Salem, Ore.) — In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Oregon Disabilities Commission and the Northwest ADA Center are hosting weekly Lunch and Learn sessions in July. “The ADA was a crucial civil rights law in 1990 and it remains an essential resource for people with disabilities in securing full rights for participation in society,” said Michael Richardson, director of the NW ADA Center. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we needed to switch from a large event to something that would allow us to maintain physical distancing,” said Joseph Lowe, staff to the Oregon Disabilities Commission. Instead of a one-day event in the Human Services Building in Salem, there will be four weekly Lunch & Learn sessions, from noon until 1 p.m., via Zoom. “The Zoom sessions will help more Oregonians have access to this important information,” Lowe said. “The topics will be useful to people who aren’t familiar with the ADA and to those who have been involved since the beginning. We hope to get a large turnout to further ADA knowledge in Oregon.” Lunch and Learn registration: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItcuCvrzsqGTXMtF-0R7vZbxuzVk0XloM Here’s the schedule: Tuesday, July 7 – ADA History, Michael Richardson, Director, NW ADA Center; Tuesday, July 14 – Disability Language & Etiquette, Linda Clemon-Karp, Continuing Education Coordinator, NW ADA Center; Tuesday, July 21 – Assistive Technology & Universal Design, Brian Sacre, Access Technologies, Inc.; Tuesday, July 28 – Effective Communications & COVID-19: Lessons Learned, Emily Cooper, Legal Director, Disability Rights Oregon. These sessions will be accessible to people with disabilities. Captioning and American Sign Language interpretation will be provided. For questions about accessibility, or to request an accommodation, please contact OregonDisabilities.Commission@dhsoha.state.or.us. Requests should be made at least 48 hours in advance of the meetings.
