Wagoner & Associates, Inc. is a Proud Member of the National ADA Training and Implementation Network, a Joint project of the US Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
We were selected to be part of a group of only 150 people Nationwide to receive an intense, Two Phase, ADA Compliance Consultants training, sponsored and approved by the Federal agencies assigned to implement and enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The History of NADATIN
Following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, Congress realized that there would be great deal of questions and misinformation concerning its implementation and enforcement. To help ease the fears of the business community and also to educate People with Disabilities about their new civil rights, Congress set aside funding for a special project.
The National ADA Training and Implementation Network is that Congressionally Funded Training Project and is a joint project of the US Department of Justice, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and also works closely with the other Federal Agencies designated by Congress to implement and enforce the ADA.
NADATIN carefully selected participants from across the country, including representatives from each State and a wide range of disabilities to participate in Phase I of the project. Those selected were, for the most part, already active in universal design, accessibility, disability rights or some other pertinent field and were well respected by their peers and others.
In 1993, these people gathered in various locations across the country to receive intensive ADA training by instructors from the US Department of Justice, the EEOC, the US Department of Transportation and other Federal Agencies. The lead disabled organization involved in this training was the Disability Rights Education, Defense Fund whose staff was largely responsible for the development and passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as it now exists.
NADATIN Training included:
History of Disabilities Laws
Definition of "Disability"
Covered Entities
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR's) Related to ADA
Specifics on ALL TITLES of the ADA
Intent of the law as passed by Congress
Implementation of the law
Advocacy for People with Disabilities
Specific training on performing ADA Surveys
ADA Access Guidelines (ADAAG)
Title II Self-Evaluations and Transition Plans
Existing Facilities, Alterations and New Construction
Enforcement Options
Documentation and "Good-Faith"
The Complaint and Investigative Process
Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution
We were fortunate to have staff attend the Phase I training in Washington, DC. Given this location, representatives of the many Designated Federal Agencies were always on hand and we were also privileged to have numerous Members of Congress attend a reception to welcome us to this historic project.
Following Phase I training, participants
returned to their home States and began working as ADA Compliance
Consultants, putting this valuable training to work. Each participant
was required to submit regular reports to the US DOJ & EEOC
through the NADATIN Offices in Washington, DC. Of the initial
participants, a small group was selected to receive yet another in-depth ADA training and were moved into Phase II.
We are proud to say that we were also in the prestigious group selected for the Phase II training in San Diego, CA in 1994. During this second training opportunity, participants were required to demonstrate their skill and knowledge on the ADA, its implementation and enforcement. They were also required to show their ability to train others, provide presentations and mediate ADA related disputes.
Still now, many years after the passage of the ADA, the Compliance Consultants involved in the National ADA Training and Implementation Network are hard at work to assist businesses in the ongoing process of compliance and assisting People with Disabilities to ensure that they understand their rights under the law.
NADATIN participants receive regular updates from the US DOJ and EEOC on complaints, mediation projects and enforcement action. Training bulletins and updates are also regularly distributed to ensure that participants have the most current Federal interpretation and legal decisions surrounding the ADA. Proposed changes to the law and to the ADA Access Guidelines are also distributed for our comments prior to final passage.
To mark the 5th and 10th anniversaries of the passage of the ADA, selected NADATIN participants were invited by the President of the United States to attend receptions at the White House. We are honored to have been invited to both of these events.
We are exceptionally proud of our affiliation with the National ADA Training and Implementation Network and its efforts to work with the business community toward compliance.
We have our own, In-House training program that they must complete and we also require that they work alongside a more experienced Compliance Consultant to demonstrated and expand their ability.
Our In-house training coveras all aspects of the ADA with specific focus on the following:
We have found that former members of the Law Enforcement Community have been an invaluable source for potential Consultants. While they, like most people, need to be trained in the specifics of the ADA, they are familiar with laws, compliance, investigation and documentation. They also understand the sensitive issues surrounding security, confidentuality and staff/client priviledge.
