Office of Deaf & Hard of Hearing
[Current Announcement]PLEASE READ IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT YOUR SERVICES
June 24, 2015
Unfortunately, as of June 19, 2015 the Washington State Legislature has not passed a budget. If a budget isn’t adopted before July 1, 2015, Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing services authorized by the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration will terminate June 30, 2015. You can be certain this is the last thing anyone within the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration wants to happen; we are simply prevented, by law, from spending state-only money without an approved State budget.
You might be receiving one or more of the following services paid for with state-only money:
Telecommunication Relay Service
Sign Language Interpreter Services
Case Management;
Information & Referral;
Education & Training;
Specialized Telecommunication Equipment
Communication Facilitator
Support Service Provider
Assistive Technology
If a budget is not adopted before July 1, 2015 these service(s) will stop. We are very concerned about the potential impacts to you and your family with an interruption in these important services. We believe the likelihood of a shutdown is low; however we must be prepared for a possible closure. Our hope is that a budget agreement will be reached very soon.
If a government shutdown does occur, all our normal operations will resume once a new budget has been approved. If the state Legislature reaches an agreement by July 1, 2015, ODHH will remain open and operational without any interruption to services.
Respectfully,
Bill Moss Assistant Secretary
Aging and Long-Term Support Administration
DSHS: Transforming Lives
Dear Friends of ODHH,
It is with mixed emotions to share with you that after nearly 12 years of public service with the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, I have accepted a job offer in North Carolina, working at the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It’s hard to leave a job I love but change is always good, personally and professionally, and it will be good for Washington and ODHH as well. I have very much enjoyed working at ODHH, and have appreciated your support and encouragement in many different ways. I will miss the positive relationships with the communities, staff, bosses, and colleagues who were about working together toward a common goal, improving the quality of life for the people we care about and serve. My passion has always been to provide opportunities for deaf-blind, deaf, hard of hearing, and speech disabled. Most work was accomplished, some work remain unfinished, while other work will continue. I just hope I leave WA and ODHH better than it was when I first came to WA on August 2003. It will be very challenging times for me these last few weeks but I look forward to my time with you as I finish some projects and assist with the transition and recruitment. My last day will be on Wednesday June 24th. WA and ODHH will always hold a special place and I hope you will share with me all the things WA and ODHH can and will accomplish in the coming years.
Sincerely,
Eric Raff, Director
Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Planning for Equal Access to Transportation in Washington
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information
This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing the WSDOT Diversity/ADA Affairs team at wsdotada@nullwsdot.wa.gov or by calling toll free: 855-362-4ADA (4232). Persons who are deaf or hearing impaired may make a request by calling the Washington State Relay at 711.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) understands the vital role it has in ensuring equal access to facilities and services for people with disabilities throughout the state.
WSDOT’s
ADA Transition Plan embodies the agency’s efforts to remove barriers to equal access in the public right of way, as well as all other aspects of our business, including policies, services, and programs.
With assistance from the Federal Highway Administration, WSDOT has identified four focus areas to ensure our ADA Transition Plan is in compliance with federal requirements and supports a system that provides equal access to our citizens and communities.
The 2015 focus areas include:
•Removing Priority Barriers - First, we are identifying a ADA compliance improvement plan to remove the priority barriers across the state.
•Curb Ramp Replacement - We are continuing to remove barriers to equal access as part of our paving program and coordination with local agencies is a priority.
•Programs & Policies - We are also reforming our programs, websites, policies, and resources to provide equal access. This includes continuing to gather information about our transportation system that will improve accessibility.
•Training and Outreach - Lastly, we are working to develop a training program to educate the transportation professionals across the state on accessibility requirements, practical design and community engagement.
Schedule of Public Hearings, Meetings, and Events
June 12th, 2015 – 9-12pm
WSDOT Accessibility Task Force –
WSDOT Headquarters
310 Maple Park Ave SE
Olympia, WA 98504
Spokane – TBD
WSDOT – Planning for Equal Access to Transportation
Title VI Notice to Public
It is Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) policy to ensure that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, or sex, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise discriminated against under any of its federally funded programs and activities. Any person who believes his/her Title VI protection has been violated, may file a complaint with WSDOT’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO). For additional information regarding Title VI complaint procedures and/or information regarding our nondiscrimination obligations, please contact OEO’s Title VI Coordinators: George Laue at (509) 324-6018 or Jonte’ Sulton at (360) 705-7082.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information
This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing the WSDOT Diversity/ADA Affairs team at wsdotada@nullwsdot.wa.gov or by calling toll free: 855-362-4ADA (4232). Persons who are deaf or hearing impaired may make a request by calling the Washington State Relay at 711.
What are WSDOT’s requirements for our ADA Transition Plan?
To provide equal access for people with disabilities, and under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), WSDOT has federal requirements to make a transition plan (28 CFR §35.150(d)).
Specifically, this plan will:
Quantify the scope of facilities and accompanying features within WSDOT’s
• public rights of way, which have been identified within a self-evaluation, as well as those that have yet to be identified. The self evaluation, must include:
- Complete list of physical barriers within WSDOT right of way.
- Detailed methods to remove barriers.
- Schedule for removing all barriers within WSDOT right of way.
- Designation of responsible official (Secretary of Transportation)
- Schedule for replacing curb ramps specifically.
- Record of community engagement – specifically disabled community
•Identify areas of improvement pertaining to Title II of the ADA within the Washington State Ferries (WSF) system, as well as clarify short and long-term goals for WSF to improve overall accessibility.
•Establish a schedule for annual updates to this transition plan.
For Additional Information or to Schedule a Presentation Contact:
Paula Reeves, AICP CTP
WSDOT Engineering Policy & Innovation
310 Maple Park Ave SE
Olympia WA 98501
Phone: 360-705-7258
Email: Reevesp@nullwsdot.wa.gov
The Justice Department announced today that it has entered into a settlement agreement with edX Inc., to remedy alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Agreement resolves the Department’s allegations that edX’s website, www.edx.org, and its Platform were not fully accessible to individuals with disabilities, including individuals who are blind or have low vision, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing and individuals who have physical disabilities affecting manual dexterity.
Under the Agreement edX will significantly modify its website, Platform, and Mobile Applications to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 AA, the industry guidelines for making web content accessible. EdX will also provide guidance and authoring tools to the approximately 60 universities and institutions that create and offer over 450 courses to more than 3,000,000 learners on its website. The courses are offered largely for free in subject matters as varied as business, computer sciences, hard sciences, food and nutrition, and social sciences. Because edX makes its software code freely available, any modifications to that code under this Agreement will enable other MOOC providers to enhance the accessibility of their online offerings. The Agreement also requires EdX to appoint a Web Accessibility Coordinator; adopt a Web Accessibility Policy; solicit feedback from learners on the accessibility of the courses; conduct Web Accessibility Training for employees responsible for the website, Platform, and Mobile Applications, and retain a consultant to evaluate conformance of the website, Platform, and Mobile Applications.
To find out more about this settlement agreement or the ADA, access the ADA website at www.ada.gov or call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD).
E-news (below) announces the latest information about ODHH, legislative bills, government news related to disabilities, or government job vacancies for people with disabilities.
To subscribe, please complete the “10-441 - Individuals Subscription and Directory” (doc) form. We do not distribute on behalf of non-profits or businesses. However you may request a listing of various listservs via email at odhh@nulldshs.wa.gov.
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