LaVant Consulting, Inc.

34 years ago today, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. The ADA provides basic protection for disabled people from discrimination based on disability, primarily focused on accessibility. While the ADA was monumental in establishing guidelines for accessibility, there are many gaps that have left disabled people with inequities in healthcare, employment, and marriage rights, and more. In the subsequent years, many disabled activists have been working towards a more inclusive, comprehensive, and intersectional #DisabilityJustice movement. Today, focus on centering disabled stories — not just those of hardship and activism, but also those highlighting everyday #DisabledJoy. #DisabilityRights #ADA34

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law 34 years ago on July 26th, 1990. It covers many areas of life, including employment, public services, telecommunications, and more. Here are just three things the ADA established: 1. Title I of the ADA centers equal employment opportunities and requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to any qualified applicants or employees. It defines reasonable accommodations as modifications or adjustments to the work environment that allow disabled employees to apply and perform essential job functions. 2. The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities under Title III, which sets the minimum standards for accessibility for private places of public accommodation. Businesses must meet the standards when alterations are made on existing buildings, for new construction, and where “reasonable modifications” can be made to serve disabled patrons. 3. Under Title IV, telephone and internet companies are required to provide a nationwide system of telecommunication relay services (TRS), which allow people with hearing or speech-related disabilities to communicate with anyone through telephone calls. There are several forms of TRS, including text-to-voice TTY-based TRS and Speech-to-Speech Relay Service. #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabilityJustice #DisabilityRights #NotSpecialNeeds #AbleismExists

Not all disabilities look the same. The assumption that all disabled people can fit into one box perpetuates harmful stereotypes about disability. The LCI team is proof that the disability community is diverse! #DisabledPeople #DisabilityCommunity #DisabilityRepresentation #Disability #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

Language is a big topic in the disability community. Some people prefer person-first language, while others prefer identity-first language. However, the word “disabled” is not culturally offensive. For best practice, ask the person you are speaking to or about what their preferences are. #PersonFirstLanguage #IdentityFirstLanguage #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityCommunity #LanguageMatters

Disabled people should be able to expect accessibility without begging for it or praising when it is implemented. Leading with the mindset that accessibility is a right, not a privilege, is the first step in ensuring that you are inclusive of people with disabilities. #DisabilityInclusion #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #EventAccessibility #AccessibilityMatters #a11y

The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law on July 26th, 1990. While the ADA was monumental in establishing guidelines for accessibility, it did not fix all disability-related issues. 34 years later, disabled people continue to have to fight for equal rights — here are just three examples of that. 1. Disabled people can legally be paid less than minimum wage. This is known as subminimum wage, a practice that allows employers to pay disabled people less for the same work, solely based on disability. A 2023 report found 120,000 workers were receiving subminimum wages, with half earning less than $3.50 per hour. The Department of Labor is said to be proposing changes to the program by September of 2024. 2. If a disabled person is receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid, their benefits can be reduced or revoked upon marriage. Recipients cannot have more than $2,000 in assets as individuals and $3,000 as a couple — limits that have not been adjusted since 1989. Couples will receive at least 25% less than they did as two individuals, meaning many recipients are unable to marry. 3. 31 states and the District of Columbia have laws allowing the forced sterilization of disabled people. These laws allow guardians, family members, and judges to determine if a disabled person should be sterilized, even if they do not want to be. Three members of Congress introduced a resolution regarding disabled people’s reproductive rights in May of 2024. These are just three of many disability rights issues impacting disabled people today. As #ADA34 approaches, listen to stories from disabled people and continue to look for ways to advocate for people with disabilities year-round. #DisabilityAdvocate #DisabilityJustice #DisabilityRights #NotSpecialNeeds #AbleismExists

Accessibility is best when it is planned from the start. When planning an event, accessibility should be built into everything from the registration website to the thank you for coming email. When accessibility isn't considered until the final stages of event planning, gaps have already been formed that make it difficult or impossible for people with disabilities to participate. #a11y #AccessibilityMatters #AccessibilityForAll #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityPrideMonth

In addition to offering our employees a retirement plan, providing a 401k company match was an intentional decision that is very important to us. Our Vice President, Jamie, is here to explain the 'why' behind this choice. Want to hear about the annual and quarterly stipends we give all employees? Check out last week's video! Descriptive Transcript: Jamie, a Black woman wearing a tan tank top and a denim jacket, speaking to the camera. There is an upbeat track playing lightly in the background. [Jamie]: "Why do we have a 401k company match? As a company, as a small business, it's really important for our benefits package to not only support the current day lifestyle of our employees, but also, to help set them up for the future. And so it was really important for us to not only have a retirement plan, but also to have a company match to ensure that we are helping to support our employees in preparing for the future — whatever that may look like for them." [The LCI logo rolls in on a black background.] #401k #RetirementPlanning #WorkFromHomeJobs #DisabilityInclusion

On July 26th, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. That year, the first Disability Pride Day was held in Boston. The first Disability Pride Parade was held in Chicago in July of 2004. The now annual parade is designed to change the way people think about disabilities, end internalized shame in disabled people, and promote the belief that disabilities are natural and beautiful. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the passage of the ADA, New York City became the first city to officially observe Disability Pride Month in July of 2015. Although it is not yet observed federally, many other US cities have begun officially recognizing the month as well. In 2019, disabled artist Ann Magill shared a disability pride flag with five lightning bolt stripes, later redesigned to be more visually accessible. The black space represents mourning and rage for victims of ableist violence and abuse, the other colors representing neurodivergence, invisible, undiagnosed, physical, psychiatric, and sensory disabilities. #DisabilityPride #DisabilityPrideMonth #DisabilityHistory

Since we are a 100% remote team, all employees are given $1,000 annually and $250 quarterly to experience a traditional office vibe, reimagined at home. Our Vice President, Jamie, is here to explain the 'why' behind these stipends. Descriptive Transcript: Jamie, a Black woman wearing a tan tank top and a denim jacket, speaking to the camera. There is an upbeat track playing lightly in the background. [Jamie]: "Why do we have a $1,000 annual stipend and a $250 quarterly stipend? Well, we are a 100% remote organization, which means it's really important for us to allow our team to have the most ideal setup that makes their work day and their work experience as comfortable as possible. And so the $1,000 annual stipend is for folks to purchase whatever they need whether it's an ergonomic chair, a second monitor…actually, everybody gets a second monitor. Whatever they need at home to make them feel comfortable in their home office set up. We provide the $250 quarterly stipend to cover things that you would normally have in an office whether that be warm beverages like coffee, tea, it can be used for an internet stipend, or the occasional working lunch. Because when you're in a traditional office environment, sometimes your boss takes you to lunch, or you have lunch with your coworkers." #RemoteWork #WorkFromHome #WorkFromHomeJobs #DisabilityInclusion