Mayor Adrian Fenty and Office of Disability Rights (ODR) Director Eve Hill recognized Disability Awareness Month and the one-year anniversary of ODR today. ODR also unveiled its new Reasonable Accommodation Program for District employees.

ODR, which began operations in November 2007, provides dispute resolution, technical assistance, training, monitoring, and policy guidance on disability rights issues for District agencies and the disability community.

“ODR has made significant gains in making sure that individuals with disabilities have the opportunity to access all the services, activities, and programs offered by the DC government,” Mayor Fenty said. “The District is a better place for residents and visitors with disabilities as a result of ODR’s work and, because of the increased participation of people with disabilities; the District is a better place for all of us.”

Highlights from ODR’s First Year

In its first year, ODR has:

Improved Communication with Residents with Disabilities

ODR has developed, and the Mayor has adopted, a District-wide Policy for the Provision of Auxiliary Aids for Communication with People with Disabilities. Under this policy, agencies will ensure that information is conveyed effectively to people with vision, hearing, and speech disabilities by providing sign language interpreters, Braille materials, and other auxiliary aids. In addition, ODR has begun a pilot project to centralize dispatch and payment of sign language interpreters. 

Integrated People with Disabilities into Their Communities

ODR is leading the development of the District’s “Olmstead” Community Integration Plan. This plan will focus on the collaborative efforts of 14 DC government agencies to move people with disabilities out of institutional settings and into home and community based settings.

Improved Accessible Transportation

Until now, the District has had no wheelchair accessible taxicabs on its streets. ODR worked closely with the DC Taxicab Commission to provide $200,000 in DC grant money, matched by federal funding, to bring 21 wheelchair accessible taxicabs to DC. Beginning in early 2009, 3 taxicab companies will offer accessible taxi service, with centralized dispatch, marketing, and driver training.

Increased Election Accessibility

ODR surveyed polling places to assess their accessibility to people with disabilities and worked with the Board of Elections and Ethics to move some polling places to more accessible locations and improve poll-worker training. 

Unprecedented Engagement during Disability Awareness Month

To celebrate Disability Awareness Month in October, the District hosted the 2008 DC Disability Awareness Conference, which brought together over 200 members of the disability community and DC government officials to develop strategies to improve services in the areas of employment, housing, assistive technologies, and personal care supports. 

The District also hosted Disability Mentoring Days throughout October. Thirty-one District agencies and four City Council members hosted individuals with disabilities for a day of job-shadowing and mentoring.

Announcing New Reasonable Accommodation Program for District Employees

At today’s conclusion of Disability Awareness Month, ODR unveiled several initiatives to increase DC Government’s employment of qualified people with disabilities:

• Manual for Accommodating Employees with Disabilities – This manual provides practical guidance for DC government employees, supervisors, and human resource personnel about the ADA requirements for reasonable accommodation of employees with disabilities.
• Pilot Program for Funding of Reasonable Accommodations – ODR announced a pilot program through which ODR will arrange and fund reasonable accommodations under the ADA for qualified employees and applicants with disabilities.  
• Surveys of District Agencies and Employees – In order to assess the District’s progress in hiring.