The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

Overview

Title II of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers programs, activities, and services of public entities.

A public entity covered by title II is defined as:

  · Any State or local government
  · Any department, agency, special purpose district, or other instrumentality of a State or local government
  · Certain commuter authorities, as well as AMTRAK

As defined, the term "public entity" does not include the Federal Government. Thus, Federal agencies are not bound by Title II, but instead must comply with sections 501 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

This course covers Subtitle A of Title II, which is intended to protect qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination on the basis of disability in the services, programs, or activities of all State and local governments. This course does not address Subtitle B of Title II, which covers public transportation entities.

The course material is based entirely on "The Americans with Disabilities Act - Title II Technical Assistance Manual" published by the U.S. Department of Justice. This manual explains in lay terms what State and local governments must do to ensure that their services, programs, and activities are provided to the public in a nondiscriminatory manner. Many examples are provided for practical guidance.

This course is most relevant to engineers involved in the design or alteration of buildings and facilities as some states require a minimum number PDH credits on courses related to ADA, life safety codes, and building codes.

The student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twenty-five (25) questions at the end of the course to obtain PDH credits.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

  · The scope of Title II of the ADA
  · The three categories of individuals with disabilities defined in Title II
  · The standard that constitutes "substantial limitation of a major life activity"
  · Conditions specifically excluded from the definition of a "disability"
  · Meeting the requirements for equality in participation/benefits
  · The definition of a "qualified" individual
  · The requirement for "reasonable accommodation" as it relates to employment
  · Methods to achieve program accessibility
  · Choices of design standards for new construction and building alterations
  · Major differences between the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) and the American with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG)
  · Requirements for communications with individuals with disabilities
  · Administrative requirements for public entities, including self evaluation and designation of a responsible employee to coordinate compliance efforts
  · Complaint investigation and enforcement

State Board Acceptance

This course can be used by professional engineers to fulfill PDH requirements mandated by state and provincial licensing boards. Decatur Professional Development is an approved provider of continuing education in all states that pre-approve course providers. In all other states that mandate continuing education for engineers, it is the individual engineer's responsibility to determine the suitability of activities for PDH credit. The state boards typically accept online* courses that cover technical, managerial** or ethical content and which are relevant to the practice of engineering. The course must have a clear purpose or objective with a content that will maintain, improve or expand the skills and knowledge of the licensee's field of practice. For questions about your mandatory PDH requirements, visit the website of your state licensing board.

*Online courses are accepted by all state licensing boards that mandate continuing education. Other than New York (which limits online courses to 18 PDH) and Iowa (which limits online courses to 6 PDH), there are no limits placed by other states on the number of hours that can be earned through online continuing education. Consult with your state licensing board if you have any questions about the acceptability of online courses.

**The New York State Board of Engineers does not accept general office management courses, but will accept project management courses that are offered by an approved provider and that are technical in nature and contribute to the engineer's professional practice.