Practical Tips for Disabilities Act Compliance

The Chicago Community Trust has released Renewing the Commitment: An ADA Compliance Guide for Nonprofits, a free online publication, intended to assist nonprofits, including churches, in understanding the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and developing their own plans for compliance. The guide begins with an overview of how individuals may experience disability, and the law’s principles. It includes a checklist for taking stock of current efforts and explores issues faced by many nonprofits (including communications, access to facilities and holding meetings and events). It then applies these concepts to specific types of services and activities, such as health care, human services, recreation and the arts. Practical tools include:

• An Agenda for Action, with seven steps to compliance
• One-page Tip Sheets to guide staff in such day-to-day matters as choosing and using interpreters, holding accessible meetings and admitting individuals with service animals
• Customizable templates for meeting notices, policies and information about accessible building features, responding to requests for policy modifications
• Suggestions for interacting with individuals with disabilities in ways that are effective and not condescending
• Extensive resources and links to national, Chicago-area and state-level information.