disabilities. It resolved by consent decree a lawsuit alleging that Royal Oak, Michigan, violated the ADA by denying Easter Seals a land use permit needed to relocate a day facility, Dreams Unlimited Clubhouse, that provides support services for adults with severe and persistent mental illness. DOJ entered into an agreement with Ticketmaster, Inc., to make its ticketing services more accessible for people with disabilities; required a Missouri nursing home, by consent decree, to pay damages to a nurses aide allegedly fired because of HIV disease and to adopt policies to prevent HIV discrimination in its employment practices; entered a consent decree that resolves allegations that Town Sports International, Inc., excluded a child from one of its summer camps because of her diabetes in violation of the ADA. The Department reached two comprehensive settlement agreements with the University of Chicago and Colorado College, the first under an initiative to review private colleges and universities, including proprietary schools. Both agreements address a wide array of issues and require the schools to ensure increased access to their campuses for students, faculty, and visitors particularly those with mobility, hearing, and vision disabilities. The Department also entered into a settlement agreement with NPC International, Inc. which operates approximately 800 Pizza Hut restaurants in 25 states and is the largest single franchisee of Pizza Hut restaurants in the United States. Formal settlement agreements were secured under Project Civic Access to ensure that the local government programs of 139 communities were accessible to a broad range of people with disabilities, bringing the number of agreements reached under this initiative to 146 through FY 2006. Much of the Department's enforcement effort focuses on resolution without litigation or formal agreements. For example, under a contract the Department refers complaints to professional mediators who have been trained in the legal requirements of the ADA. This has resulted in many mediated agreements. The Department's successful enforcement and educational efforts are detailed in quarterly reports published by the Section and available online. The Technical Assistance Program, mandated under Section 506 of the ADA, provides answers to questions and free publications to businesses, state and local governments, people with disabilities, and the general public. In FY 2006, more than 46,000 calls to the ADA Information Line were answered by ADA Specialists who assisted callers in applying the ADA to their own unique situations. The Section develops and disseminates free ADA publications, provides training and information at meetings nationwide, and carries out a variety of outreach and educational initiatives to reach audiences affected by the ADA. The Section's technical assistance publications range from detailed technical assistance manuals to basic Question-and-Answer booklets and illustrated guides addressing specific topics. Publications can be obtained 24 hours a day through a free fax-on-demand service or through the Section's ADA Website. This web site, one of the top five in the Department, received more than 49 million visits to its pages and graphics in FY 2006. The Section also chairs an ADA Technical Assistance Coordinating Committee and works with other agencies to coordinate technical assistance activities nationwide.
In FY 2006, the Section Created Expanding Your Market, a new series of concise, reproducible documents offering resources for businesses working to improve access and everyday examples of how accessibility can serve diverse market segments. The first four publications in the series are titled Customers with Disabilities Mean Business, Tax Incentives for Businesses, Accessibility Benefits Older Adult Customers and Building a Diverse Customer Base. The Section participated in more than 70 speaking and outreach events reaching over 200,000 people in FY 2006, including sending staff to distribute information and answer questions at nine national conferences and one state fair to promote public awareness of the ADA. The Section also publishes annually an article about the ADA-related tax credits and deductions in an IRS newsletter that reached seven million businesses nationwide. In FY 2006, the ADA Business Connection conducted four Leadership meetings in Washington, D.C., Boca Raton, FL, Chicago, IL, and Albuquerque, NM. This initiative, headed by the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, seeks to improve access to goods and services and increase employment of people with disabilities by fostering increased understanding of ADA requirements within the business community and increased dialogue and cooperation between the business and disability communities.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE
Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 25980-25983, June 5, 1991. Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 13797-13208, March 15, 1993, and Federal Register 15523, March 23, 1993. Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 29160-29168, June 3, 1994. Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 28484-28489, May 31, 1995. Notice of solicitation of grant applications, Federal Register 25744-25749, May 22, 1996.
INFORMATION CONTACTS
Regional or Local Office
None.
Headquarters Office
Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, Washington, DC 20530. Telephone: (800) 514- 0301 (Voice) (800) 514-0383 (TDD). Contact: Office of Public Affairs, Telephone: (Voice) (202) 514-2007; (TDD) (202) 514-1888.
Web Site Address
www.ada.gov
RELATED PROGRAMS
None.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS
The Police Executive Research Forum was awarded funding to create a set of materials on protecting the rights of persons with seizure disorders, speech and hearing impairments, mental retardation, and mental illness, to be integrated into police academy training and others for use in on-the-job roll-call training. The Chief Officers of State Library Agencies was awarded funding to place a collection of ADA material in 15,000 local libraries nationwide. The National Association of Towns and Township was awarded funding to produce ADA training materials to assist regional and State ADA technical assistance providers in educating officials from small towns across the country on how to comply with the ADA. The American Association of Retired Persons was awarded funding to create materials and conduct training sessions throughout the country to educate older persons with disabilities about their rights under the ADA. In 1995 and 1996, the Program funded state based grant projects to increase knowledge about the requirements of the ADA and awareness of resources available locally and at the State, regional, and national levels.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS
Criteria for selection of projects published in the solicitation of application.
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