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Glossary of Disability Related Terms
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Accessible
Easy to approach, enter, operate, participate in, or use safely, independently and with dignity by a person with a disability.
ADA
See Americans with Disabilities Act
ADR
See Alternate Dispute Resolution
Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR)
A variety of procedures for resolving disputes. ADR is a fair and efficient alternative to court adjudication that must be entered into voluntarily by all parties. Some of the more common ADR procedures are arbitration, mediation, and conciliation. The Americans with Disabilities Act encourages ADR to resolve conflicts.
Alternate Formats
Formats usable by people with disabilities. These may include, but are not limited to, Braille, ASCII text, large print and recorded audio.
Alternate Methods
Different means of providing information, including product documentation, to people with disabilities. Alternate methods may include, but are not limited to, voice, fax, relay service, TTY, Internet posting, captioning, text-to-speech synthesis, and audio description.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Civil rights law that makes it unlawful to discriminate against individuals in public or private sector employment (for businesses with 15 or more employees), state and local government services, public accommodations, transportation or telecommunication.
Assistive Technology
Any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Includes items such as communication devices, adapted appliances for accessible living, environmental control devices, modified housing, adapted computers, and specialized software.
Electronic and Information Technology
Technology and any equipment or interconnected system or subsystem of equipment that is used in the creation, conversion, or duplication of data or information. The term electronic and information technology includes, but is not to, telecommunications products (such as telephones), information kiosks and transaction machines, World Wide Web sites, multimedia, and office equipment such as copiers and fax machines.
Essential Job Functions
Fundamental job duties of an employment position that an individual with a disability holds or desires.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Federal agency responsible for overseeing and enforcing nondiscrimination in hiring, firing, compensation, promotion, recruitment, training and other terms and conditions of employment regardless of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin or disability.
Individual with a Disability
Person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of that person's major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or who is regarded as having such an impairment.
Major Life Activity
Basic activities that the average person in the general population can perform with little or no difficulty, such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning and working.
Qualified Individual with a Disability
Individual with a disability who satisfies the requisite skill, experience, education and other job-related requirements of an employment position the individual holds or desires, and who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of such position.
- Modification or adjustment to a job application process that enables a qualified applicant with a disability to be considered for the position;
- Modifications or adjustments to the work environment, or to the manner or circumstances under which a position held or desired is customarily performed, that enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of that position; or
- Modifications or adjustments that enable an employee with a disability to enjoy the same benefits and privileges of employment as similarly situated employees without disabilities.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Federal legislation that set up grant programs for vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, independent living and client assistance. The Rehabilitative Services Administration in the Department of Education oversees programs created by the Act.
Section 508
Section of the amended Rehabilitation Act requiring all federal agencies to make their electronic and information technologies available to people with disabilities
Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS)
Service available in all states and territories that enables voice telephone users to talk to people who have deafness or hardness of hearing via trained Communications Assistants who relay the message in real time.
Teletypewriter Technology (TTY)
Typewriter keyboards that allow users to type their conversations over the phone lines. The conversation is read on a lighted screen display or a paper printout.
Title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Title prohibiting discrimination on the basis of a disability by the federal government, federal contractors, recipients of federal financial assistance, and in federally conducted programs and activities.
TRS
See Telecommunication Relay Services
TTY
See Teletypewriter Technology
Undue Hardship
Significant difficulty or expense incurred in providing a workplace accommodation for an individual with a disability. Factors considered in determining undue hardship include the size, nature and structure of a business, as well as the resources available to the employer. If the facility considering the accommodation is part of a larger entity, the structure and overall resources of the larger organization are considered, as well as the financial and administrative relationship of the employing facility to the larger organization.
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