OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

Memorandum of Understanding Regarding ADA and GINA Employment Discrimination Charges against State and Local Governments
Joint Document by the Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Advancing Equal Access: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Frequently Asked Questions on Effective Communication for Students with Hearing, Vision, or Speech Disabilities in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools
Joint Document by the Departments of Justice and Education

HUD Notice Permitting Use of 2010 ADA Standards (with exceptions) in lieu of the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) for Section 504 compliance

Accessibility (Design and Construction) Requirements for Covered Multifamily Dwellings under the Fair Housing Act
Joint Statement of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Justice

United States v. University of Nebraska at Kearney
A memorandum and opinion in a Fair Housing Act case involving a challenge to the University of Nebraska's refusal to permit a student to have her emotional support animal in university housing. ADA issues unrelated to service animals are discussed.

Memorandum to Federal Agency Civil Rights Directors and General Counsels concerning use of the 2010 ADA Standards under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as an alternative accessibility standard.

Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008
The Civil Rights Division has the authority to enforce Title II of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) against State and Local government employers. Title II of GINA prohibits the use of genetic information in making employment decisions, restricts acquisition of genetic information by employers and other entities covered by Title II of GINA, and strictly limits the disclosure of genetic information. Complaints should be filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). GINA went into effect on November 21, 2009. Information about this new law is available from the EEOC’s Website at: http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/genetic.cfm.

International Treaty on the Rights of People with Disabilities
On July 24, 2009, President Barack Obama marked the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act by announcing that the United States would sign the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The convention is a treaty committing governments to promote, protect, and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and basic freedoms by people with disabilities worldwide. The same day, in his statement commemorating the anniversary of the ADA, Attorney General Eric Holder also lauded the treaty.

On July 30, 2009, Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, signed the treaty on behalf of the United States at U.N. Headquarters in New York. She was joined at the signing ceremony by senior presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett, who announced that the President will create a new senior-level diplomatic post in the State Department to promote the rights of people with disabilities internationally.

The United States joined 141 other countries that have signed the U.N. treaty.

Remarks of President Obama
Remarks of Attorney General Holder
Text of Treaty